Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``Urban Area Security Initiative Improvement Act,'' which addresses eligibility for the Department of Homeland Security's Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program.

This bill will improve the existing grant award process by broadening the number of urban areas eligible to apply. In Fiscal Year 06, the Department of Homeland Security made arbitrary decisions about areas' need for homeland security funding, threatening the eligibility of eleven worthy areas to apply for future grants.

The eligibility of Sacramento and San Diego, in my State of California, were threatened in this way. Sacramento is the capital of the most populous State in the Nation and home to

dozens of critical Federal and State government buildings. In addition, much of the State's water, electricity, and telecommunication systems are managed from Sacramento. The San Diego area contains the Nation's seventh-largest city adjacent to a heavily trafficked international border, a busy port, tourist attractions, and major military installations.

My bill would ensure that the 100 most populous urban areas of the country are eligible to apply for UASI grants each year. The Department of Homeland Security would then have the discretion to award funds to as many applicants as it deems worthy and needy.

The bill would also require that the Department employ a ``sensitivity analysis'' in its grant process, to deal with uncertainty in the mathematical models that it uses to evaluate the risk of terrorism for urban areas. The Department's leadership could make better-informed policy decisions if it used a sensitivity analysis to better understand the effects of policy judgments in estimating risk each year.

I urge my colleagues to consider and pass this bill, with its important implications for making our Nation more secure against terrorism.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``Urban Area Security Initiative Improvement Act,'' which addresses eligibility for the Department of Homeland Security's Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program.

This bill will improve the existing grant award process by broadening the number of urban areas eligible to apply. In Fiscal Year 06, the Department of Homeland Security made arbitrary decisions about areas' need for homeland security funding, threatening the eligibility of eleven worthy areas to apply for future grants.

The eligibility of Sacramento and San Diego, in my State of California, were threatened in this way. Sacramento is the capital of the most populous State in the Nation and home to

dozens of critical Federal and State government buildings. In addition, much of the State's water, electricity, and telecommunication systems are managed from Sacramento. The San Diego area contains the Nation's seventh-largest city adjacent to a heavily trafficked international border, a busy port, tourist attractions, and major military installations.

My bill would ensure that the 100 most populous urban areas of the country are eligible to apply for UASI grants each year. The Department of Homeland Security would then have the discretion to award funds to as many applicants as it deems worthy and needy.

The bill would also require that the Department employ a ``sensitivity analysis'' in its grant process, to deal with uncertainty in the mathematical models that it uses to evaluate the risk of terrorism for urban areas. The Department's leadership could make better-informed policy decisions if it used a sensitivity analysis to better understand the effects of policy judgments in estimating risk each year.

I urge my colleagues to consider and pass this bill, with its important implications for making our Nation more secure against terrorism.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that during the time controlled by the Democrats this afternoon, the following be recognized to speak for up to 10 minutes each, except where noted, and that each side alternate when appropriate: Boxer, Murray, Dodd, 15 minutes; Kerry, 15 minutes; Nelson of Florida, Reed, Harkin, and Whitehouse.

Madam President, today I rise to pay tribute to 37 young Americans who have been killed in Iraq since November 17, 2006. This brings to 677 the number of soldiers who were either from California or based in California that have been killed while serving our country in Iraq. This represents 22 percent of all U.S. deaths in Iraq.

SFC Tung M. Nguyen, 38, died on November 14, in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from small arms fire. Sergeant First Class Nguyen was assigned to B Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, NC. He was from Tracy, CA.

LCpl Jeromy D. West, 20, died November 25, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Lance Corporal West was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, HI. He was from Aguanga, CA.

Cpl Dustin J. Libby, 22, died December 6, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Corporal Libby was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.

SPC Micah S. Gifford, 27, died of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit while on patrol during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 7. Specialist Gifford was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, Airborne, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, AK. He was from Redding, CA.

MAJ Megan M. McClung, 34, died December 6, while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Major McClung was assigned to I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.

SPC Nicholas P. Steinbacher, 22, died on December 10, in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle. Specialist Steinbacher was assigned to B Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from La Crescenta, CA.

LCpl Clinton J. Miller, 23, died December 11, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Miller was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 373, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, CA.

