January 15, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E101 

economically efficient policy for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. 

This bill does not prescribe how the revenue 

will be spent, but it is appropriate that we consider relief for low- and middle-income consumers who may face modestly higher energy 

costs, and investments in alternative energy 

sources, health care, and education. 

The Save Our Climate Act will generate a 

small energy price increase each year, equal 

to about 2 cents per gallon of gas annually. 

Consumers over the past year have endured 

increases 100 times that. The only difference 

is that the increase in price went to overseas 

coffers, not to build our transportation networks, provide relief for workers, and health 

care for our citizens. As the tax rate increases, 

fossil fuel prices will increase. Producers will 

have an incentive to invest in cleaner alternative energies, and those alternative energy 

sources will become more competitive. 

For businesses, the carbon tax is direct, 

creates price certainty, and signals that it is 

time to take bold action and invest in business 

models that utilize low pollution technology. 

Even the CEO of Exxon commented last week 

calling a carbon tax a ‘‘direct and transparent 

approach.’’ I don’t normally find myself on the 

same side as the oil companies, but in this 

case, I agree. The Save Our Climate Act is a 

first step toward a sensible tax code that 

incentivizes innovation and rewards responsibility. I encourage all to support it. 

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PERSONAL EXPLANATION 

HON. BRAD SHERMAN OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, January 15, 2009 

Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, yesterday, 

I was unable to make a number of votes because I was at the hospital with my wife for 

the delivery of our first child. I am pleased to 

announce that we had a healthy, beautiful 

baby girl named Molly Hannah. 

Had I been present I would have voted: 

‘‘yea’’ on rollcall No. 14; ‘‘nay’’ on rollcall No. 

15; ‘‘yea’’ on rollcall No. 16 in support of H.R. 

2, the bill to extend and improve the Children’s 

Health Insurance Program, of which I was 

proud to be an original cosponsor; ‘‘yea’’ on 

rollcall No. 17, which allowed the House to 

proceed with a bill improving the TARP program; and ‘‘yea’’ on rollcall No. 18. 

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PERSONAL EXPLANATION 

HON. JOHN SULLIVAN OF OKLAHOMA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, January 15, 2009 

Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam Speaker, I missed 

rollcall vote 16 to H.R. 2 taken on January 14, 

2009, and had I been present for this vote, I 

would have voted ‘‘nay.’’ 

I am opposed to H.R. 2 because I believe 

this legislation is one more step toward forcing 

Americans into a Washington controlled, onesize-fits-all health care system by creating another fiscally irresponsible entitlement to be 

supported by American taxpayers. Also, an 

expansion of SCHIP should not encourage 

people to drop their private coverage in order 

to get free or subsidized public health care 

coverage. 

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INTRODUCTION OF THE 

SUPERFUND REINVESTMENT ACT 

HON. EARL BLUMENAUER OF OREGON

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, January 15, 2009 

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today 

I am introducing the ‘‘Superfund Reinvestment 

Act,’’ which would reauthorize the corporate 

taxes that fund the Superfund trust fund. This 

bill will reestablish the polluter pays principle 

and our commitment to cleaning up the Nation’s most hazardous sites. 

The Environmental Protection Agency’s, 

EPA, Superfund program was created in 1980 

to provide money to clean up the nation’s 

worst hazardous waste sites where the party 

responsible for polluting was out of business 

or could not be identified. Before they expired 

in 1995, the money for the Superfund trust 

fund came mainly from taxes on the polluters 

themselves. The program has contributed to 

the cleanup of over 1000 sites around the 

country. Because Congress has not reauthorized the taxes, the burden of funding cleanups 

of toxic waste sites now falls on the shoulders 

of taxpaying Americans. Reauthorizing the 

Superfund tax would ensure that polluters— 

not the American public—pay to restore public 

health. 

Superfund sites contain toxic contaminants 

that have been detected in drinking water 

wells, creeks and rivers, backyards, playgrounds, and streets. Communities impacted 

by these sites can face restrictions on water 

use, gardening and recreational activities as 

well as economic losses as property values 

decline due to contaminated land. In the worst 

cases, residents of these communities can 

face health problems such as cardiac impacts, 

infertility, low birth weight, birth defects, leukemia, and respiratory difficulties. 

Until they expired in 1995, the superfund 

taxes generated around $1.7 billion a year to 

clean up these hazardous areas. The ‘‘Superfund Reinvestment Act’’ would simply reinstate 

the taxes as they were before they expired. 

This will provide a stable source of funding to 

continue cleaning up sites around the country 

as well as give the EPA the tools it needs to 

clean up sites and then recover the costs from 

liable parties who do not undertake the work 

themselves. 

I urge my colleagues to join me in working 

to strengthen the Superfund program and ensure that it continues to help keep our communities and our families safe, healthy, and economically secure. 

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SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND 

IDEALS OF NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH 2009 

SPEECH OF

HON. BETTY McCOLLUM OF MINNESOTA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 

Ms. MCCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, as a Cochair of the Congressional Mentoring Caucus, 

I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 41, 

supporting the goals and ideals of National 

Mentoring Month. 

A mentor by definition means a trusted 

friend or guide. Mentoring relationships between adults and youths are very important, 

especially because of the focus on the needs 

of our young people. Caring parents, teachers, 

counselors, and religious leaders are all mentors, and are in a position to positively influence a child’s present and future. 

We all have an important role to play in improving the lives of children in our communities—after all, it takes a village. Our youth 

are yearning for guidance and direction from 

caring adults and mentoring enables everyday 

Americans to make a difference and help children grow up to become responsible and productive citizens and meet their full potential. A 

study by Big Brothers Big Sisters showed 

mentored youth are 46 percent less likely to 

begin using illegal drugs, 53 percent less likely 

to skip school, and 33 percent less likely to 

get in fights. 

National Mentoring Month was conceived as 

a means to recruit mentors and help close the 

mentoring gap. Last year, more than 375,000 

individuals sought information about local 

mentoring programs that need more volunteers. 

I am proud to announce Joellen GonderSpacek, executive director of the Mentoring 

Partnership of Minnesota, MPM, has been 

honored with the Manza Excellence in Leadership Award by MENTOR/National Mentoring 

Partnership. She was recognized for her leadership and commitment to service through 

MPM’s community initiative to promote mentoring for at risk youth in Minnesota. This program has made significant improvements in 

the lives of children and, over the past 14 

years, MPM has become a mentoring leader 

in the State and the Nation. 

I encourage all of my colleagues to support 

this resolution and to look for opportunities to 

be mentors as well. 

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CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE 

PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION 

ACT OF 2009 

SPEECH OF

HON. RUSH D. HOLT OF NEW JERSEY

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I voted yesterday in support of our Nation’s children and for 

passage of the Children’s Health Insurance 

Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, H.R. 2. 

More than 7.1 million children have health 

insurance because of the creation, a decade 

ago, of the State Children’s Health Insurance 

Program, SCHIP. However, these children will 

lose access to good, affordable health insurance if Congress does not act to reauthorize 

the SCHIP program by March 31, 2009. 

Yesterday, the House approved the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, which would expand the 

SCHIP program to ensure even more children 

have access to the health care their parents 

cannot afford or who work in jobs that do not 

provide health care benefits. The House of 

Representatives has passed similar legislation 

twice before to extend and expand SCHIP, 


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