To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho, and for other purposes.

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 Thursday, September 21, 2006, at 10 a.m. to mark up an original bill entitled the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2006.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a full committee hearing on pending nominations on Thursday, September 21, 2006 at 2:30 p.m.

President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 21 at 10 a.m. The purpose of the hearing is to consider the nomination of Mary Amelia Bomar, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the National Park Service, Vice Frances P, Mainella, resigned.

Mr. President: I ask unanimous consent that on Thursday, September 21st, 2006 at 10:15 a.m. the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to hold a Business Meeting to consider the following agenda:

Legislation:

H.R. 1463, To designate a portion of the Federal building located at 2100 Jamieson Avenue, in Alexandria, VA, as the `Justin W. Williams United States Attorney's Building.'

Nominations:

Roger Romulus Martella, Jr. to be Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

Alex A. Beehler to be Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

William H. Graves to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority

Brigadier General Bruce Arlan Berwick to be a Member of the Mississippi River Commission

Colonel Gregg F. Martin to be a Member of the Mississippi River Commission

Brigadier General Robert Crear to be a Member of the Mississippi River Commission

Rear Admiral Samuel P. DeBow, Jr. to be a Member of the Mississippi River Commission

Resolutions:

6 Committee resolutions authorizing prospectuses from GSA's fiscal year 2007 Capital Investment and Leasing Program

Committee resolution to direct GSA to prepare a Report of Building Project Survey

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 21, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. to hold a hearing on Afghanistan.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, September 21, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226.

Agenda

I. Nominations

Terrence W. Boyle, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit; William James Haynes II, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit; Kent A. Jordan, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit; Peter D. Keisler, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit; William Gerry Myers III, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; Norman Randy Smith, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; Valerie L. Baker, to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California; Francisco Augusto Besosa, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico; Nora Barry Fischer, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania; Gregory Kent Frizzell, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma; Philip S. Gutierrez, to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California; Marcia Morales Howard, to be U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Florida; John Alfred Jarvey, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa; Sara Elizabeth Lioi, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; Lawrence Joseph O'Neill, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of California; Lisa Godbey Wood; to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Georgia.

II. Bills

S. 2831, Free Flow of Information Act of 2006, Lugar, Specter, Schumer, Graham, Biden, Grassley;

S. 155, Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act of 2005, Feinstein,

Hatch, Grassley, Cornyn, Kyl, Specter;

S. 1845, Circuit Court of Appeals Restructuring and Modernization Act of 2005, Ensign, Kyl;

S. 394, Open Government Act of 2005, Cornyn, Leahy, Feingold;

S. 3880, Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, Inhofe, Feinstein;

S. 2644, Perform Act of 2006, Feinstein, Graham, Biden;

S. 3818, Patent Reform Act of 2006, Hatch, Leahy.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Corrections and Rehabilitation be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Oversight of Federal Assistance for Prisoner Rehabilitation and Reentry in Our States'' on Thursday, September 21, 2006, at 2:30 p.m. in SD226.

Witness List:

Panel I: Mason Bishop, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC, Regina Schofield, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, Robert Bogart, Director, Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC, Cheri Nolan, Senior Policy Advisor, Criminal and Juvenile Justice at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.

