[Pages S3605-S3607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 329--AUTHORIZING THE SERGEANT AT ARMS AND DOORKEEPER
OF THE SENATE TO ASCERTAIN AND SETTLE CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF THE
DISCOVERY OF LETHAL RICIN POWDER IN THE SENATE COMPLEX

Mr. LOTT (for himself and Mr. Dodd) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

S. Res. 329

Resolved, Section 1. Payment of claims arising from the
Ricin discovery.
(a) Settlement and Payment.--The Sergeant at Arms and
Doorkeeper of the Senate--
(1) in accordance with such regulations as the Committee on
Rules and Administration may prescribe, consider, and
ascertain any claim incident to service by a Member, officer,
or employee of the Senate for any damage to, or loss of,
personal property, for which the Member, officer, or employee
has not been reimbursed, resulting from the discovery of
lethal ricin powder in the Senate Complex on February 2,
2004, or the related remediation efforts undertaken as a
result of that discovery; and
(2) may, with the approval of the Committee on Rules and
Administration and in accordance with the provisions of
section 3721 of title 31, United States Code, determine,
compromise, adjust, and settle such claim in an amount not
exceeding $4,000 per claimant.
(b) Filing of Claims.--Claimants shall file claims pursuant
to this resolution with the Sergeant at Arms not later than
July 31, 2004.
(c) Use of Contingent Fund.--Any compromise, adjustment, or
settlement of any such claim pursuant to this resolution
shall be paid from the contingent fund of the Senate on a
voucher approved by the chairman of the Committee on Rules
and Administration.
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SENATE RESOLUTION 330--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE
PRESIDENT SHOULD COMMUNICATE TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION OF
PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES (``OPEC'') CARTEL AND NON-OPEC COUNTRIES
THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE CARTEL OF CRUDE OIL PRODUCING COUNTRIES THE
POSITION OF THE UNITED STATES IN FAVOR OF INCREASING WORLD CRUDE OIL
SUPPLIES SO AS TO ACHIEVE STABLE CRUDE OIL PRICES

Mr. WYDEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

S. Res. 330

Whereas the United States currently imports the majority of
its crude oil;
Whereas ensuring access to and stable prices for imported
crude oil for the United States and major allies and trading
partners of the United States is a continuing critical
objective of United States foreign and economic policy for
the foreseeable future;
Whereas the 11 countries that make up the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (``OPEC'') produce 40 percent
of the world's crude oil and control three-quarters of proven
reserves, including much of the spare production capacity;
Whereas beginning in February 2004, OPEC instituted
production cuts, which reduced production by 2,000,000
barrels per day and have resulted in dramatic increases in
crude oil prices;
Whereas in February 2004, crude oil prices were around $28
per barrel and have steadily risen since then, exceeding $38
per barrel in March 2004, the highest prices in 13 years;
Whereas the increase in crude oil prices has translated
into higher prices for gasoline and other refined petroleum
products; in the case of gasoline, the increases in crude oil
prices have resulted in a pass-through of cost increases at
the pump to an average national price of $1.75 per gallon;
Whereas increases in the price of crude oil result in
increases in prices paid by United States consumers for
refined petroleum

[[Page S3606]]

products, including home heating oil, gasoline, and diesel
fuel; and
Whereas increases in the costs of refined petroleum
products have a negative effect on many Americans, including
the elderly and individuals of low income (whose home heating
oil costs have doubled in the last year), families who must
pay higher prices at the gas station, farmers (already hurt
by low commodity prices, trying to factor increased costs
into their budgets in preparation for the growing season),
truckers (who face an almost 13-year high in diesel fuel
prices), and manufacturers and retailers (who must factor in
increased production and transportation costs into the final
price of their goods): Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the President and Congress should take both a short-
term and a long-term approach to reducing and stabilizing
crude oil prices as well as reducing dependence on foreign
sources of energy;
(2) to address the problem in the short-term, the President
should communicate to the members of the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries ``OPEC'' cartel and non-OPEC
countries that participate in the cartel of crude oil
producing countries that--
(A) the United States seeks to maintain strong relations
with crude oil producers around the world while promoting
international efforts to remove barriers to energy trade and
investment and increased access for United States energy
firms around the world;
(B) the United States believes that restricting supply in a
market that is in demand of additional crude oil does serious
damage to the efforts that OPEC members have made to
demonstrate that they represent a reliable source of crude
oil supply;
(C) the United States believes that stable crude oil prices
and supplies are essential for strong economic growth
throughout the world; and
(D) the United States seeks an immediate increase in the
OPEC crude oil production quotas;
(3) the President should be commended for sending Secretary
of State Powell to personally communicate with leaders of
several members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries on the need to increase the supply of crude oil;
(4) to ameliorate the long-term problem of the United
States dependence on foreign oil sources, the President
should--
(A) review all administrative policies, programs, and
regulations that put an undue burden on domestic energy
producers; and
(B) consider lifting unnecessary regulations that interfere
with the ability the United States' domestic oil, gas, coal,
hydro-electric, biomass, and other alternative energy
industries to supply a greater percentage of the energy needs
of the United States; and
(5) to ameliorate the long-term problem of United States
dependence on foreign oil sources, the Senate should
appropriate sufficient funds for the development of domestic
energy sources, including measures to increase the use of
biofuels and other renewable resources.

Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, the Reuters news service is reporting that
Saudi Arabia, and their Foreign Minister specifically, have said in the
last day or so they have not been contacted by the Bush administration
over OPEC's decision to cut oil production once again. As a result,
today I am introducing a resolution urging the President communicate to
OPEC that oil production be increased, and I intend next week to ask
for its immediate consideration.
I am very troubled by the comments of the Foreign Minister of Saudi
Arabia. In fact, what Reuters has reported is the Saudi Foreign
Minister was asked whether the United States had expressed its
disappointment over OPEC's cut in production and the Saudi Foreign
Minister said at the time:

I didn't hear from this Bush administration. I'm hearing it
from you that they are disappointed.

This is very troubling. Up and down the west coast of the United
States our constituents are getting mugged by high oil prices. We have
to have an administration that is willing to put some heat on OPEC to
step up oil production at a critical time, particularly as we move in
this country to the high driving season. These high gasoline prices are
devastating to consumers. They are going to be very harmful to our
economy overall, particularly job production. It is consumer spending
that is driving the Oregon economy, and if we continue to see our
consumers shellacked with these high gasoline prices, it is going to be
harder and harder for us to create family wage jobs and generate
business growth.
I am hopeful my colleagues will support this resolution I am
introducing today and which I am going to ask for immediate
consideration of next week. The reason I am hopeful for such bipartisan
support is this resolution, in terms of its substance, is identical to
one introduced on February 28 of 2000, with our current Secretary of
Energy, our friend Spencer Abraham, as one of the principal sponsors.
Back then it was clear our colleagues thought it was important,
particularly with influential Senators on the other side. Then the
Senator from Michigan, Senator Abraham, also the chairman of the
Finance Committee, Senator Grassley, Senator Santorum, and a number of
our distinguished colleagues were cosponsors of that legislation. The
feeling was then it was important to put some heat on OPEC. It was
important to make it clear it was the position of the Senate that OPEC
boost production.
Of course, that is what then-candidate George W. Bush said, that it
was important to boost oil production. Yet with the comments of the
Saudi Foreign Minister in the last day or so, I think it is very clear
at best it is not a case of getting a full court press, in terms of
this administration, on Saudi Arabia and on OPEC.
I will tell you, if ever there was an administration that had some
bargaining chips to play with Saudi Arabia in terms of boosting oil
production, it is certainly this administration. If you look at what
happened after 9/11, in terms of people being helped out of the
country, various issues with respect to declassifying Government
documents, it is very clear Saudi Arabia has been treated pretty darned
well by this administration. If ever there was an administration that
had some bargaining chips to play in terms of trying to get OPEC to
increase oil production, it is certainly this administration. Yet the
Saudi Foreign Minister has said, just in the last day, he wasn't even
contacted by the Bush administration with respect to oil production.

Let me also say there are some other troubling signs, and why I feel
so strongly about the Senate next week passing the resolution I am
introducing. When Secretary Powell was in Saudi Arabia about 2 weeks
ago, he also had a chance to talk about the oil crunch and how it is so
harmful to American consumers. The press release that came from the
U.S. Information Agency--this is again another document coming from our
Government--indicated the Secretary and the Crown Prince and Foreign
Minister talked about a variety of subjects, terrorism and governmental
reforms, but nothing was said about oil prices. What we have, and I
have said this before, is OPEC is going to stick up for OPEC. OPEC is
not going to stick up for the American consumer. If you think OPEC is
going to stick up for the American consumer, then you think Colonel
Sanders is going to stick up for the chickens. It is not going to
happen. It is the job of our administration to stick up for the
consumer, and when the Saudi Foreign Minister says he hasn't even been
contacted, that he heard from reporters the administration was
disappointed, that is not good enough. It is not good enough for my
constituents where consistently we are paying some of the highest
prices for gasoline in our country, where we faced anticompetitive
practices like redlining and zone pricing for years. It is not good
enough where you have a situation such as we have in Bakersfield, CA,
where a very large refinery has been closed. They didn't even look for
a buyer. There is a lot of oil in the area.
The American people are entitled to some answers. They are certainly
entitled to an administration that does what then-Governor George W.
Bush said was important, and that was to fight for the consumer, to
push OPEC to increase production. Instead, what we learned from the
Saudi Foreign Minister is the administration has essentially just sat
on its hands.
I was following the remarks of the Senator from Kentucky a bit ago.
He makes the point, and it is certainly one that makes sense to me,
that what is good for then-President Clinton should be good for
President Bush. What I say to my friend is the same principle ought to
be applied when it comes to a Senate resolution on OPEC and high oil
and gasoline prices.
I hope we will have a good debate in the Senate in the days ahead
with respect to our policy as it relates to OPEC and oil production. A
number of

