Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area Designation Act

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on Wednesday, March 12 at 10:00 a.m. to consider pending calendar business.

Agenda Item No. 1.--To consider the nomination of Joseph T. Kelliher to be a Member of the Federal Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Agenda Item No. 2: S. 164--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites associated with the life of Cesar Estrada Chavez and the farm labor movement.

Agenda Item No. 3: S. 212--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with the High Plains Aquifer States in conducting a hydrogeologic characterization, mapping, modeling, and monitoring program for the High Plains Aquifer and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 4: S. 278--To make certain adjustments to the boundaries of the Mount Naomi Wilderness Area, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 7: S. 347--To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a joint special resources study to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Rim of the Valley Corridor as a unit of the Santa Monica

Mountains National Recreation Area, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 8: S. 425--To revise the boundary of the Wind Cave National Park in the State of South Dakota.

Agenda Item No. 9: H.R. 397--To reinstate the license and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Illinois.

Staff is working on amendments to Agenda Item No. 6: S. 328--To designate Catoctin Mountain Park in the State of Maryland as the ``Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area'', and for other purposes. If a resolution can be achieved this item will be considered.

In addition, the Committee may turn to any other measures that are ready for consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at 10:00 a.m., to hear testimony on Welfare Reform: Building on Success.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 at 11:30 a.m. to hold a Committee Business Meeting.

Agenda

The Committee will consider and vote on the following agenda items:

Treaties: Treaty Doc. 107-19, Tax Convention with the United Kingdom; Treaty Doc. 107-20, Protocol Amending Tax Convention with Australia; Treaty Doc. 108-3, Protocol Amending Tax Convention with Mexico.

FSO appointment/promotion list: 1. Sebranek, Lyle J., et al, dated January 28, 2003.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing on Regional Implications of the Changing Nuclear Equation on the Korean Peninsula.

Agenda

Witnesses

Panel 1: The Honorable James A. Kelly, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Department of State, Washington, DC.

Panel 2: The Honorable James Lilley, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC; Dr. Victor D. Cha, Associate Professor, Department of Government and the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Dr. Bates Gill, Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS, Washington, DC.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a judicial nominations hearing on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at 2 p.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226.

Tentative Agenda

Panel I: The Honorable Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator (R- IN); The Honorable Evan Bayh, United States Senator (D-IN); The Honorable John W. Warner, United States Senator (R-VA); The Honorable George F. Allen, United States Senator (R-VA); The Honorable Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator (D-CA); The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, United States Senator (R-TX); The Honorable John Cornyn, United States Senator (R-TX).

Panel II: Comac J. Carney to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; James V. Selna to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; Philip P. Simon to be United States District Judge for the North District of Indiana; Theresa Lazar Springmann to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Indiana. Mary Ellen Coster Williams to be Judge for the Court of Federal Claims; Victor J. Wolski to be Judge for the Court of Federal Claims.

Panel III: Ricardo H. Hinojosa to be U.S. Sentencing Commissioner; Michael E. Horowitz to be U.S. Sentencing Commissioner.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, for a joint hearing with the House of Representatives' Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to hear the legislative presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The hearing will take place in room 345 of the Cannon House Office Building at 10:00 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Airland of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at 3 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on Army Transformation, in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2004 and the future years defense program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, and Fisheries be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at 2:30 p.m., in SR-253, for a hearing on the Coast Guard and NOAA fiscal year 2004 budget requests.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., in open session to receive testimony on national security space programs and management in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2004.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittees on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security and on Border Security, Immigration and Citizenship be authorized to meet to conduct a joint hearing on ``Border Technology: Keeping Terrorists out of the United States--2003'' on Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Tentative Witness List

Panel I: The Honorable Asa Hutchinson, Undersecretary for Border and Transportation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC; Accompanied by: Robert Mocny, Director of Entry-Exit Program, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Washington, DC; Woody Hall, Interim Director, Office of Information & Technology, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC.

