Category: Matthew O’Rourke
Congressional Delegation Oppose Port Deal
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22- Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation cite security concerns as the reason for opposing a pending sale of a British port operating company to a United Arab Emirates corporation.
The Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Navigation Company, which currently operates ports across the country, including in New York, New Orleans and Baltimore, would be sold to Dubai Ports World, a state-controlled corporation in Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates.
Democrats and Republicans have raised questions about the sale, but President Bush has defended it and has said he would veto any legislation that blocks the deal.
In a statement on Tuesday, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said “a veto isn’t a solution.”
“Four and a half years after 9/11, our ports are still extremely vulnerable,” Mr. Kennedy said. “We can’t risk contracting out our national security — we need to get this right.”
Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., expressed concern about the sale in a letter sent to Secretary of the Treasury John Snow Wednesday. Snow is chairman of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which approved the sale. The committee, composed of representatives of 12 government agencies and departments, can block a sale for national security reasons.
The port sale is just one of the many poor decisions the Bush administration has made, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, said in a statement.
“Congress must-finally-begin to conduct some serious oversight of the Bush Administration,” Mr. McGovern said. “I’m pleased to see that Republican leaders like Speaker [Dennis] Hastert and Majority Leader [Bill] Frist have supported additional congressional review. It’s about time.”
U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, said in a statement he would support legislation blocking the sale because he is concerned with “outsourcing our homeland security duties to foreign countries.”
“This is not a partisan issue. It is a national security issue,” Mr. Neal said. “Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress agree that this questionable transaction needs to be examined more thoroughly, and that is why I support congressional hearings to fully investigate this contract.”
In a statement released by his office, Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Lawrence, said that two of the terrorists involved in the Sept.11, 2001, attacks were from the United Arab Emirates.
“We need to investigate this fully and make sure that it doesn’t undermine our national security,” Mr. Meehan said. “It makes no sense to have a foreign country controlling our ports.”
Steven Broderick, press secretary to U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Hyannis, said that “no members of Congress have objection to a foreign company operating in the United States.”
“Where most members of Congress, including Mr. Delahunt, have some reservations is that this isn’t a foreign-owned company,” Mr. Broderick said. “This group is an agent of the United Arab Emirates, and that government has been less than helpful in the war on terror.”
U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, could not be reached for comment.
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Massachusetts Ranks Second in the Nation on Environmental Scorecard
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21- The Massachusetts congressional delegation scored second in the nation on an environmental scorecard released by the League of Conservation Voters Tuesday.
According to the 2005 National Environmental Scorecard, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) scored 95 percent, up three points from the previous year. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) also scored 95 percent, up from 44 percent in 2003-04 when he missed key votes because he was campaigning for President.
Members of the House and the Senate are rated on whether they vote on key environmental issues for what the league considers to be in favor of environmental action.
"I applaud the work that [the league] has done in compiling this scorecard," Kerry said in a statement. "It's important that the American public know exactly how their elected officials voted on key issues affecting the environment as well as their health, pocketbooks, and quality of life."
U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern (D-Worcester) scored 100 percent, along with Reps. John F. Tierney (D-Salem) and Edward J. Markey (D-Medford).
Tiernan Sittenfeld, the league's legislative director, commended Tierney, McGovern and Markey "for their perfect voting records of representing the health and safety of Massachusetts citizens."
"We also commend Sens. Kennedy and Kerry for their efforts to oppose the damaging energy bill and attempts to drill in the Arctic Refuge," Sittenfeld said in a statement. "The entire delegation can be proud of the way they represented the interests of those they are elected to serve."
McGovern has consistently scored 100 percent since he was first elected. Rep. John W. Olver (D-Amherst) scored 94 percent and Rep. William Delahunt (D-Hyannis) dropped 16 points to 78 percent.
"It's no secret to anyone that I consider myself a strong environmentalist and I'm proud of that fact," Mr. McGovern said in a telephone interview. "I think it's important as a member of Congress to vote in a way that protects and preserves our environment. I take each issue as it comes and I vote the way I believe is the right way to vote."
Deb Cary, director of the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Broad Meadow Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, said that Mr. McGovern has been "a very strong advocate since day one."
Ms. Cary said that one of the first projects Mr. McGovern took on was restoring financial support to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which provides money to preserving trails and waterways.
"Until Jim McGovern was in Washington, those funds had completely dried up," Ms. Cary said. "He's really been a strong environmental advocate for all the lead environmental laws."
