Max Baucus

This is a balancing amendment to make the bill fair to all regions of the country. When the committee took up the bill in the first place--actually there were several major bills--it was intended to represent different parts of the…

I want to thank the very able distinguished Senator from Michigan. I say to the Senator, I appreciate his tenacity. It is always good to see a Senator who fights doggedly for his State, who works very hard to make sure that his State is…

Isn't it true that the Finance Committee amendment is very important to this bill because that is the amendment which will extend the current gasoline tax that is going to transfer the funds into the trust fund and, therefore, to other…

I concur. It is the committee's intention that his program be carried out in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution. We expect no less. Secretary Slater is aware of, and I am assured agrees with, our views on this matter.

The Senator from Oregon has brought a very valuable addition to the NEPA process. Most of us, when we deal with the National Environmental Policy Act with respect to projects, believe that the policy is right; that is, that environmental…

I might say it is another example of the cooperation and compromise. Often Senators stand up on the floor, and, I might say, speak rhetorically, knowing that they are not going to get the results but trying to score points back home. These…

This amendment on behalf of the Senator from California, Mrs. Boxer would expand the current research programs to include how telecommuting and other technological and economic changes can affect travel. I believe this is a good amendment…

This is a happy day, because it was not too long ago here that, after the EPA announced new standards for ozone and small particulates, there was going to be a huge uproar in the Senate and there would be a big battle over whether or not…

I say to my friend, of the amounts apportioned to the States, the goal is to give States 91 percent of their percent share of contributions to the highway trust fund.

Maybe one solution here--there is no perfect solution. Maybe one solution might be to vote on this amendment, and Senators who have concerns about this amendment can state them, that is, they are voting for it kind of on reservation or…

May I say, as chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee, that the answer is yes. In fact, currently there are a good number of States--so-called ``donor'' States--which contribute more to the highway trust fund than they receive in terms…

I might remind the Senator of several facts which substantiate his point. No. 1, the current highway program is based on very dated data. It is based on the 1980 census. We even have in here the 1916 postal road formula--that is in the…

If I might ask my good friend, the chairman of the committee, Senator Chafee, wouldn't it also be a good idea for Senators who are interested in an amendment that might be offered by Senator McConnell, with respect to the disadvantaged…

We all want to protect wetlands, and we know when highways are constructed that wetlands are often in jeopardy. It is in the law that when a highway is constructed which does jeopardize a wetland, an offset must be provided for; that is…

I compliment the chairman for his graciousness, his hard work, his dedication to public service. I think the citizens of Rhode Island already know this, but for those who may not know it, or are wondering, I would like, to them and the…

I join my colleague in congratulating our friend, Senator Specter from Pennsylvania, on his 68th birthday. I have watched Senator Specter over the years, and I can say I do not think there is a Senator with a finer legal mind than the…

It is highways that are being postponed; it is transit being postponed; it is all the safety programs that are in the highway bill that are being postponed; it is the intermodal connections. My friend Senator Moynihan is the father of the…

There are two points that I want to make. We are passing this rather significant piece of legislation because we are doing it in a bipartisan basis. I must remind all of my colleagues that when we get into partisan fights often nothing…

I say to my friend that this measure about to be passed is formula neutral. It in no way would prejudice the amendment to be offered at a later date by the Senator from Michigan, or other amendments offered by other Senators who wish to…

If the Senator will yield, if I understand the Senator, he is saying under the Byrd-Gramm-Baucus-Warner amendment it is true that it is up to the discretion of the Budget Committee and appropriations committees to make these decisions, but…

If the Senator wishes, I will take the Senator up to Grinnell Glacier in Glacier Park where you can virtually watch the glacier move because the Earth is warming at such a rapid rate. It is moving in the wrong way. It is receding, is…

I join my colleague and chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee in recognizing and praising the intelligence and the vision of the senior Senator from New York. I think I can state without reservation and categorically that…

In 1990, we enacted 2.5 cents to deficit reduction. In 1993, the 4.3 was passed. In 1995, due to pressure from the public, we undid the 2.5 cents so that went to the highway trust fund. And right now, because of the public pressure, we are…

The dam is in need of $50,000 in repairs, and I would like to know if the Chairman would support the Bureau of Indian Affairs if the BIA could allocate funds within existing resources to make these much-needed repairs.

Today, it is a real pleasure for me to join my colleagues on the Senate Environment and Public Works, Senators Chafee, Reid, and Kempthorne in introducing the Endangered Species Recovery Act of 1997. The bill we are introducing today…