Volume 154, No. 92 covering the 2nd Session of the 110th Congress (2007 - 2008) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S5202-S5204 on June 5, 2008.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS
The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:
POM-357. A resolution adopted by the Metropolitan King County Council of the State of Washington supporting the withdrawal of federal appropriation for the Airbus tanker; to the Committee on Armed Services.
POM-358. A joint resolution adopted by the House of Representatives of the Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature expressing its support for Resolution number 80 of the Legislature of Guam; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
POM-359. A letter from a private citizen relative to funding of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
POM-360. A resolution adopted by the New Britain Common Council of the State of Connecticut opposing the continuation of the Iraq war; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
POM-361. A resolution adopted by the Caribbean and North American Area Council of the World Alliance urging Congress to end the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
POM-362. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of Mississippi urging Congress to support the passage of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 556
Whereas, in December 2000, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, a Federal act, was signed into law; and
Whereas, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act provides federal funds to counties and school districts with national forest lands located within the county boundaries; and
Whereas, 33 counties have substantial tracts of land in public ownership which can neither be developed nor taxed to generate revenue from economic activity or taxation; and
Whereas, these counties have United States National Forests within its boundaries and have received critical funds for roads and schools based on revenues generated from these forests; and
Whereas, the payments provided to these counties have been a consistent and necessary source of funding for the schools, teachers and students; and
Whereas, in December 2007, the United States Congress removed the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act from the Energy Legislation to which it was attached. This legislation was subsequently passed and signed into law without reauthorization for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act; and
Whereas, the funding provided through the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act will significantly contribute to the local economy of these counties by providing the necessary funds for schools and roads, which is vital for sustained economic development; and
Whereas, these counties depend on the funding from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act and unless the funding is secured through legislation as deemed appropriate by the Mississippi congressional delegation, these counties will lose critical funding that it has received for decades:
Now, Therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of Mississippi, the House of Representatives concurring therein, That we, the members of the Legislature of the State of Mississippi, respectfully request that the United States Congress pass the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act so that these Mississippi counties may continue to adequately maintain the roads and schools and sustain economic development in the state.
Be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate is directed to transmit copies of this resolution to President George W. Bush, the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the Governor of the State of Mississippi, each member of the Mississippi congressional delegation, and that copies be made available to members of the Capitol Press Corps.
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POM-363. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of Michigan urging Congress to enact the Clean Boating Act of 2008; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Senate Resolution No. 179
Whereas, in September 2006 the U.S. Northern District Court Court of California issued a ruling that required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate ballast water discharges. Ocean-going vessels moving from port to port are largely responsible for the spread of aquatic invasive species through the discharge of ballast water. Although intended to address only ballast water discharges from ocean-going vessels, the court ruling encompassed all discharges from all vessels, including recreational boats. Under the ruling, all vessels would be required to have a federal permit for discharges to the water beginning September 2008; and
Whereas, recreational boat discharges are already regulated under numerous federal and state laws. Non-polluting, incidental discharges such as weather deck runoff, grey water, uncontaminated bilge water, and engine coolant water should not require a federal permit. These discharges occur during the normal operation of a recreational vessel and are completely different from the discharges of a commercial ship that were intended to be affected by the District Court ruling; and
Whereas, with almost 1 million registered recreational boats, Michigan is one of the top boating states in the nation. With 40,000 square miles of Great Lakes waters and thousands of inland lake boating opportunities, boating is one of the largest outdoor recreational activities in which our residents take part. Requiring Michigan recreational boat owners to obtain the federal discharge permit will be a huge economical burden and inconvenience to Michigan boat owners; and
Whereas, Congress has before it the Clean Boating Act of 2008 (S. 2766), which will restore the 35-year-old EPA exemption for these non-polluting discharges from recreational vessels. Immediate action on S. 2766 will prevent owners of small, recreational boats from having to purchase the same, expensive discharge permits required of commercial vessels beginning in September, and
Whereas, it is critical that owners and operatores of recreational boats must continue to abide by Michigan Department of Natural Resources' recommendations for the proper treatment of their vessels, including voluntary practices such as a thorough washing of their vessels when moving from one body of water to another to minimize the risk of the spread of invasive species; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact the Clean Boating Act of 2008; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
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POM-364. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the State of Utah urging U.S. withdrawal from the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
House Resolution No. 1
Whereas, President George W. Bush established the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America with the nations of Mexico and Canada on March 23, 2005;
Whereas, the gradual creation of such a North American Union from a merger of the United States, Mexico, and Canada would be a direct threat to the United States Constitution and the national independence of the United States and would imply an eventual end to national borders within North America;
Whereas, on March 31, 2006, a White House news release confirmed the continuing existence of the SPP and its
``ongoing process of cooperation'';
Whereas, Congressman Ron Paul has written that a key to the SPP plan is an extensive new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) superhighway: ``[U]nder this new
`partnership,' a massive highway is being planned to stretch from Canada into Mexico, through the state of Texas.'';
Whereas, this trilateral partnership to develop a North American Union has never been presented to Congress as an agreement or treaty, and has had virtually no congressional oversight; and
Whereas, state and local governments throughout the United States would be negatively impacted by the SPP and North American Union process, such as the ``open borders'' vision of the SPP, eminent domain takings of private property along the planned superhighways; and increased law enforcement problems along those same superhighways: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives of the state of Utah urges the United States Congress, and Utah's congressional delegation, to use all of their efforts, energies, and diligence to withdraw the United States from any further participation in the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. Be it further
Resolved, That the House of Representatives urges Congress to withdraw the United States from any other bilateral or multilateral activity, however named, which seeks to advance, authorize, fund, or in any way promote the creation of any structure to accomplish any form of North American Union as described in this resolution. Be it further
Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to the members of Utah's congressional delegation, and all members of Congress by electronic means.