Cpl Matthew V. Dillon, 25, died December 11, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Corporal Dillon was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 373, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, CA.

LCpl Budd M. Cote, 21, died December 11, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Cote was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 373, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, CA.

MSgt Brian P. McAnulty, 39, died December 11, when the CH-53 helicopter he was riding in crashed just after takeoff in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Master Sergeant McAnulty was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.

CPT Kevin M. Kryst, 27, died December 18, from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Captain Kryst was assigned to Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.

LCpl Nicklas J. Palmer, 19, died December 16, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Palmer was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.

LCpl Luke C. Yepsen, 20, died December 14, due to injuries suffered from enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Yepsen was assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.

Cpl Joshua D. Pickard, 20, died December 19, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Corporal Pickard was assigned to the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, NC. He was from Merced, CA.

LCpl Ryan L. Mayhan, 25, died December 21, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Mayhan was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA. He was from Hawthorne, CA.

LCpl Ryan J. Burgess, 21, died December 21, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Burgess was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.

Hospitalman Kyle A. Nolen, 21, died December 21, in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, as a result of enemy action. Hospitalman Nolen was assigned to H Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Regimental Combat Team 7, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward, Twentynine Palms,

Mr. Pesident, today I rise to introduce a bill for myself and Senator Feinstein to allow for subway tunneling in parts of Los Angeles.

In 1985, in response to a methane gas explosion that destroyed a Ross Dress for Less Store in Los Angeles, Representative Waxman worked to enact a law that prohibits subway tunneling in his district.

In 2004, the Los Angeles City Council passed a motion in support of reversing the laws banning tunneling. In February 2005, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority board also voted to begin discussions of subway expansion.

As a result, a panel of scientific experts was created to conduct an independent safety review that determined that subway tunneling could move forward safely with new technology.

Representative Waxman introduced a bill to lift the Federal tunneling prohibition in the last Congress--where it passed the House--and again in this Congress. Senator Feinstein and I are introducing the same bill in the Senate.

This legislation has the support of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

This bill is necessary to expand the subway, which is extremely important in Los Angeles--a city that ranks time and time again as the most congested region in the country. The Wilshire corridor is densely populated and is a large commercial area. The freeways and streets are filled--we need transit in this area.

Mr. Pesident, today I rise to introduce a bill for myself and Senator Feinstein to allow for subway tunneling in parts of Los Angeles.

In 1985, in response to a methane gas explosion that destroyed a Ross Dress for Less Store in Los Angeles, Representative Waxman worked to enact a law that prohibits subway tunneling in his district.

In 2004, the Los Angeles City Council passed a motion in support of reversing the laws banning tunneling. In February 2005, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority board also voted to begin discussions of subway expansion.

As a result, a panel of scientific experts was created to conduct an independent safety review that determined that subway tunneling could move forward safely with new technology.

Representative Waxman introduced a bill to lift the Federal tunneling prohibition in the last Congress--where it passed the House--and again in this Congress. Senator Feinstein and I are introducing the same bill in the Senate.

This legislation has the support of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

This bill is necessary to expand the subway, which is extremely important in Los Angeles--a city that ranks time and time again as the most congested region in the country. The Wilshire corridor is densely populated and is a large commercial area. The freeways and streets are filled--we need transit in this area.

Mr. President, today I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing 100 years of groundbreaking research and education at the University of California Riverside's Citrus Research Center-- Agricultural Experiment Station. This year, the university celebrates a century of improving our Nation's agriculture, environment, and natural resources.

The idea behind the creation of a citrus experiment center began with the pioneering work of Riverside citrus grower John Henry Reed, who first proposed the idea in 1900. At the time Riverside was the hub of a rapidly expanding citrus industry, in part because refrigeration made nationwide shipments possible. His proposal became a reality in 1905 when the California Legislature passed a measure authorizing the establishment of the Citrus Experiment Station in Riverside. By 1907, the Citrus Experiment Station became an open branch of the Statewide Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of California.

From that time on, the Citrus Experiment Station continued to grow and develop, to become one of California's premier agricultural research institutions. In 1914, the station maintained a staff of 18 with an annual budget of $60,000. Over the next 40 years, the Experiment Station's research area grew from 30 acres to almost 1,000 acres, and staff grew to 265.