Ms. Cary added Mr. McGovern has also been a leader locally on the Blackstone River and all the efforts from Massachusetts and Rhode Island to bring back the river.
U.S. Rep. John W. Olver's score of 94 percent was a drop of 6 points. Mr. Olver accused the Bush Administration of "doing the bidding of special interests" in terms of environmental legislation but said that he was proud to have scored so well with the League.
"My voting record on environmental issues reflects my strong commitment to protecting the health of our environment and the beauty of our natural resources," said Mr. Olver. "Almost every day, the Bush Administration takes another step - often not seen by the public - to undermine our environmental laws and regulations."
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Public Hearings Scheduled Over Nuclear License Renewal
WASHINGTON, Feb. 14- The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a public meeting March 8 in Plymouth over Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station's license renewal.
The meeting, the first scheduled in Pilgrim's multi-step renewal process since it filed its application on Jan. 27, is intended to explain the license renewal process.
"The [commission] staff will give a presentation to the public," said Diane Screnci, a public relations officer at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Region 1 office, "so that they'll understand what our review entails and what opportunities they have to take part in the review."
Time will be given during the presentation for public comment, she said.
The commission considers two main issues when a plant is up for review: the expected environmental impact and the safety aspects of running the plant for an additional 20 years.
"The staff is going to specifically look at how the plant has set out a plan for managing how components within the nuclear plant age over time," said Scott Burnell, a public affairs officer at commission headquarters in Washington.
In renewing a license, the commission does not review issues of security or of where a plant disposes of its spent fuel. These issues are reviewed much more frequently by local, regional and national organizations, according to Burnell.
"It doesn't make much sense to consider these issues over a 20-year period," he said.
For part of the process, the commission will seek public comment, particularly on environmental issues around the Pilgrim plant, including the impact of the plant's cooling system on marine life and endangered species.
"There also will be an opportunity for the public to request a hearing, and there is a time frame associated with this," Screnci said.
The hearing, if requested, would be conducted by the commission's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel.
According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Web site, the hearing request period would begin sometime in mid-March and end in mid-June.
The second public meeting on the Pilgrim Plant renewal application will focus heavily on environmental issues, Screnci said.
"We call it our scoping meeting," she said, "where we see what the 'scope' of the power plant's impact will be on the environment. It's a meeting to take comments from the public to see what should be included in our environmental review."
This meeting will be held between late June and early July if all proceedings run according to schedule.
The renewal process could take up to 30 months to complete, said David Tarantino, a spokesman for Pilgrim.
The power plant's current license to operate is set to expire June 8, 2012.
The March 8 meeting is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. at Memorial Hall in Plymouth.
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Bush Budget Could Force Tough Decisions
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 - Under President George W. Bush's proposed budget for the 2007 fiscal year, some Massachusetts communities could be forced to make tough decisions about which programs they can afford.
In a statement Tuesday, U.S. Rep. John W. Olver (D-Amherst) said the President's budget would cut federal funds for successful education programs, including college assistance and adult vocational programs.
"The President vows to invest more money in education in his State of the Union address, but then turns around and cuts education by $2 billion in his budget delivered to Congress just a few days later," Mr. Olver said. "It's mind-boggling."
Jack M. Wilson, president of the University of Massachusetts, said he was pleased with Mr. Bush's proposals to invest in scientific research but disappointed with the cuts to educational financial aid, which he said is key to making higher education "affordable and accessible to everyone."
"I'm happy on the one hand because I think that the focus he has picked out and the investments in research are sorely needed and will make a very positive impact on our university," Mr. Wilson said, "but the cuts to financial aid will have a very negative impact on our university and on our students."
Mr. Bush's proposed reductions to Medicare and Medicaid are "very shortsighted," said Daniel Moen, president of Heywood Hospital in Gardner.
"The kind of cuts that he is talking about to the Medicare and Medicaid programs will be difficult for any hospital to handle," Mr. Moen said. "A good percentage of our volume is Medicare and Medicaid patients, so even small reductions there can have a dramatic impact on hospitals like us."
Mr. Moen said that the cuts are eroding hospitals' financial positions and the services they provide over the long run. Not only is Heywood Hospital important for its services, he said, but it's also important to the economy in north-central Massachusetts.
If Heywood, which is a community-based, not-for-profit hospital, is squeezed further financially "it will impact how successful we are bringing in new technology, physicians and replacing an aging physical plant," Mr. Moen said. "All can be compromised if the hospital is put in a bad situation financially."
