Don Nickles: “we scored in the budget, I believe, $18 billion for this bill. This bill will score close to $30 billion, for the…”

“we scored in the budget, I believe, $18 billion for this bill. This bill will score close to $30 billion, for the information of the Senator. It scores that way for a couple of reasons. One, the tax provision. Also, there is a provision that says brownfield projects can be funded by bonds that cost about $2 billion, which I think is a terrible way to be financing projects. This is not an appropriations bill. Senator Domenici also mentioned a lot of things are authorized. I hope and pray not everything will be spent that is authorized. I will tell my colleagues that is always the case. We authorize a lot more money than we appropriate, and thank goodness for that. I'll mention just a couple of other things. There is also direct spending in this bill. I tell my friend from New Hampshire that this Senator, at least, questions the wisdom of doing it. By direct spending there are new entitlements for two or three items that are created. Coastal impact has an estimated cost of $1 billion. I predict it will cost a lot more than $1 billion over the next 10 years. I am sympathetic with those who live on the coast and they have drilling offshore and say they do not get anything. That money goes into general revenue. It should be subject to appropriation. The coastal State should receive some consideration, maybe some compensation. But to have it set up as an entitlement for 10 years and then subject to appropriation is a very poor manner of doing it.”