Full Committee Markup -- H.R. 2337

Opening Statement By Rep. Bart Gordon

Good Morning. The Committee on Science and Technology will come to order.

I want to bring the Committee up to date on the status of the negotiations with the Natural Resources Committee and outline where we go from here.

We are very close to a satisfactory bipartisan and bi-committee resolution of our concerns with Section 441 of HR 2337 and I am optimistic that a final agreement can be reached before the week ends.

Additionally, yesterday a constructive meeting with Science and Technology majority and minority was held with Resources staff on Section 473.

Our Committee outlined in some detail our concerns and our suggestions as to how they should be addressed.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Resources Committee invited us to offer a proposal to resolve our concerns with this section of the bill.

I fully expect that, working with our minority staff, we will produce a proposal to Resources in the next few days.

As to protecting jurisdiction, the staff has previously written and discussed our jurisdictional claims to Sections 303, 305, 306, 441, 471, 472, and 473 with the Parliamentarian.

The Parliamentarian indicated to us that our jurisdiction extends to Sections 303, 441 and 473 and indicated that they will not make a ruling on the other sections at this time.

It is important to me and our Members on both sides of the aisle that our jurisdictional claims are protected by continuing to advocate those claims to the parliamentarian.

Further, I will protect our jurisdiction by formally asking, at the proper time, that our Committee have conferees named for all sections of HR 2337 within our committee’s jurisdiction.

My staff has invited the minority staff to join with us in aggressively asserting our jurisdictional claims to the Parliamentarian. p>

After considering the points made by the minority at yesterday’s markup during an hour of discussion, these are the means by which I have decided to aggressively pursue our jurisdictional claims.

Therefore, my intention today is to adjourn the Committee as we continue to craft and advance our proposal to the Natural Resources Committee.

Adjourning today in no way precludes the Committee from a markup next week, with proper notice under our Committee rules, if an agreement with Resources cannot be reached.

Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007

Committee Adjourned, No Action taken