Mr. Olver said that for those who need it most, quality affordable health care "takes a back seat in this budget proposal. Huge cuts in Medicare come in the wake of problems with the new Medicare prescription drug program."
"The budget is replete with bad choices for Americans living in or near poverty - like terminating the Community Services Block Grant, which is geared to providing economic self-sufficiency for struggling families," Mr. Olver said.
The Community Services Block Grant program was cut completely in the President's proposed 2006 budget, but Congress continued funding the program. The 2007 budget proposal again calls for the program's elimination.
David Streb, Fitchburg planning coordinator, said the city goes through a planning process to determine what its needs are and uses funds from the Community Services Block Grants to meet those needs.
"For the second year in a row our funds have been cut," Mr. Streb said. "It's becoming increasingly difficult to administer the program."
Mr. Streb said that the city is left to decide on a year-to-year basis which programs will receive funding.
"We're faced with the difficult decision on what recommendations to make with the limited funding we have available," Mr. Streb said. "We have to choose between programs that prevent violence in the schools, homeless mentoring programs and overtime drug enforcement for the police."
According to Rep. Olver's office, the President's proposed funding for Community Oriented Policing Services would be reduced by 80 percent, from $509 million in 2006 to $102 million in 2007.
The Community Oriented Policing Services program was initiated under President Clinton as part of his program to put 100,000 more police officers on the street. The program provides grants to police departments that offer compelling plans and proposals for innovation in law enforcement.
"I think in the '90s the federal government spent a really small amount of money that brought a tremendous amount of stability," said Edward Cronin, the Fitchburg chief of police. He said that in the 1990s, police officers became better at preventing crime under the program, and that plans to create a regional crime map would be hindered by the proposed cuts.
Mr. Cronin said since 2002, when the national emphasis shifted from street crimes to terrorism, the Fitchburg police department has been back to pre-1990 levels of manpower, before the Community Oriented Policing Services program began.
"I think that homeland security is very important and needs to be targeted," Chief Cronin said, "but also think that real security starts on the streets, and right now we've been totally abandoned by the Bush administration."
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House Democrats React to President’s Speech
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31-House Democrats from Massachusetts were largely critical of President George Bush's State of the Union address last night, especially in regards to U.S. involvement in Iraq.
"The President failed to outline a realistic plan to bring our troops home," U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern (D-Worcester), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement released before the address.
U.S. Rep. John W. Olver (D-Amherst) also was critical of Mr. Bush. "We certainly should not be 'staying the course,'" Mr. Olver said in a statement before the speech. "Instead, the President needs to focus all of his efforts on successfully getting us out of Iraq."
However, seventh-term U.S. Rep Marty Meehan (D-Lowell) welcomed the President's call to end dependence on foreign oil. In an excerpt from the address released by the White House before the speech, Mr. Bush said, "America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from the unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology."
In a statement before the speech Mr. Meehan said, "For too long the administration's proposals have been drilling, drilling, and more drilling. We can't drill our way to energy independence, we have to invest in renewable sources that are clean, efficient, and affordable."
Mr. McGovern, who was extremely critical of Republican tax cuts, said that the budget deficit is "exploding" and accused Mr. Bush of ignoring the "people who really need help."
"He wants to make his tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, which is just crazy. Our deficit is exploding and the people who really need help, the people in the middle and those trying to get into the middle, are ignored by President Bush and his Republican allies in Congress," said McGovern in his statement.
The President should seek to reach out a hand to the poor and not just the strong, said U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Springfield) in a telephone interview before the speech. "The President needs to spend a lot of time on the confusion surrounding the [Medicare] prescription drug bill."
"The only people benefiting from the prescription drug benefit are the executives at the drug companies and insurance companies," said Mr. McGovern.
Mr. Meehan also expressed concern over Mr. Bush's health care proposal. "Our health care system is in need of reform, but I don't know that the President's proposal will really benefit average consumers," said Mr. Meehan.
Mr. Olver, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, said the Bush administration "should focus on securing our nation's ports and energy infrastructure" instead of implementing a program of domestic spying.
"The President should seek a common ground on domestic spying," said Mr. Neal, who is currently serving his ninth term in the House.
Mr. Olver said Mr. Bush had not done enough to prepare the country for emergency situations. "The administration's response to Hurricane Katrina proved that, four years after September 11, 2001, our country is still not prepared to adequately respond to a terrorist attack," he said. "And the New Orleans disaster was no surprise attack."
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