Don Nickles: “I am surprised. I don't recall that. I don't recall considering the two alternatives. I asked staff did we have a…”

“I am surprised. I don't recall that. I don't recall considering the two alternatives. I asked staff did we have a hearing and they said no. I asked if there was a House hearing; they said no. On something this controversial, I am just not so sure we did. Maybe my memory is short, but for a $20 billion project, I kind of think I would know about it. Maybe that is not the case. Maybe I am wrong, but I doubt that hearing was set up in a way that said let's consider these two alternatives. I will do a little more homework to find out what happened on October 2. I want to find out if we were in session. This doesn't ring a bell. The Senator said the Republicans brought up Patients' Bill of Rights under this procedure. That is wrong. We had a committee markup on Patients' Bill of Rights. It was marked up, amended, voted on. It was tough, difficult, and it was a very challenging thing, but we marked up the Patients' Bill of Rights. We passed it in committee and on the floor. The Senator mentioned a budget resolution. That is not a law; that is a guideline for the Congress. Maybe my colleague is right. Maybe we should not have done that. But, at least in my 22 years in the Senate, we have never had substantive, major, significant legislation out of the Energy Committee where we had a day or two of markup and the majority leader said ``no more'' and we have no more input or consideration of amendments. That has not been done, I am absolutely certain, in my 22 years in the Senate.”