Panel II: Roger Werholtz, Secretary of Corrections, Kansas Department of Corrections, Topeka, KS, Diane Williams, President and CEO, Safer Foundation, Chicago, IL.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 21, 2006 at 2:30 p.m to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging be authorized to meet Thursday, September 21, 2006 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in Dirksen 562 for the purpose of conducting a hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Water and Power be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 21 at 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 1106, to authorize the construction of the Arkansas Valley conduit in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes; S. 1811, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Argur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, UT, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized; S. 2070, to provide certain requirements for hydroelectric projects on the Mohawk River in the State of New York; S. 3522, to amend the Bonneville Power Administration portions of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2006 through 2012, and for other purposes; S. 3832, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish criteria to transfer title to reclamation facilities, and for other purposes; S. 3851, to provide for the extension of preliminary permit periods by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for certain hydroelectric projects in the State of Alaska; S. 3798, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to exclude and defer from the pooled reimbursable costs of the unused capacity of the Folsome South Canal, Auburn-Folsom South Unit, Central Valley Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 2563, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3897, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Project.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The hearing will be held on Thursday, September 21, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. in Room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 1106, to authorize the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes; S. 1811, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of enlarging the Arthur V. Watkins Dam Weber Basin Project, UT, to provide additional water for the Weber Basin Project to fulfill the purposes for which that project was authorized; S. 2070, to provide certain requirements for hydroelectric projects on the Mohawk River in the State of New York; S. 3522, to

amend the Bonneville Power Administration portions of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2006 through 2012, and for other purposes; S. 3832, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish criteria to transfer title to reclamation facilities, and for other purposes; S. 3851, to provide for the extension of preliminary permit periods by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for certain hydroelectric projects in the State of Alaska; S. 3798, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to exclude and defer from the pooled reimbursable costs of the Central Valley Project the reimbursable capital costs of the unused capacity of the Folsom South Canal, Auburn- Folsom South Unit, Central Valley Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 2563, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho, and for other purposes; and H.R. 3897, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Project.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send two copies of their testimony to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150.

For further information, please contact Nate Gentry at 202-224-2179 or Steve Waskiewicz at 202-228-6195.

Madam Speaker, today, we are debating H.R. 2563, a bill to provide broad authority for the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct feasibility studies of new and enhanced water storage opportunities on the Snake, Boise, and Payette Rivers in Idaho. I introduced this legislation and am working for its passage because I believe it is important to find new water resources rather than just dividing up the scarce resources we currently have.

I have been told that consumptive demand in the Boise and Payette basins will increase by at least 135,000 acre feet over the next 20 years. Growing demand now is being met by increased ground water use and conservation efforts, but those are short-term responses that beg the question of future needs.

We also know that most of the water supply in both basins already is allocated and there is little excess capacity to meet future demands. Further, the ability to capture and store additional water is limited by requirements for minimum fish flow, maintenance flows, flood control and annual refill of existing reservoirs. These factors make this undertaking difficult at best, but I believe it is worthwhile and necessary.

Our communities, our economy and our families all depend on water to survive, grow and prosper. Deciding how to use such a rare commodity in a way that does the greatest good for the greatest number, while hewing to the principles of law and equity on which our society is based, is an enormous challenge. The task is further complicated, and brought into sharp focus, by the 6-year drought Idaho recently experienced and is seen in much of the arid West.

Our energy, our economy and our environment all will depend on the ability to anticipate and prioritize future water needs. Our children, our grandchildren and generations to come all are depending on the choices we make today. Preserving water rights while providing for continued growth are a top priority of mine and I will continue to work to achieve that goal.

I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this important piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2563) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

H.R. 2563, introduced by Congressman Butch Otter, authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct feasibility studies to address water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho.

Water demands for agriculture, power generation, endangered species requirements and municipal needs are constantly growing and may quickly surpass the supply without long-term planning. It is anticipated that water demand in this region of Idaho will grow by 75 percent in the next 20 years, and new water supplies need to be found to meet these growing demands. Before any feasibility study can be performed, authorizing language must be enacted by Congress. This legislation authorizes such studies. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on July 10, 2006, I missed the following rollcall votes due to an emergency landing in Denver, CO, en route to Washington DC:

(1) Rollcall vote No. 358, H.R. 2563: To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct feasibility studies to address certain water shortages within the Snake, Boise, and Payette River systems in Idaho, and for other purposes.

(2) Rollcall vote No. 359, H.R. 5061: Paint Bank and Wytheville National Fish Hatcheries Conveyance Act (15 minutes).

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' to rollcall vote No. 358, and ``yes'' to rollcall vote No. 359.