During that time, Leon D. Bachelor, as director, worked to initiate many of the long-term fertilizer experiments and worked to ensure the strength of the walnut industry through disease research. During his tenure, shipping and processing of produce was vastly improved, and improvements were implemented in citrus rootstocks, disease resistance, and fruit quality.

While this was taking place, facilities and physical plant construction continued to increase as more research stations and research buildings were being built. In 1954 Weber Hall was constructed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Boyden Entomological Laboratory was built in 1961, and research property increased to 1,100 acres. There were also advances in research focus, beginning in 1955 with the arrival of a vegetable crops group from UC Davis. During the next year, the Department of Nematology and the Biometrical Laboratory were established. Work also came from UCLA focusing on entomology and plant pathology on ornamentals.

Just after this, the Air Pollution Research Center was established on the UC Riverside campus, and agronomists from Davis were welcomed to join in the research efforts. A Dry Lands Research Institute was added in 1963, and in the year following, the UC Riverside campus added a Department of Agricultural Engineering. The year after this, the Department of Agronomy accepted further work from UCLA on turf grasses.

With the expansion of research into all of these areas, it became clear that the university did not simply research citrus, and the Citrus Experiment Station was appropriately renamed the Citrus Research Center and Agricultural Experiment Station, CRC-AES, in 1961. A full college devoted to this research effort was added in 1974, establishing the College of Natural and Agricultrual Sciences.

Today, UC Riverside agricultural and natural science researchers pave the way for many of our Nation's important scientific advances. Studies in plant sciences and environmental and natural resources continue to improve the quality of life for our Nation and our planet. As the Citrus Research Center--Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of California, Riverside celebrates its centennial, I applaud the tremendous efforts and advances and look forward to another century of progress.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the Rules of the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Mr. President, I rise to discuss liquified natural gas projects in California. As of August of last year, there are five potential liquified natural gas projects in California. The projects include the Cabrillo Deepwater Port LNG Facility, Clearwater Port LNG Project, Long Beach LNG Facility, Ocean Way LNG Terminal, and the Pacific Gateway LNG Facility.

LNG is natural gas in its liquid form. When natural gas is cooled to minus 259 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes a clear, colorless, odorless liquid. Natural gas is transferred into LNG to transport it more easily.

Although there is a need for natural gas, there are potential safety concerns with the siting of new LNG facilities. According to the California Energy Commission, ``LNG hazards result from three of its properties: cryogenic temperatures, dispersion characteristics, and flammability characteristics. The extremely cold LNG can directly cause injury or damage. A vapor cloud, formed by an LNG spill, could drift downwind into populated areas. It can ignite if the concentration of natural gas is between five and 15 percent in air and it encounters an ignition source. An LNG fire gives off a tremendous amount of heat.''

This is why many people who live near a potential LNG facility have safety concerns. As a result, many companies try to ``sell'' the projects to communities.

That is why today I am introducing this common sense bill. This bill is identical to legislation that I introduced in the 109th Congress.

It would require any company seeking Federal Government approval to submit, as part or its application, the names of employees and business agents who are trying to persuade communities of the benefits of the LNG facility.

This bill does not stop anyone from reaching out to local communities. What this bill says is that if you are trying to get approval for an LNG facility, whether on- or off-shore, you have to be public about it. Today, if someone lobbies the federal government, he or she needs to register so their affiliation and interests before the government are publicly known. We should do the same for these projects. As I said, it is common sense.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I ask unanimous consent that the text of my bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise to discuss liquified natural gas projects in California. As of August of last year, there are five potential liquified natural gas projects in California. The projects include the Cabrillo Deepwater Port LNG Facility, Clearwater Port LNG Project, Long Beach LNG Facility, Ocean Way LNG Terminal, and the Pacific Gateway LNG Facility.

LNG is natural gas in its liquid form. When natural gas is cooled to minus 259 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes a clear, colorless, odorless liquid. Natural gas is transferred into LNG to transport it more easily.