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POM-365. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of Louisiana urging Congress to provide funding for the Louisiana University of Medical Sciences, Inc., College of Primary Care Medicine; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 68
Whereas, Louisiana suffers with one of the worst health environments in the country, including a high infant mortality rate, a high rate of low birth weight babies, and an incidence of stroke that is 1.3 times that of the rest of the country, outside of the ``stroke belt''; and
Whereas, despite the best efforts of medical education institutions in Louisiana, the deficit of primary care physicians continues; and
Whereas, in recent years, less than one-half of the graduates of medical education institutions in Louisiana selected a primary care specialty; and
Whereas, Louisiana University of Medical Sciences, Inc., College of Primary Care Medicine, is a non-profit organization designed to address the shortage of primary care physicians in small towns, rural areas, and underserved areas; and
Whereas, the faculty and staff of the College of Primary Care Medicine are committed to a teaching program that addresses the shortage of primary care physicians both in Louisiana and nationwide; and
Whereas, throughout the educational experience at the College of Primary Care Medicine of the Louisiana University of Medical Services, Inc., the student will be exposed to a wide variety of primary health care settings; and
Whereas, through the program at the College of Primary Care Medicine of the Louisiana University of Medical Services, Inc., the traditional basic medical sciences will be thoroughly presented, and students will be given all the tools necessary to be successful on the United States Medical Licensing Examination. Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana hereby memorializes the Congress of the United States to provide funding for the Louisiana University of Medical Services, Inc., College of Primary Care Medicine. Be it further
Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted to the secretary of the United States Senate and the clerk of the United States House of Representatives and to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States Congress.
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POM-366. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the State of Pennsylvania urging the federal government to take the steps necessary to provide needed short-term and long-term financial assistance to students so they may repay their student loans; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Senate Resolution No. 289
Whereas, there is a student loan funding crisis that began with the recent sub-prime mortgage meltdown and subsequent turmoil in the capital markets; and
Whereas, these far-reaching economic problems have now given rise to a new bond market crisis, which is further compounding the funding problem for many lenders; and
Whereas, as a result, student loan providers throughout the national are exiting the $50 billion Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), while others are being forced to curtail their activity, seriously jeopardizing the funding plans of millions of American students; and
Whereas, eighty percent of today's college students depend on FFELP to help them pay for school; and
Whereas, without access to sufficient funding, millions of students will not be able to pay for their college education; and
Whereas, the result could be devastating for students and families, with additional consequences for the higher education community and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's economy; and
Whereas, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) has experienced ``failed auctions'' in the troubled bond market for the first time in its history, substantially increasing its cost of borrowing and putting its ability to fund additional student loans at risk; and
Whereas, the focus is first and foremost to protect the interests of families residing in this Commonwealth, but everyone must understand that this is a national problem that requires a national solution; and
Whereas, without decisive Federal intervention, the resulting financial stress placed on students and families could be disastrous; Therefore, be it
Resolved, That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania call for immediate action from the United States Secretary of the Treasury, the United States Secretary of Education, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and the president of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh to use all means and authorities available to them to provide needed short-term and long- term financial assistance to assure the availability of student loans to students and families of this Commonwealth; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the United States Secretary of the Treasury, the United States Secretary of Education, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and the president of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and the presiding officer of each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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POM-367. A resolution adopted by the House of Representatives of the State of Maine urging Congress to enact legislation to ensure health care for all. to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Joint Resolution
Whereas, every person in Maine and in the United States deserves access to affordable, quality health care: and
Whereas, there is a growing crisis in health care in the United States of America, manifested by rising health care costs, increased premiums, increased out-of-pocket spending, the decreased competitiveness of our businesses in the global economy and significant worker layoffs; and
Whereas, most health insurance access is provided through employment, and health insurance premiums have grown 4 times faster than worker earnings over the last 6 years; and
Whereas, Maine ranks 5th in the nation in access to health care and 2nd in quality and is committed to maintaining access to affordable, quality health care for all Maine people and all Americans; and
Whereas, forty-seven million Americans lack health insurance, with 129,000 people in Maine without health insurance; and
Whereas, even those insured now often experience unacceptable medical debt and sometimes life-threatening delays in obtaining health care; and
Whereas, those without health insurance suffer higher rates of mortality and a decreased quality of life; and
Whereas, access to consistent, preventive health care saves lives and dollars; and
Whereas, one-half of all personal bankruptcies are due to illnesses or medical bills; and
Whereas, the complex, fragmented and bureaucratic system for financing and providing health insurance consumes approximately 30% of United States health care spending; and
Whereas, access to affordable health care will improve the competitiveness of businesses and the viability of our health care providers; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That we, your Memorialists, on behalf of the people we represent, take this opportunity to respectfully urge and request that the United States Congress enact legislation to ensure the availability of health care for all Americans that guarantees quality, affordable health care coverage for every American; and be it further
Resolved, That suitable copies of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and to each Member of the Maine Congressional Delegation.
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