Bipartisan group of legislators urge President Obama to work with Congress on tax code changes reflective of an all-of-the-above energy strategy

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of 29 Senators and Representatives sent a letter to President Obama Wednesday calling for Master Limited Partnerships and Real Estate Investment Trusts to be a priority in the federal government’s “all of the above” energy strategy.

“Minor changes to the federal tax code could provide the renewable energy industry access to large pools of low-cost private capital,” the lawmakers wrote. “Already, oil, gas, and coal infrastructure projects raise cheap capital by selling shares of Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), as do energy transmission projects using Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). Wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects cannot use these investment tools and, therefore, suffer from high costs of capital.”

“Opening MLPs and REITs to renewable energy would level the playing field by giving renewables the same access to low-cost capital enjoyed by oil, gas, coal and transmission infrastructure projects,” the letter continues. “Small tweaks to the tax code could attract billions of dollars in private sector investment to renewable energy deployment, reduce the cost of renewable electricity by up to one third, and dramatically broaden the base of eligible investors. In fact, bipartisan legislation has already been introduced in both the House and the Senate (H.R. 6437 and S. 3275 respectively) to allow renewable energy projects to raise low-cost capital through the MLP structure. In the case of REITs, a straightforward ruling by the Treasury Department would allow access to this investment vehicle for renewable energy projects.”

The letter, whose full text is included below, was led by the sponsors of the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act: U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and U.S. Representatives Ted Poe (R-TX-02), Mike Thompson (D-CA-01) and Peter Welch (D-VT-AL). The legislation is a straightforward, powerful tweak to the federal tax code that could unleash significant private capital by helping additional energy-generation and renewable fuels companies form master limited partnerships, which combine the funding advantages of corporations and the tax advantages of partnerships.  

A master limited partnership is a business structure that is taxed as a partnership, but whose ownership interests are traded like corporate stock on a market. By statute, MLPs have only been available to investors in energy portfolios for oil, natural gas, coal extraction, and pipeline projects. These projects get access to capital at a lower cost and are more liquid than traditional financing approaches to energy projects, making them highly effective at attracting private investment. Investors in renewable energy projects, however, have been explicitly prevented from forming MLPs, starving a growing portion of America’s domestic energy sector of the capital it needs to build and grow.

A more detailed white paper on the MLP Parity Act can be found here: http://www.coons.senate.gov/mlp

Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) have cosponsored the Senate version of the legislation.

The MLP Parity Act has been endorsed by the American Wind Energy Association, Third Way, Solar Energy Industries Association, Biomass Power Association, Biotechnology Industry Organization, Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition, American Council on Renewable Energy, Natural Resources Defense Council, Advanced Biofuels Association, Offshore Wind Development Coalition, the Advanced Ethanol Council, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, International District Energy Association, and Environmental Entrepreneurs.

The text of Wednesday’s letter is below:

December 12, 2012 

The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500 

Dear Mr. President, 

Over the past four years, the renewable energy sector has seen major reductions in technology costs, including a 75 percent decline in the price of solar panels and about a 25 percent decline in the price of wind turbines. But even as technology costs have dropped, the cost of capital required to deploy those technologies has remained stubbornly high – inflating overall project costs and presenting a major barrier to wider deployment. 

Minor changes to the federal tax code could provide the renewable energy industry access to large pools of low-cost private capital. Already, oil, gas, and coal infrastructure projects raise cheap capital by selling shares of Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), as do energy transmission projects using Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). Wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects cannot use these investment tools and, therefore, suffer from high costs of capital.

Opening MLPs and REITs to renewable energy would level the playing field by giving renewables the same access to low-cost capital enjoyed by oil, gas, coal and transmission infrastructure projects. Small tweaks to the tax code could attract billions of dollars in private sector investment to renewable energy deployment, reduce the cost of renewable electricity by up to one third, and dramatically broaden the base of eligible investors. In fact, bipartisan legislation has already been introduced in both the House and the Senate (H.R. 6437 and S. 3275 respectively) to allow renewable energy projects to raise low-cost capital through the MLP structure. In the case of REITs, a straightforward ruling by the Treasury Department would allow access to this investment vehicle for renewable energy projects.

We strongly support moving America towards energy independence using an “all of the above” energy strategy. Renewable energy can play a critical role in accomplishing that goal. We ask that your administration move to unlock capital markets for broad-scale investment in renewable energy and help move our country towards cleaner, more efficient energy. We stand ready to work with you to accomplish this goal.

