Pete Domenici: “On my time, let me compliment the Senator from Illinois. As on much legislation around here, he has, again, taken a…”

“On my time, let me compliment the Senator from Illinois. As on much legislation around here, he has, again, taken a farsighted view. I hope when you speak of living near oceans, you will add to your thoughts and comments that there are millions who live near brackish pools that look like seas, they are so big. We have a giant one around the community of Alamogordo, NM, a huge brackish underground reservoir. It varies in its degree of salinization. On one end, it is almost fresh. On the other end, it is contaminated mostly by salt. It would transform many situations in our Nation, much less the world, to water-supply long instead of water-supply short. I am not sure that $5 million would do the job. I think it is appropriate--and the Senator alluded to it--other countries are spending significant money. I know that in the Middle East substantial money is being spent by Israel, and others, in attempting to make the scientific breakthroughs. Obviously, we have many ways that we have proven up scientifically to produce potable water for drinking. It is economic in that sense. People are going to have drinking water, because of a number of breakthroughs of the last decade, at rather reasonable rates. It is the larger context of need that desalinization looks like a very exciting and much-needed technology that we ought to work on.”