Panel II: Nancy Kingsbury, Managing Director of Applied Research and Methods, U.S. General Accounting Office, Washington, DC; Stephen E. Flynn, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, NY.

Today I am introducing legislation to correct a long- standing inequity that has caused hardship for American farmers. That inequity is the pricing of agricultural pesticides for American producers in relationship to Canadian pesticide pricing. My bill would solve this inequity by allowing individual States to label Canadian pesticides that have the same formula as those used in the U.S. for use by American farmers.

Farmers combine land, water, commercial inputs, labor, and their management skills into practices and systems to produce food and fiber. To sustain production over time, farmers must make a profit and preserve their resource and financial assets. Society wants food and fiber products that are low-cost, safe to consume, and aesthetically pleasing, and wants production systems that preserve or enhance the environment. These often competing goals and pressures are reflected not only in the inputs made available for production, but also in how the inputs are selected, combined, and managed at the farm level.

Time and time again I have come to Senate floor to point out the stark realities of free trade. I have talked at length about the flood of imported grain that streams across our border. Come to my State of North Dakota. Every day truckload after truckload of Canadian commodities, wheat, barley, durum, come across our border to compete with commodities grown here at home. These Canadian imports are grown with the aid of pesticides, pesticides of the same makeup and composition as those purchased in the United States. Yet Canadian producers have the luxury of buying those same chemicals at prices substantially lower than those American farmers have to pay.

Why? The answer is simple; pesticide manufacturers charge American farmers more because they can. In agricultural policy, benefits from the North American Free Trade Agreement flow the same direction as the Red River of my State, north. This is especially true of pesticide pricing.

A recent survey completed by North Dakota State University surveyed 15 different pesticides commonly used in both Canada and North Dakota. All would qualify for registration in North Dakota under this bill. Of the 15, not one, not one, had a price differential in favor of the American farmer. When you totaled it all out, those 15 chemicals cost, in North Dakota alone, $23.7 million more, in 1 year, for the American producer. That's just not right.

If we're going to have free trade, let's make it fair trade. If we are going to open our borders to Canadian grain grown with Canadian pesticides, we ought to open our borders to similar pesticides for U.S. producers at the same cost. It's time to level the playing field for American farmers, we must give them the same advantages that Canadian producers have enjoyed for years. If we're going to have a free trade agreement with Canada, let's all sing from the same page, using the same music. Because putting American farmers at a disadvantage in the world marketplace over pesticide prices that are not in harmony with our competitors is a practice that must be stopped. It must be stopped now.

Nothing in this legislation harms the environment, unless you're in the environment of profits. This legislation would create a procedure whereby individual states could apply and receive an Environmental Protection Agency label for agricultural chemicals sold in Canada that are identical or substantially similar to agricultural chemicals used in the United States. Thus, U.S. producers and suppliers could purchase such chemicals in Canada for use in the United States.

The new labels for the chemicals would still be under the strict scrutiny of the Environmental Protection Agency as would their use. This would continue to insure safety in the food supply. Food safety is a number one priority for all of us. Chemical safety is a number one priority for all of us. This bill keeps those priorities intact.

It is impossible to defend chemical price imbalance. You can't defend it to the growers, you can't defend it to the chemical distributor, and you can't defend it to the chemical retailer. Most importantly, you can't defend it to the American consumer, who ultimately pays the tab.

Let's be clear, this is not the end of the journey but the beginning. We have a long way to go to cure the imbalances of trade between our nations. If we don't begin the journey, we can't end it. This bill is a step in the right direction.

I request unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today I am re-introducing legislation, together with my colleague Senator Mikulski, to re-designate Catoctin Mountain Park as the Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area. I first introduced this measure in October 2002, but unfortunately it was not acted upon during the closing days of the 107th Congress. It is my hope that the legislation will receive full and prompt consideration this year.

