Barbara Boxer: “Let me say to my friend, what I would like to do is state my understanding of the amendment by the two Senators from…”

“Let me say to my friend, what I would like to do is state my understanding of the amendment by the two Senators from Oregon, and then ask my friend to comment if I am correct in my assumptions about this amendment. First, I appreciate the Senator's openness, working with me. The fact is I agree with my colleague; we on the west coast are going to have to work together. We need each other because there are some times when they will need power and we will have excess power. That may happen at some point. It has happened in the past. Certainly in this recent example we desperately need the power, and even though they had a hard time doing it, they came through for us. That is why we have thanked them. I say again a very big thank you on behalf of my constituency. As we all know, power is not a luxury item; you need it to live. If you are elderly and it is cold, you need it to stay warm. You need the lights. Certainly our jobs depend on electricity. So I do think the spirit with which my friends offer this amendment is not a spirit of anger but I think it is a spirit of fairness. I want to point out to my friend my understanding, and I hope when he comments on my remarks he will tell me if I am right, that there are 12, as we have read it, public power entities in California which will benefit from his amendment.…”