January 6, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S27 

sooner Congress realizes change requires a cultural shift in both parties, 

the sooner that change will come. 

I would like to spend a moment outlining a few components of this bill. We 

have not actually gotten to see the 

bill, but I have been told by the majority leader that we have added, I think, 

12 or 13 other bills to it. But from what 

we have known in the past, let me go 

through and explain to the American 

public what is in this bill. 

The national parks today face a severe shortage of money to maintain 

them at their current level. It is about 

$9.8 billion. In this bill we add four new 

national parks. The U.S. Arizona Memorial in Hawaii is sinking. The visitors center is sinking. We haven’t put 

the money in to repair it, but yet we 

are going to create more national 

parks that will further dilute the maintenance budget of the National Park 

Service so we can’t even maintain what 

we have. We have a $700 million backlog just on The National Mall in Washington. We didn’t address any of that 

in terms of the priority of fixing that. 

Yet we are going to add four new national parks. 

We are going to add 10 new heritage 

areas. It is great for us to protect and 

think about the environment. But we 

never talk about how that impacts 

property rights, one of the rights given 

to us as our Nation was created. We are 

going to threaten that area. We are 

going to threaten through eminent domain. We are going to threaten 

through councils that will impact individual ownership of what you can do 

with your own property because you 

might be in proximity to a heritage 

area. We have 14 studies that would 

create or expand future national parks; 

in other words, 14 more. That is what 

we are funding in this bill. We don’t 

have the money to take care of the 

parks we have today, but yet we are 

going to put into this and spend money 

to potentially create 14 more. 

There are 17 provisions in this bill 

that will totally prohibit any exploration, oil extraction, coal extraction, 

natural gas extraction from 2.98 million acres in this country, many of 

which have proven reserves underlying. 

There are 53 rivers that are designated 

or portions of which are designated as 

scenic rivers. We have a great scenic 

river in Oklahoma called the Illinois. I 

am glad it is a scenic river. But with 

scenic river designation comes a trampling on the rights of people who are 

far away from it. We didn’t change scenic rivers designation in light of our 

energy needs. Once a river is designated a scenic river and we need to 

move natural gas or a coal slurry or oil 

from point A to point B, we are totally 

prohibited from ever doing that on a 

scenic river. So it is another strike at 

any sort of increasing in our independence on energy because we are going to 

designate scenic rivers. Why not designate scenic rivers with an option to 

make sure we don’t handcuff ourselves 

when it comes to energy? 

There are 65 new Federal wilderness 

areas. Here is an important matter we 

came across as we studied this bill. In 

the United States today, right now, before this bill, there are 107 million 

acres of wilderness. All the developed 

land—cities, suburbs, towns—across 

the whole rest of the country is only 

106 million acres. We are going to be 

adding to that and limiting our opportunity to the resources we have. 

There are 1,082 pages in the bill. I understand it is now 1,200 pages. There 

are 1.2 million acres in Wyoming that 

are withdrawn from mineral leasing 

and exploration. There are 1.93 million 

acres of Federal wilderness land. There 

are 3 million additional acres withdrawn from leasing and energy exploration. There are 331 million barrels of 

oil that we know are there and we are 

never going to take. We are just going 

to help those who drive up our energy 

costs because we are going to know it 

is there but we can’t touch it because 

we are going to make it off-limits. 

There are 592 spending and 15 new 

State and local water projects. There is 

nothing wrong with State and local 

water projects, as long as they are a 

priority, but these are earmarked, specific projects for specific Members. 

There is $10 billion of total spending 

money we don’t have. We are going to 

borrow it. 

There are 8.8 trillion cubic feet of 

natural gas that we know is there that 

we will never touch. What the Department of Interior tells us is there is 

much more there, but these are the 

proven reserves. 

I will end my conversation, only to 

be continued in a more thorough manner as the bill actually comes to the 

floor by asking the American public: 

What would they hope we would do in 

terms of trying to change, trying to 

meet what they see as the problems in 

front of us? Would it be that we would 

be about passing things that are small 

but make us look good that we can’t 

pay for or would it be that we should 

attend and address the pressing and 

also long-term needs of the country? 

It is about trust. The reason we have 

a 9-percent approval rating is because 

we are not trusted. We are addicts. We 

are self-indulgent addicts over our 

power. 

My query to the body and to the 

American people is, will you hold us 

accountable? You have to do an intervention with us, each one of us, every 

time we are home: Are you being a 

good steward with the limited dollars 

we have? Are you making choices that 

may not look good for you as a politician but are truly the best choice for 

the country? Are you putting yourself 

second and our country first? Are you 

acting as a statesman or are you acting 

as somebody who wants to get reelected? 

