Cord Byrd: “I want, first to compliment the subcommittee chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, Senator Peter…”

“I want, first to compliment the subcommittee chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, Senator Peter Domenici, and the ranking member, Senator Harry Reid, for the outstanding job they have done in putting together this bill. The well- being of the Nation depends greatly upon adequate investments in the many programs and activities contained in this bill. Through this measure, we are supporting the backbone of our Nation's water transportation and flood protection programs through the Army Corps of Engineers; the irrigation water supply systems for the western States through the Bureau of Reclamation; the protection of our Nation's nuclear weapons stockpile; the advancement of science programs to help ensure that the United States remains a leader in the international scientific community; a number of independent agencies and commissions, including the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Denali Commission, and the Delta Regional Authority; and now, due to the restructuring of subcommittee jurisdictions, the entire Department of Energy, DOE. As part of that restructuring, the Energy and Water Subcommittee was charged with oversight and appropriations responsibilities for the fossil energy research and development, R&D, within the Department of Energy. Senator Domenici and I have long worked on these programs, and I thank him and Senator Reid and their staffs for their hard work, diligence, and support for fossil energy research in this bill.…”