Don Nickles

Why shouldn't we do it for the communication workers or the airline workers or the hotel workers in Nevada?

If we are doing this for the steelworkers, how can you say we should not do this for the textile workers?

I understand. I am trying to figure out who is eligible. So I think I heard the Senator from Maryland say they are eligible if they are receiving retirement checks. They may be receiving the checks from the steel company, which even though…

One additional question. If a young person--say my son, or your son, is twenty-years-old, goes to work for a steel company and works there for 12 years or 15 years. Now they are 35 years old. Company XYZ goes bankrupt, so now that…

I wonder, as well, as the sponsors of the amendment are very close to the steelworkers, if they can provide this Senator, over the next couple of days, what the benefits are and what the benefit package costs for retirees. Those are…

What age of eligibility can people--when you think of retirees, you think of somebody at age 65. What is the earliest age a retired steelworker might be who might receive benefits under this proposal?

I will ask either Senator, the duration of the amendment to benefit only the steelworkers is for 12 months. I happen to have great respect for the Senator from Maryland and the Senator from West Virginia. I have a feeling that if that 12…

I am just trying to learn what is in the Senator's amendment. I am going to debate against it in a minute, but I want to educate myself on what I am debating. The cost is $179 million over 10 years, but the program for steelworkers only…

Since we are not going to vote on this today and you are sponsoring the amendment, I have heard the arguments made. We want to help these families. And you are providing health care for the families, 125,000 families, I believe I heard you…

Correct me if I am wrong, active steelworkers would apply and would benefit under the TAA proposal as any other TAA eligible employee. The Senator's amendment applies only to retired steelworkers?

I am wondering how much this amendment will cost. How much does it cost per family, per beneficiary? Many times health care per family costs $7,000; sometimes steelworkers have very generous plans. Could they give me some idea of what it…

I see nothing in the current language of the electricity title of this bill to rectify this disparate treatment. This seems unfair, and contrary to our policy of promoting competitive markets in interstate electricity sales.

Is today's interstate wholesale electricity market a level playing field, in which all competitors are subject to the same rules?

The key point of this letter says: PSNH will be the only utility in New Hampshire that would be required to participate in the program. It creates a very uneven field for us and will cost our consumers an estimated $22 million a year. It…

I happen to be a member of the Energy Committee. I would have loved to have participated in a hearing and a markup on this section. I would love to hear from experts on both sides of this aisle how much this amendment would really cost…

Further, to clarify, the Senator is aware, then, that the renewable standard is higher than that proposed by the Clinton administration because it is 10 percent instead of 7.5 percent. Is the Senator aware that the penalty in the…

I hope all Senators will pay attention because we are talking about an amendment that will have a real impact on utility rates, on electric rates all across the country. It will cost millions. Actually, I think my colleague from Arizona…

If the Senator will require the Texas utility code section 39.904, goals for renewable energy is 2,000 megawatts of generating capacity. I mention this because capacity is one thing, to generate electricity is another. For wind, you need…

Correct me if I am wrong; Texas has a requirement that has a goal of 2,000 megawatts of new renewable energy by the year 2009. That represents 2.6 percent of their present generating capacity. Also correct me if I am wrong, but Texas has…

I know the House had a hearing in 1999. The Clinton administration proposed a 1.5-cent credit penalty per kilowatt hour. Why did the chairman come up with a 3-cent penalty, double what the Clinton administration proposed a couple of years…

He is saying let's take up the House-passed bill. The request I was going to make, and I ask my colleague if he would agree with this, is let's take the House-passed bill and let's have an amendment on each side, one amendment, an…

I am talking about wholesale cost which is the replacement cost where if you have incremental renewables going into the system, they are paid the wholesale cost, not the retail cost.

I have mentioned in two or three speeches my displeasure about how this bill was brought to the floor. But this bill presented to us is the third iteration. It is a 590-page bill with a renewables section. I was preparing to debate the…

I just don't think we should mandate that it be the southern route. It may well be, due to the information our colleagues have had, the southern route is the preferred route. I am not saying it is not. I just don't think it should be…

Before my friend from Nevada leaves, let me clarify a couple things. One, he referred once or twice to the Patients' Bill of Rights. We had a markup on the Patients' Bill of Rights. I am absolutely positive of that. No matter how poor my…