The real paradox is, with trust comes 

confidence. With that confidence comes 

the involvement and support of the 

very people we actually do represent. 

We have a choice. I hope the introduction of this bill does not portend 

that we will not take President-elect 

Obama’s lead and offer the American 

people real hope, real change, that we 

will get away from our addicted self-indulgence to look good at home and 

start making the hard, tough decisions 

that will right our ship and put our 

country first. Anything less than that 

says the people who took their oath 

today and those of us who have taken 

it before, we violate it. We raise our 

hand and put one on the Bible and say 

we will uphold it, but then when it 

comes to the first tough choice, look 

good at home or do what is in the longterm best interests of the country, we 

swivel, we back down, and we opt for 

the short term, the self-aggrandizement, and the stroke on our own back. 

We are better than that. The people in 

this body are better than that. 

My hope is we can prove to the American people over the next 6 to 9 months 

that we got the message, that it is 

about making the tough choices. It is 

about doing what is right in the long 

term. It is not about what makes us or 

our party look good; it is about what is 

best for the country as a whole. 

I suggest the absence of a quorum. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 

clerk will call the roll. 

The legislative clerk proceeded to 

call the roll. 

Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I ask 

unanimous consent that the order for 

the quorum call be rescinded. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. 

BROWN). Without objection, it is so ordered. 

f 

ORDER OF PROCEDURE 

Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I would 

raise objection to the filing of the bill 

at the desk, the Bingaman land package. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard. 

Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I note 

the absence of a quorum. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 

clerk will call the roll. 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I 

ask unanimous consent that the order 

for the quorum call be rescinded. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO CHARLES KIEFFER 

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I rise 

today to commend and congratulate 

one of the best and brightest gentlemen I have ever had the privilege of 

employing. That man is Mr. Charles 

Kieffer who has served as staff director 

of the Senate Appropriations Committee for the last 2 years, and as deputy staff director for 6 years prior to 

that. 

Chuck Kieffer is a marvel of intelligence, wisdom, tact, coolness, and an 

extraordinary knowledge of appropriations and budget matters. He is personable, polite, and a pleasure to work 

with. He has been invaluable to me, to 

the leadership of the Senate, and to all 


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S28 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 6, 2009 

the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. In a time of continual wrangling over the appropriations process, tight budgets, veto 

threats, and differences between the 

House and Senate, Chuck has been a 

steady leader and a working dynamo. 

We have been extremely fortunate to 

have the right man as staff director in 

very difficult times. 

Chuck also serves as the chief clerk 

of the Homeland Security Subcommittee which funds the agencies 

that merged to form this cabinet level 

department. In the aftermath of September 11, Chuck provided key advice 

and direction about the wisest ways to 

protect against future terrorist attacks 

and address the staggering destruction 

in New York State and at the Pentagon. He has worn the two hats of 

staff director of the full Appropriations 

Committee and clerk of the Homeland 

Security Subcommittee, which I continue to chair, with grace and with 

ease. 

This really should come as no surprise. Despite his youth and unassuming demeanor, Chuck has served five 

Presidents, beginning with President 

Carter. 

Before he joined my Appropriations 

staff, Chuck worked at the Office of 

Management and Budget during the 

Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, 

and George W. Bush administrations. 

In 1978 Chuck began his government 

service as a Presidential management 

intern at the Department of Health, 

Education, and Welfare. From 1978–1985 

he served as a budget analyst for the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services. From 1985–1990 Mr. Kieffer 

was special assistant to the Director of 

the Office of Management and Budget. 

From 1990–1995, he served as chief appropriations analyst for the Office of 

Management and Budget, and from 

1995–2001 he was acting associate director of legislative affairs at the OMB 

until he joined my staff as deputy staff 

director of the Appropriations Committee in 2001. In 2001, Chuck Kieffer 

won the Robert G. Damas Public Service Award. 

As I step aside as chairman of the 

Appropriations Committee in the coming days, I am thankful that Chuck has 

agreed to stay by my side as the chief 

clerk of the subcommittee on Homeland Security. We can all sleep a little 

more soundly knowing that such a talented person as Chuck Kieffer is helping to adequately and effectively fund 

the Department charged with keeping 

Americans safe from harm here at 

home. 

f 

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SENATOR 

BYRD’S SWEARING IN 

Mr. DODD. Mr. President, today we 

begin the 111th Congress. As it is every 

two years, this is a moment for new beginnings, but also an opportunity to 

bid farewell to some dear friends of 

ours as they move on to the next chapters in their remarkable lives. 

While it is always a joy to see this 

moment—to see the pride visible in not 

only the Members’ faces, but their families’ as well—this year’s is especially 

poignant for me. 

Each of the men and women who 

have taken this oath during my time in 

this institution has made an impression on me—influencing my life, my 

work—in one way or another. 