Although there is a need for natural gas, there are potential safety concerns with the siting of new LNG facilities. According to the California Energy Commission, ``LNG hazards result from three of its properties: cryogenic temperatures, dispersion characteristics, and flammability characteristics. The extremely cold LNG can directly cause injury or damage. A vapor cloud, formed by an LNG spill, could drift downwind into populated areas. It can ignite if the concentration of natural gas is between five and 15 percent in air and it encounters an ignition source. An LNG fire gives off a tremendous amount of heat.''

This is why many people who live near a potential LNG facility have safety concerns. As a result, many companies try to ``sell'' the projects to communities.

That is why today I am introducing this common sense bill. This bill is identical to legislation that I introduced in the 109th Congress.

It would require any company seeking Federal Government approval to submit, as part or its application, the names of employees and business agents who are trying to persuade communities of the benefits of the LNG facility.

This bill does not stop anyone from reaching out to local communities. What this bill says is that if you are trying to get approval for an LNG facility, whether on- or off-shore, you have to be public about it. Today, if someone lobbies the federal government, he or she needs to register so their affiliation and interests before the government are publicly known. We should do the same for these projects. As I said, it is common sense.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I ask unanimous consent that the text of my bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today I offer a few words in observance of the passing of Norman Livermore, Jr., a man who dedicated his life to the preservation of beauty in the natural world and left us a magnificent legacy of protected natural resources throughout the State of California.

I extend my deepest sympathy and most sincere condolences to Mr. Livermore's family, especially his wife, Virginia Livermore, and their five children. My thoughts and prayers go out to them as they struggle with the death of a man they loved dearly.

Norman B. ``Ike'' Livermore, Jr. was a successful businessman with a profound appreciation for his surroundings and a passion for environmental advocacy. The son of an engineer and an environmental activist, he learned at an early age to infuse a respect for the bottom-line with a deeply held reverence for the sanctity of nature. Throughout his life, Mr. Livermore would use this remarkable ability to form an environmentally conscious vision of the future that appealed to Californians of all ideological persuasions.

As a youth, Mr. Livermore spent countless hours exploring the Sierra Nevada, beginning a love affair with the mountains that would guide him along his path in life. Strong and athletic, at age 15 he rode 200 miles on horseback and climbed the Grand Teton in tennis shoes. Mr. Livermore would continue to display a robust vigor and zeal for life in early adulthood, representing our nation as a baseball player in the 1936 Olympics and serving with great distinction and honor in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Before and after the war, Mr. Livermore operated an outfitting business that took people into the Sierra. He ran the business for 20 years, during which time he crossed all 50 Sierra passes over 10,000 feet. Mr. Livermore's outstanding business sense and intimate knowledge of the Sierra and the northern woods of California made him a valuable asset to a wide array of groups seeking to shape the future of the state. He was an active member of the Sierra Club starting in the 1930s and later, in the 1950s and 1960s, he served as treasurer of the Pacific Lumber Company.

With self-effacing modesty, he once referred to himself as a living contradiction, but it was evident for everyone to see that all Mr. Livermore's actions were firmly rooted in a commitment to preserving the environment he encountered in his youth. His capacity to understand and engage the concerns of the industrialist and the environmentalist is what enabled him to be one of the most effective conservationists in California history. Recognizing Mr. Livermore's extraordinary ability and the high regard in which he was universally held, Governor Ronald Reagan tapped him to serve as Secretary for Resources in 1967.

While serving on Governor Reagan's Cabinet, Mr. Livermore played an indispensable role preserving the state we know and love today. California is filled with testaments to his incredible achievement. The Redwood National Park is a product of Mr. Livermore's efforts to protect the forest and the

jobs of lumberjacks by arranging an exchange of federally owned land for private plots that included the most magnificent old growth trees.

With similar resolve and resourcefulness, Mr. Livermore successfully led the campaign to preserve the Eel River. The Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Water Resources were supporting the construction of the Dos Rios Dam on the middle fork of the Eel River in an effort to minimize the risk of flooding to areas downstream. The proposed dam would have flooded the Round Valley, home to the Yuki, a Native American Tribe that had lived in the valley for 9,000 years. Arguing that the dam would have traded ``permanent destruction'' for ``occasional protection'', Mr. Livermore fought vigorously against the proposal and arranged a meeting between Governor Reagan and members of the Yuki tribe. The meeting had such a profound impact on the governor that he withdrew his support for the project, saving the Round Valley and preserving the natural state of the middle fork of the Eel River.