I spoke last year about the need for this legislation and would like to underscore the principal arguments today. Catoctin Mountain Park is a hidden gem in our National Park System. Home to Camp David, the Presidential retreat, it has been aptly described as ``America's most famous unknown park.'' Comprising nearly 6000 acres of the eastern reach of the Appalachian Mountains in Maryland, the park is rich in history as well as outdoor recreation opportunities. Visitors can enjoy camping, picnicking, cross-country skiing, fishing, as well as the solitude and beauty of the woodland mountain and streams in the park.

Catoctin Mountain Park had its origins during the Great Depression as one of 46 Recreational Demonstration Areas, RDA, established under the authority of the National Industrial Recovery Act. The Federal Government purchased more than 10,000 acres of mountain land that had been heavily logged and was no longer productive to demonstrate how sub-marginal land could be turned into a productive recreational area and help put people back to work. From 1936 through 1941, hundreds of workers under the Works Progress Administration and later the Civilian Conservation Corps were employed in reforestation activities and in the construction of a number of camps, roads and other facilities, including the camp now known as Camp David, and one of the earliest--if not the oldest--camp for disabled individuals. In November 1936, administrative authority for the Catoctin RDA was transferred to the National Park Service by Executive Order.

In 1942, concern about President Roosevelt's health and safety led to the selection of Catoctin Mountain, and specifically Camp Hi-Catoctin as the location for the President's new retreat. Subsequently approximately 5,000 acres of the area was transferred to the State of Maryland, becoming Cunningham Falls State Park in 1954. The remaining 5,770 acres of the Catoctin Recreation Demonstration Area was renamed Catoctin Mountain Park by the Director of the National Park Service in 1954. Unfortunately, the Director failed to include the term ``National'' in the title and the park today remains one of 17 units in the entire National Park System and one of 9 units in the National Capital Region that does not have this designation. Those units include four parkways, four wild and scenic rivers, the White House and Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts.

The proximity of Catoctin Mountain Park, Camp David, and Cunningham Falls State Park, and the differences between national and state park management, has caused longstanding confusion for visitors to the area. Catoctin Mountain Park is continually misidentified by the public as containing lake and beach areas associated with Cunningham Falls State Park, being operated by the State of Maryland, or being closed to the public because of the presence of Camp David. National Park employees spend countless hours explaining, assisting and redirecting visitors to their desired destinations.

My legislation would help to address this situation and clearly identify this park as a unit of the National Park System by renaming it the Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area. The mission and characteristics of this park--which include the preservation of significant historic resources and important natural areas in locations that provide outdoor recreation for large numbers of people--make this designation appropriate. This measure would not change access requirements or current recreational uses occurring within the park. But it would assist the visiting public in distinguishing between the many units of the State and Federal systems. It will also, in my judgment, help promote tourism by enhancing public awareness of the National Park unit.

The legislation is supported by the Board of County Commissioners and Tourism Council of Frederick County. I urge approval of this legislation.

Mr. President, today I am re-introducing legislation, together with my colleague Senator Mikulski, to re-designate Catoctin Mountain Park as the Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area. I first introduced this measure in October 2002, but unfortunately it was not acted upon during the closing days of the 107th Congress. It is my hope that the legislation will receive full and prompt consideration this year.

I spoke last year about the need for this legislation and would like to underscore the principal arguments today. Catoctin Mountain Park is a hidden gem in our National Park System. Home to Camp David, the Presidential retreat, it has been aptly described as ``America's most famous unknown park.'' Comprising nearly 6000 acres of the eastern reach of the Appalachian Mountains in Maryland, the park is rich in history as well as outdoor recreation opportunities. Visitors can enjoy camping, picnicking, cross-country skiing, fishing, as well as the solitude and beauty of the woodland mountain and streams in the park.

Catoctin Mountain Park had its origins during the Great Depression as one of 46 Recreational Demonstration Areas, RDA, established under the authority of the National Industrial Recovery Act. The Federal Government purchased more than 10,000 acres of mountain land that had been heavily logged and was no longer productive to demonstrate how sub-marginal land could be turned into a productive recreational area and help put people back to work. From 1936 through 1941, hundreds of workers under the Works Progress Administration and later the Civilian Conservation Corps were employed in reforestation activities and in the construction of a number of camps, roads and other facilities, including the camp now known as Camp David, and one of the earliest--if not the oldest--camp for disabled individuals. In November 1936, administrative authority for the Catoctin RDA was transferred to the National Park Service by Executive Order.