But 50 years ago this week, two Members were sworn in—one who is here 

today and another who remains here in 

spirit—each of whom had a singularly 

important impact on me: 

My father, Thomas Dodd, who represented my State of Connecticut, and 

our esteemed colleague and friend from 

West Virginia, ROBERT C. BYRD. 

I was only a boy then, but I remember that moment as if it were yesterday, seated with my family in the gallery above, as we looked down on my 

father, as he began what would turn 

out to be the final chapter in a public 

life—a life that had already taken him 

from Norwich, CT, to Washington, DC, 

as an FBI agent and lawyer at the Department of Justice; to Germany where 

he served as a prosecutor at the famous 

Nuremberg Trials, before returning to 

our Nation’s Capital to serve in the 

U.S. House of Representatives. 

Fifty years later, I take no small 

amount of pride in noting that in each 

of these endeavors, my father proved to 

be ahead of his time—an advocate for 

universal health care, a proponent of 

sensible gun safety laws, an early voice 

warning of the effects of violence on 

TV and the dangers of drug addiction; 

and an insistent defender of those 

whose human rights were being denied. 

Indeed, it would not take long before 

a fellow freshman made his own mark, 

becoming not only this body’s President pro tempore and the longest-serving Member in its history, but the undisputed master of this body’s arcane 

parliamentary procedures, an awardwinning author and historian and the 

foremost champion of sunlight in government. 

Today, as the whole world watches 

these historic moments, we should note 

that it was ROBERT BYRD who staved 

off the threat that the Senate might 

become ‘‘the invisible branch of government’’ by ensuring that our proceedings be televised. 

Some two-and-half decades ago, when 

I was sworn in myself, it was my colleague from West Virginia who handed 

me a small book—a pocket-sized Constitution. For all I know, he did this 

for every freshman Senator. 

His message was simple: as a Member 

of the Senate, you are a temporary custodian of this document. 

And so, I kept that book. For 28 

years, I have carried it with me in my 

back pocket—Saturday, Sunday, every 

day of the week to remind myself how 

important this document is, the values 

and the principles that are incorporated in it. 

Senator BYRD has put it better than 

anyone: ‘‘The limits that the Constitution places on how political power is 

exercised have ensured our freedom for 

more than two centuries.’’ 

Each of these men taught me, in different ways, that we cannot defend and 

protect the vision of the Framers if we 

are ignorant of the Constitution’s history and the rule of law. 

And so today, as we look forward to 

the 111th Congress and all that we hope 

to achieve, may we also remember this 

gift that was given to all of us in the 

86th Congress all those years ago. May 

it continue to shine for many, many 

more. 

f 

IDAHOANS SPEAK OUT ON HIGH 

ENERGY PRICES 

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in midJune, I asked Idahoans to share with 

me how high energy prices are affecting their lives, and they responded by 

the hundreds. The stories, numbering 

well over 1,200, are heartbreaking and 

touching. While energy prices have 

dropped in recent weeks, the concerns 

expressed remain very relevant, particularly in light of our economic 

times. To respect the efforts of those 

who took the opportunity to share 

their thoughts, I am submitting every 

e-mail sent to me through an address 

set up specifically for this purpose to 

the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. This is not 

an issue that will be easily resolved, 

but it is one that deserves immediate 

and serious attention, and Idahoans deserve to be heard. Their stories not 

only detail their struggles to meet everyday expenses, but also have suggestions and recommendations as to what 

Congress can do now to tackle this 

problem and find solutions that last beyond today. I ask unanimous consent 

to have today’s letters printed in the 

RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

My wife and I are retired with fixed retirement incomes and our IRAs and annuities. 

We live about six miles from Moscow. We are 

now limiting our trips to town and will reduce/eliminate the travel we had planned 

this summer. We use our Ford 500 that gets 

about 29MPG instead of our pickup as much 

as possible. Our home is heated with wood 

pellets, but we wonder if wood pellets will be 

available next fall because of the failing timber industry. 

We have little hope that gas prices will decrease. Both of the Presidential candidates 

have bought into the global warming hoax 

and do not want to develop our oil resources. 

We expected it of the Democrat candidate 

but are very disappointed in John McCain’s 

position. It is difficult to believe that he 

thinks the liberal environmental industry 

will vote for him because he claims to be an 

‘‘environmentalist’’. 

We feel that [the candidates] should visit 

ANWR and see that it is not like the Grand 

Canyon. It is a frozen desert where the oil resource could be developed with little impact. 

We encourage you to help change positions 

on oil development. [Our country] will miss 

a golden opportunity if they do not use the 

‘‘drill here, drill now, pay less’’ position. 

Thank you for asking for our opinion. 

NED and ARLEEN, Moscow. 


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