Mr. Livermore combined well-reasoned arguments with emotionally compelling appeals to win the hearts and minds of those inside and outside the conservation movement. He recognized that we all care deeply about that which we are familiar and that effective advocacy depends on one's ability to draw connections between experiences. He is known by many as ``Reagan's environmental conscience'', but his impact on our State is not confined to the policy of one administration. Mr. Livermore's legacy is in the beauty of our state and the joy and inspiration it invokes in 37 million Californians.

(When her name was called). Present.

Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Healthy Students Act, a bill that addresses the rising epidemic of childhood obesity.

Over the past 30 years, obesity rates have doubled for teenagers and tripled for children ages 6 to 11. Today, more than 30 percent of children in America are overweight and more than 15 percent are obese. As a result, more children are suffering from traditionally adult diseases--including type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol--and putting their health in great danger.

While the reasons for the growing number of obese children problems are complex, the underlying problem is simple. Children are becoming obese because they are eating too much unhealthy food and getting too little exercise.

Vending machines are in too many of our schools. Children today eat five times as much fast food as they did 30 years ago. And the number of students who eat green vegetables ``nearly every day or more'' has dropped to only 30 percent.

Children are getting too little exercise. Nearly 23 percent of children ages 9-13 do not engage in any free-time physical activity during the school day, and nearly 60 percent do not participate in any kind of organized sports or physical activity program outside of school.

Also, the lack of qualified health professionals (school nurses)-- compounded with the access to them--is taking an adverse toll on children's health in our public schools. With just one licensed nurse for every 1,155 students, too many children don't have access to a caring health care professional who can diagnose illness, administer medicine, handle emergencies, or treat injuries.

We should ensure that during the school day, children have access to better nutrition and health care, more physical activity, and the skills necessary for a lifetime of good health. And that's what the Healthy Students Act will do.

First, the bill creates a commission of children's health experts to review existing school nutrition guidelines and develop new, healthier standards that provide more fresh fruits and vegetables and eliminate food of minimal nutritional value.

Second, the bill creates a grant program for school nutrition pilot programs that promote alternative healthful food promotion in its curriculum and lunch program.

I have seen firsthand what can be accomplished with such innovative programs. For example in Berkeley, California, the ``Edible Schoolyard'' program is changing the way kids eat and learn about nutrition. Schools in the Edible Schoolyard program maintain an organic garden and integrate the garden into both the curriculum and

lunch program. This hands-on approach educates students on healthy eating--from planting, to harvesting, to their plates. By teaching kids about the connection between what they eat and where it comes from, we can help them develop good nutrition habits that will last a lifetime.

Third, the bill creates a ``Healthy Hour'' pilot program that provides funding for an additional hour to the school day either before, after or during school--set aside specifically for physical activity. As more and more schools have cut recess and physical education classes, the bill provides funding for programs that extend physical activity time and highlight the importance of exercise for children in schools across the country.

Fourth, to make sure that children have the equipment they need, the bill provides tax incentives to individuals and businesses to donate exercise and gymnasium equipment to schools and organizations serving students.

And fifth, to address the shortage of qualified health care professionals in schools, the bill creates a tuition loan forgiveness program for those who earn a degree in nursing and make a minimum 3- year commitment to work in a public elementary or secondary school. We are saying to prospective nurses: If you make an investment in helping kids, then we will make an investment in you.

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic that we must address now. I urge my colleagues to support the Healthy Students Act to ensure that all children have the health they need to achieve their dreams.

Mr. President, last year many Americans paid over $3--and in some places in California, $4--for a gallon of gasoline.

At the same time, oil companies made record profits. Enough is enough!

We need to help the American public and reduce our dependence on oil. The Federal Government should be taking the lead on this issue. Sadly, it is not.

In 2005, the Federal Government purchased 64,000 passenger vehicles. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average fuel economy of the new vehicles purchased for the fleet in 2005 was an abysmal 21.4 miles per gallon.

Today, hybrid cars on the market can achieve over 50 miles per gallon and SUVs can obtain 36 miles per gallon. The Government's average of 21.4 miles to the gallon is too low.

