E100 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks January 15, 2009 

INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 553: THE 

REDUCING OVER-CLASSIFICATION ACT OF 2009 

HON. JANE HARMAN OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, January 15, 2009 

Ms. HARMAN. Madam Speaker, America’s 

first preventers will face an enormous challenge next Tuesday. They must protect key 

members of this and the next Administration— 

especially the first families—and manage 

crowds of millions for the largest American 

Presidential Inauguration to date, working 

seamlessly with federal counterparts to do so. 

Unprecedented efforts will be made to share 

information—especially information about 

threats. Information sharing was a huge problem leading up to 9/11, and 7 years later, we 

still have work to do. 

When the Inauguration is over, local law enforcement shouldn’t have to return to business-as-usual—where it is still difficult to get 

accurate, actionable, and timely information 

about threats and tactics to police officers in 

the field. 

Though hard to believe, sheriffs and police 

chiefs can’t readily access the information they 

need to prevent or disrupt a potential terrorist 

attack because those at the federal level resist 

sharing information. Over-classification and 

pseudo-classification—stamping with any number of sensitive but unclassified markings—remain rampant. 

Protecting sources and methods is the only 

valid reason to refuse to share information. It 

is no exaggeration that people die and our 

ability to monitor certain targets can be compromised, if sources and methods are revealed. 

But classifying information for the wrong 

reasons—to protect turf or to avoid embarrassment—is wrong. During my 8 years on the 

House Intelligence Committee, I became incredibly frustrated with this practice—which 

the Bush Administration elevated to an artform. 

And, sadly, the practice has spread to our 

newest federal agency: the Department of 

Homeland Security. 

Madam Speaker, the next attack in the 

United States will not be stopped because a 

bureaucrat in Washington, DC found out about 

it in advance. It will be the cop on the beat 

who is familiar with the rhythms and nuances 

of his or her own neighborhood who will foil 

that attack. 

H.R. 553, the Reducing Over-Classification 

Act, and which passed the House unanimously in the 110th Congress, is an attempt 

to establish a gold standard at DHS when it 

comes to classification practices. 

It requires that all classified intelligence 

products created at the Department be simultaneously created in a standard unclassified 

format if such a product would help local law 

enforcement keep us safe. This is unprecedented. 

Furthermore, the bill requires portion marking—the identification of paragraphs in a document that are classified—permitting the remainder of the document to remain unclassified. 

The measure will promote accountability by 

requiring the DHS Inspector General to sample randomly classified intelligence products 

and identify problems that exist in those samples. 

It also directs the Secretary to develop a 

plan to track electronically how and where information classified by DHS is disseminated 

so that misuse can be prevented. 

Finally, the legislation requires the Secretary 

to establish extensive annual training on the 

proper use of the classification regime, and 

penalties for staff who repeatedly fail to comply with applicable classification policies. 

A key to homeland security is personal preparedness. A prepared public is not likely to 

be terrorized. Access to important non-classified information is essential to ensure preparedness, and this bill protects the public’s 

right to know. It enjoys support by privacy and 

civil liberty groups. 

Madam Speaker, on behalf of first preventers and first responders everywhere, I 

urge passage of this essential bipartisan legislation, and its prompt consideration in the Senate. 

f 

SCHOOL BUILDING ENHANCEMENT 

ACT 

HON. RUSH D. HOLT OF NEW JERSEY

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, January 15, 2009 

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 

introduce the School Building Enhancement 

Act, legislation that would help schools implement energy saving measures to reduce their 

energy costs. 

According to the Department of Energy, 

DOE schools spent over $8 billion on energy 

in 2007—$2 billion more than they spent just 

two years earlier. Sky-rocketing energy costs 

have forced schools to spend more annually 

on heating and electricity than they spend on 

textbooks and computers combined. Energy is 

the second-highest operating expenditure for 

schools after personnel costs. Schools across 

the country are already facing tight budgets; 

rising energy costs will only worsen their 

budget situation and could lead to the loss of 

important school programs. 

Fortunately, there are ways for schools to 

offset the soaring price of energy. According 

to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, 

30 percent of energy consumed in buildings is 

used unnecessarily or inefficiently. By understanding where energy is used unwisely and 

implementing simple changes in the operations and maintenance of school buildings, a 

school’s operating costs can be reduced by 5 

to 25 percent. Schools that are seeking even 

greater long-term savings can retrofit their 

buildings with more efficient systems and replace old appliances. The $2 billion saved 

could be used for purchases that directly benefit our nation’s students—such as hiring 

30,000 new teachers or purchasing 40 million 

additional textbooks. 

However, cash-strapped school systems 

often are unable to find the necessary financial resources to invest in these energy efficient upgrades. The School Building Enhancement Act would assist schools in making these 

improvements by providing grants to states 

and local educational agencies through the 

Department of Education for energy efficiency 

upgrades. These improvements would need to 

follow the guidelines of the EnergySmart 

Schools Program of the Department of Energy 

or the Energy Star for K–12 School Districts 

program at the Environmental Protection 

Agency. 

If enacted, the School Building Enhancement Act would provide the needed funding 

for schools in my home state of New Jersey, 

and throughout the country, to implement energy efficiency measures that would help 

schools save thousands of dollars annually. 

Schools that already have implemented energy efficiency measures have succeeded in 

achieving significant savings. For example, the 

Summerfield Elementary School in my home 

state of New Jersey has implemented energy 

efficiency measures that have reduced their 

consumption by 32 percent, allowing Summerfield to save $41,000 annually on energy 

costs. Summerfield is just one of many 

schools that are being built to use energy 

smarter and more efficiently. According to the 

EPA more than 800 schools have been Energy Star certified, saving an average of 40 

cents per square foot in operating costs annually. 

Twenty-five of my colleagues have joined 

me in introducing this important legislation to 

help cash-strapped schools achieve significant 

savings on their energy costs and protect the 

environment. I urge my colleagues to support 

the School Building Enhancement Act. 

f 

INTRODUCING THE SAVE OUR 

CLIMATE ACT 

HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, January 15, 2009 

Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

with my colleague JIM MCDERMOTT to reintroduce the Save Our Climate Act, a bill to place 

a tax on carbon. A carbon tax is the most 

straightforward and efficient way to end our 

addiction to fossil fuels and confront global climate change. 

While I have introduced this proposal in 

years past, I am more confident than ever that 

the time for action has arrived. We have a 

President-elect who consistently acknowledges that our planet is in peril. The upcoming 

economic recovery package will focus on creating ‘‘green jobs’’ and investing in clean energy. 

The best solution is to place a tax on what 

we want to reduce—pollution; and to put that 

revenue into what we want to increase—work, 

income, and investment in new technology. A 

carbon tax is the best way to do that. 

Under the Save Our Climate Act, carbon 

based fuels—coal, petroleum and natural 

gas—are taxed at a rate of $10 per ton of carbon content. The tax will increase by $10 per 

ton of carbon every year, making it less affordable to burn fossil fuels as time goes on. 

When the United States reaches the International Panel on Climate Change’s standard 

of reducing CO2 emissions by 80 percent, the 

tax will be frozen. 

A tax provides certainty for businesses, as 

they will know what the level of tax will be 

from year to year and can make adjustments 

in their business plans. This legislation is also 

simple to administer and will require no new 

bureaucracy to implement. For these reasons, 

the Congressional Budget Office, CBO, concluded last year that a carbon tax is the most 


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