In 1942, concern about President Roosevelt's health and safety led to the selection of Catoctin Mountain, and specifically Camp Hi-Catoctin as the location for the President's new retreat. Subsequently approximately 5,000 acres of the area was transferred to the State of Maryland, becoming Cunningham Falls State Park in 1954. The remaining 5,770 acres of the Catoctin Recreation Demonstration Area was renamed Catoctin Mountain Park by the Director of the National Park Service in 1954. Unfortunately, the Director failed to include the term ``National'' in the title and the park today remains one of 17 units in the entire National Park System and one of 9 units in the National Capital Region that does not have this designation. Those units include four parkways, four wild and scenic rivers, the White House and Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts.

The proximity of Catoctin Mountain Park, Camp David, and Cunningham Falls State Park, and the differences between national and state park management, has caused longstanding confusion for visitors to the area. Catoctin Mountain Park is continually misidentified by the public as containing lake and beach areas associated with Cunningham Falls State Park, being operated by the State of Maryland, or being closed to the public because of the presence of Camp David. National Park employees spend countless hours explaining, assisting and redirecting visitors to their desired destinations.

My legislation would help to address this situation and clearly identify this park as a unit of the National Park System by renaming it the Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area. The mission and characteristics of this park--which include the preservation of significant historic resources and important natural areas in locations that provide outdoor recreation for large numbers of people--make this designation appropriate. This measure would not change access requirements or current recreational uses occurring within the park. But it would assist the visiting public in distinguishing between the many units of the State and Federal systems. It will also, in my judgment, help promote tourism by enhancing public awareness of the National Park unit.

The legislation is supported by the Board of County Commissioners and Tourism Council of Frederick County. I urge approval of this legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to conduct a hearing during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 4, 2003. The purpose of this hearing will be to review the Federal Government's initiatives regarding the school lunch and school breakfast programs.

Committee on Armed Services

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 4, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., in closed session to receive a classified briefing on current operations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 4, 2003, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on ``The Administration's Proposed Fiscal Year 2004 Budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on March 4, 2003, at 10 a.m. on the nomination of Dr. Charles McQueary to be Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security; Jeffrey Shane to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Department of Transportation; Emil Frankel to be Assistant Secretary of Transportation, Department of Transportation; and Robert Sturgell, Deputy Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on Tuesday, March 4 at 10 a.m. to receive testimony on the financial condition of the electricity market.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 4, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. to hold a hearing on the Millennium challenge Account: A New Way to Aid.

Witnesses

Panel 1: The Honorable Alan Larson, UnderSecretary of State of Economic, Business & Agricultural Affairs, Department of State, Washington, DC,

The Honorable John Taylor, Under Secretary for International Affairs, Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC,

The Honorable Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator, Agency for International Development, Washington, DC.

Panel 2: Dr. Steven Radelet, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development, Washington, DC;

Ms. Mary E. McClymont, President and CEO, Interaction, Washington,

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 4, 2003, for a hearing to consider the nomination of: Mr. Bruce E. Kasold to be a Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims; and Brigadier General John W. Nicholson, USA (ret.), to be Under Secretary Memorial Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs.

The hearing will take place in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, March 4, 2003 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic Preservation and Recreation, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on Tuesday, March 4 at 2:30 p.m. to receive testimony on S. 164, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites associated with the life of Cesar Estrada Chavez and the Farm Labor Movement; S. 328 a bill to designate Catoctin Mountain Park in the State of Maryland as the ``Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area,'' and for other purposes; S. 347 a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a joint special resources study to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Rim of the Valley Corridor as a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and for other purposes; S. 425 a bill to revise the boundary of the wind Cave National Park in the State of South Dakota.