John Thune

The last Farm Bill, I think, was really good in terms of looking at energy issues, and the energy title in there has helped us advance in a lot of respects.

The problem they have is that 1.6 million people are employed by the British national health system, a huge employer in their country, so the economic impact, the political impact of making changes in that system is very difficult. That…

We cannot lose sight that not only is this an economic and an environmental tragedy, but it's a human tragedy, first and foremost.

It's critical that they be held to account for the environmental/economic damages caused by the ongoing oilspill in the Gulf.

You've noted that state authorities have primary responsibility over gas distribution pipelines and that many states have chosen to adopt regulatory standards that are more stringent than Federal ones.

I think pipelines are going to play an important role in America's energy future, too.

I think one of the greatest threats to pipeline safety and integrity--and it has been talked about at some length today--comes from accidental damage due to digging and excavation.

What role do you see new technologies playing to improve the safety of pipelines?

Moving ethanol by pipeline would be cheaper, more efficient, and safer than moving the product by truck or rail.

I don't know how you deal with the USF issue, which, by the way, is an issue I care deeply about.

It seems, to me at least, that what we're talking about here is whether or not we're going to depart from the light-touch Title I information services approach.

Can the USF proposals in the National Broadband Plan be carried out without reclassifying broadband under Title II?

Why would we rather take the $50 to $60 billion in private investment, put that in jeopardy, and try and shoehorn that around this issue?

I think we have a responsibility to be fiscally responsible in Washington, DC. As I said before, we have people all over the country making hard decisions with regard to their personal and family budgets, with regard to their small…

If the same number of people want to travel, but there are less options available, all else equal, prices would rise.

There are many of us who are very concerned about the future of the industry, the impacts of this merger...

I have witnessed first-hand the changes that have occurred as a result of the Northwest/Delta merger...

I think this is an important discussion to have not only with respect to the merger in front of us...

I would be very concerned about endangering the triad if the number of strategic delivery vehicles dropped below the 800 number.

Thirty more years is a long time for a bomber that was built 50 years ago.

I believe it is critically important to our security and that of our allies that the United States maintain a deterrent based on a modernized Triad of SLBMs/SSBNs, ICBMs, and bombers.

At relatively low launcher numbers, Russia will take advantage of New START's lack of restrictions on MIRVing and MIRVed payloads.

I believe it is critically important that the United States maintain a modern and effective ICBM force.

Mr. Miller and Dr. Payne, with the New START's limitations going into effect within 7 years, at what point do we need to begin making the changes necessary to comply with this treaty?

I believe that the Russian strategic force under New START will be ICBM-heavy, with many of those ICBMs MIRVed.