Volume 144, No. 83 covering the 2nd Session of the 105th Congress (1997 - 1998) 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.
“THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4968 on June 23, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Metcalf) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
Mr. METCALF. Mr. Speaker, right now it is about 6:30 a.m. on the West Coast. Imagine if you are waking up and for some reason the power is off and your alarm did not ring. The toaster will not work and the TV will not turn on. The faucet and shower are not working either. Your car pool did not show up and the phone will not work to call in late. Even your cell phone is not working.
The streets are a mess because the street lights are out and, as you stop at the bank, your cash machine says your balance is zero. Beyond that, your flight to Chicago has been canceled. In fact, all flights are canceled, and you finally realize that it is going to be a really bad day.
The year 2000 problem is real. In less than 15 months, we will face a different world. Not only will it be a new millennium but the effect and power of computers running every part of our lives may be more real than ever imagined.
{time} 0930
Simply put, the year 2000 bug or Y2K, as it is called, if not corrected could, at worst, lead to catastrophic scenarios and, at best, to major inconveniences.
This body has held hearings on this issue. Research studies have been written. The media has been heralding Y2K. Yet, even though we have seen this problem on the horizon for many years, most governmental agencies are not even close to being compliant regarding the myriad of possible commuter mishaps that will come at midnight on December 31, 1999.
The gentleman from California (Mr. Horn) has done excellent work in his report on Y2K. His findings and his grading system of the public sector are troubling. Yes, he graded the Federal agencies just like students. His findings and his grading of the public sector are very troubling.
Over all, the administration gets an ``F'' for Y2K preparedness. As a teacher in my life before Congress, I can relate to a grading system. First, students do not like to have their grades waived in front of the class, let alone the whole Nation, but like careless students who procrastinate, a test is in place to check on progress.
Frankly, I found the grades for the recent test of the gentleman from California (Mr. Horn) for Y2K compliance for government agencies clearly abysmal. Since the taxpayers are the financial supporters of these agencies, I think it is appropriate to take a look at a few grades.
The Department of Defense, which oversees the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, run in large by computers, gets a ``D''. The Environmental Protection Agency, this famous organization which monitors the cleanliness of our water and air, gets a failing ``F''.
The Department of Education, the agency that should be setting a good example for students, is getting an unsatisfactory ``D'' in computer compliance. The Department of Energy, regulating everything from nuclear plants to hydroelectric dams is failing miserable with an
``F''.
The Department of Transportation, the agency that has direct oversight over the Federal Aviation Administration and their control of the skies and airplane traffic, is getting an ``F''. This really concerns me. I fly a lot. These are just a handful of the grades.
While some progress is being made, serious vulnerabilities still remain. The administration with its departments and agencies must be able to provide the American people with a sound plan to deal with Y2K. The unfortunate truth is that the final test is coming in 18 months. If we fail, we cannot just go back and retake the class. We can only live with the circumstances.
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