[[Page S3607]]

our distinguished colleagues were there when this resolution was
considered earlier: Senator Grassley, Senator Santorum, our current
Secretary of Energy, a good friend of mine, Senator Abraham. I also
note the distinguished Presiding Officer of the Senate, Senator Chafee,
was also a cosponsor of that resolution.
I am hopeful we will be able to do as the Senator from Kentucky said
and that is apply the same principle to this administration as was
applied to the Clinton administration. Every administration ought to be
pushing OPEC to increase oil production. We certainly ought to take
action when the Saudi oil minister was saying he wasn't even contacted.
I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the article
from the Reuters news service. The title of this article is ``Saudi
Says Not Heard From Bush Over OPEC Oil Cut.''
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:

[From Reuters News Service, Apr. 1, 2004]

Saudi Says Not Heard From Bush Over OPEC Oil Cut

Vienna, April 1.--Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on
Thursday he had not been contacted by the Bush administration
over OPEC's decision on Wednesday to cut crude output by one
million barrels per day.
U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told a House of
Representatives committee on Thursday President George W.
Bush had spoken to most of the leaders of OPEC nations about
global crude oil supplies and rising prices.
But Abraham declined to respond to a lawmaker's question
about whether the president had specifically spoken to Saudi
Arabia, the cartel's largest member which led a push this
week to cut OPEC production by one million barrels per day in
April.
Asked if the United States had expressed its disappointment
to him over the cut, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-
Faisal told reporters:
``I didn't hear this from the Bush administration. I'm
hearing it from you that they're disappointed.''
The Bush administration faces growing pressure from
Democrats to take action amid record-high U.S. retail
gasoline prices.
In the run-up to Wednesday's OPEC meeting, the
administration abandoned its so-called ``quiet diplomacy''
and instead said publicly that it was pressuring OPEC to
delay a production cut.
Its request was supported by OPEC members Kuwait and the
United Arab Emirates, but opposed by Saudi Arabia, a longtime
U.S. ally.
Abraham said Bush administration officials may have spoken
to Saudi officials in recent weeks.
``We are very disappointed with the decision (OPEC) made
yesterday and obviously are evaluating what we might'' do,
Abraham added.
U.S. crude fell 50 cents to $35.26 on Thursday after losing
1.4 percent on Wednesday on news of a huge build in U.S.
crude inventories and the Saudi foreign minister said earlier
the fall justified the cartel's decision.
``As you have seen, since we reduced production in OPEC the
price went down. This reflects the veracity of the position
that Saudi Arabia has taken that there is an excess capacity
on the market rather than shortages,'' he said.

Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I will be back on the floor in the days
ahead to talk about this critical question. It seems to me what is
coming in this country on this oil issue is a perfect storm. The
combination of the fact this administration is unwilling to push OPEC
over its production cuts, the fact the Federal Trade Commission is
unwilling to do anything about these anticompetitive practices or even
investigate this refinery closure in Bakersfield, which has great
implications for the west coast, all of these factors are coming
together to create what I believe is a perfect storm for the gasoline
consumer in this country. Given that consumer spending is what is
driving our economy right now, we cannot afford to have these high
gasoline prices continue or, as I fear, escalate to $3 a gallon.
We will continue to focus on the question of the Strategic Petroleum
Reserve, swiping oil out of the private sector and squirreling it away
into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at a time when it already has a
very high level and national security questions are being addressed.
But that is not the focus of my comments today. The focus of my
comments today is every Member of the Congress ought to be very
troubled when the Saudi Foreign Minister says he wasn't contacted by
the administration over these production cuts.
We ought to do as was done in 2000 when the Senate, led by a number
of our distinguished colleagues on the other side of the aisle who
moved ahead on a resolution to boost oil production by OPEC. We ought
to do the same now and stand up for the American consumer.
I yield the floor.

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