Instead, our government needs to purchase fuel-efficient cars, SUVs, and light trucks. This can be done today. I drive a Toyota Prius that gets over 50 mpg. The Ford Escape SUV can get 36 mpg.

The Federal Government should be a leader in protecting our environment and national security.

That is why I am reintroducing the Government Fleet Fuel Economy Act. The bill requires the federal government to purchase vehicles that are fuel-efficient to the greatest extent possible.

Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation that would order EPA to promptly establish a health advisory and then a drinking water standard for perchlorate. I am pleased that the Senior Senator from California, Mrs. Feinstein, and the Senior Senator from New Jersey, Mr. Lautenberg, have joined as original cosponsors of this measure.

This legislation will require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a standard for perchlorate contamination in drinking water supplies by December 31, 2007. EPA still has not committed to establishing a tap water standard for this widespread contaminant, decades after learning that perchlorate is a problem in our drinking water.

Perchlorate is a clear and present danger to California's and much of America's health. We cannot wait any longer to address this threat. EPA needs to get moving and protect our drinking water now.

Drinking water sources for more than 20 million Americans are contaminated with perchlorate. Perchlorate is the main ingredient in rocket fuel, which accounts for 90 percent of its use. Perchlorate is also used for ammunition, fireworks, highway safety flares, air bags, and fertilizers. It dissolves readily in many liquids, including water, and moves easily and quickly through the ground.

Perchlorate was first discovered in drinking water in 1957, and at the latest in the mid-1980s, EPA was aware that perchlorate contaminates drinking water. Since 1997, when California developed a new, more sensitive testing method that can detect perchlorate down to 4 parts per billion, perchlorate has been found in soil, groundwater, and surface water throughout the U.S.

According to a May 2005 report from the Government Accountability Office, perchlorate contamination has been detected in water and soil at almost 400 sites in the U.S., with levels ranging from 4 parts per billion to millions of parts per billion.

GAO also said that limited EPA data show that perchlorate has polluted 35 States and the District of Columbia, and is known to have contaminated 153 public water systems in 26 States. Those data likely underestimate total exposure, as illustrated by the finding

of the California Department of Health Services that perchlorate contamination has affected at least 276 drinking water wells sources and 77 drinking water systems in California alone.

The Food and Drug Administration and other scientific researchers have detected perchlorate in the United States food supply, including in lettuce, milk, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, wheat, and spinach, and in human breast milk.

Perchlorate can harm human health, especially in pregnant women and children, by interfering with thyroid gland, which is needed to produce important hormones that help control human health and development. The thyroid helps to ensure children's proper mental and physical development, in addition to helping to control metabolism. Thyroid problems in expectant mothers or infants can affect babies, and result in delayed development and decreased learning capability.

The largest and most comprehensive study to date on the effects of low levels of perchlorate exposure in women was recently published by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC found that there were significant changes in thyroid hormones in women with low iodine levels who were exposed to perchlorate. The CDC researchers also found that even small increases in low-level perchlorate exposure may affect the thyroid's production of hormones in iodine deficient women. About 36 percent of women in the U.S. have iodine levels equal to or below those of the women in the study.

EPA has not established a health advisory or national primary drinking water regulation for perchlorate. Instead, the agency has established a ``Drinking Water Equivalent Level'' (DWEL) of 24.5 parts per billion for this toxin. The agency's DWEL does not take into consideration all routes of exposure to perchlorate, and has been criticized by experts for failing to sufficiently consider the body weight, unique exposure, and vulnerabilities of certain pregnant women and fetuses, infants, and children. It is based primarily upon a small human study by Greer et al., which tested a small number of adults. The DWEL also does not take into account the new much larger studies from CDC, and other data indicating potential effects at lower perchlorate levels than previously found.

Alarming levels of perchlorate have been discovered in Lake Mead and the Colorado River, the drinking water source for millions of Southern Californians. Communities in the Inland Empire, San Gabriel Valley, Santa Clara Valley, and the Sacramento area are also grappling with perchlorate contamination.

My bill will ensure that EPA acts swiftly to address this threat to our health and welfare. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this important piece of legislation.

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