Sincerely,

Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)
Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Senator Mark Begich (D-AK)
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT)
Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)
Senator Al Franken (D-MN)
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

Representative Ted Poe (R-TX-2)
Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA-1)
Representative Peter Welch (D-VT)
Representative John Carney (D-DE)
Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN-4)
Representative Jim Moran (D-VA-8)
Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-10)
Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9)
Representative William Lacy Clay (D-MO-1)
Representative Larry Kissell (D-NC-8)
Representative Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM-3)
Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-07)
Representative Lois Capps (D-CA-23)
Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11)
Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA-5)
Representative Mel Watt (D-NC-12)
Representative Andre Carson (D-IN-7)
Representative Mike McIntyre (D-NC-7)
Representative Russ Carnahan (D-MO-3)

Statement from Senator Coons on departure of Ambassador Princeton Lyman

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, released the following statement on the departure of the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Ambassador Princeton Lyman:

“Ambassador Princeton Lyman is a quintessential diplomat, problem solver, and human rights advocate, and I am saddened to learn of his departure as U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan. In my two years as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, Ambassador Lyman has been a trusted advisor on a multitude of issues facing Africa. He has served his country with esteem and distinction, and his work to advance peace and human rights in Sudan and South Sudan is just the latest example of his stellar work and commitment to public service. I wish Ambassador Lyman and his family well, and hope that he will continue to lend his experience and his voice on behalf of Africa in the years to come.”

Bipartisan energy efficiency bill supported by Senator Coons heads to the White House

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed legislation that makes time-sensitive reforms, provides regulatory direction to manufacturers of certain appliances and strengthens the industrial and federal agency energy efficiency programs. The American Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act (H.R. 6582), combines many of the provisions of two bills cosponsored by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.): the Implementation of National Consensus Appliance Agreements Act

(S. 398), which improves the energy efficiency of certain appliances and equipment, and the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S. 1000), which promotes energy efficiency in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.

“Continuing to develop our industrial energy efficiency standards will better ensure American manufacturing remains competitive in today’s international market,” Senator Coons said. “Energy efficiency has enormous potential that can change our future, our environmental footprint, our technology, and the country our children and grandchildren will inherit from us. It will create new jobs and new industries and will strengthen our standing with foreign competitors. This legislation is a strong, bipartisan step forward, and I’m proud that it will become law, and I look forward to continuing to build on these efforts in the next Congress.

“Our manufacturing sector is the backbone of our economy, and it’s imperative that we do all we can to help our businesses succeed and create jobs. President Obama’s proposal is an investment in our economy, our environment, and our energy security. I applaud President Obama for this Executive Order and look forward to continuing to advocate for the development of clean, safe, reliable energy sources.”

The legislation will extend the success of the 25-year old Department of Energy appliance efficiency program.  It is estimated that by 2030, the DOE program, as amended by H.R. 6582, will reduce national electrical demand 12 percent below what it otherwise would be — all at virtually no cost to the American taxpayer.

Senator Coons, who is a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has emerged as a leading voice in the Senate on energy efficiency issues. He was named a Congressional vice chair of the Alliance to Save Energy in June.

“We are at a critical moment, and if America is going to lead, we have to work together to set a long-term strategy that moves us toward an efficient, clean energy economy,” Senator Coons said. “Energy efficiency is one of the smartest, strongest ways that we can see progress in the country. It should be the one thing that allows us to bridge all of the competing interests and concerns because it promotes energy independence and American employment.”

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Senator Coons votes to normalize trade relations with Russia

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) voted Thursday to normalize trade relations with Russia to help create jobs in Delaware by allowing U.S. businesses to take better advantage of the emerging Russian market. The Senate voted to approve the measure, 92-4.

“Permanently normalizing trade relations with Russia opens the door to new opportunities for job creation in Delaware,” Senator Coons said. “With this vote, the Senate agreed that we cannot allow outdated, Soviet-era policies to prevent healthy, robust trade with the fast-growing Russian market.  This legislation creates substantial opportunities for Delaware businesses in the agricultural sector and beyond.”

Delaware has a strong trade relationship with Russia, importing over $1 billion in Russian products in 2011 and exporting nearly $10 million in Delaware products to Russia the same year.  Nearly 60% of Delaware’s exports to Russia are from the poultry industry, an important job creator in Kent and Sussex counties. Other agricultural exports to Russia, including live cattle, represent important growth opportunities. The Port of Wilmington has exported nearly 20,000 head of cattle to Russia this year, setting a pace for a nearly 60% increase over last year. Russia is currently the single largest market for livestock exporters, valued at more than $200 million and growing.

“The creation of permanent normal trade relations between America and Russia by eliminating the nearly 40-year-old Jackson-Vanik law will help put America’s chicken industry on a more even footing with other nations that have not had trade impeded by a law that that was enacted when conditions were very much different in what was then the Soviet Union,” said Bill Satterfield, executive director of Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. “Failure to repeal Jackson-Vanik would have allowed Russia to discriminate against American companies. Continuing to export $300 million of poultry to Russia annually from throughout America will help chicken growers and chicken companies on the Delmarva Peninsula, regardless of how much Delmarva product moves to Russia. Keeping foreign markets anywhere stocked with products from anywhere in America is helpful to our local chicken industry.”

“The Port of Wilmington’s main bilateral trade with Russia includes exported Holstein heifer cattle,” explained Gene Bailey, executive director for the Diamond State Port Corp./Port of Wilmington. “In 2012, several thousand head of cattle were exported to Russia from the Port of Wilmington — a significant increase over last year. Russia’s economy is strengthening and its demand for livestock is enormously favorable for the future. Today’s vote is critical to securing and promoting this strong trade while creating more family-sustaining jobs in Delaware and throughout the U.S.”

“Russia PNTR will place U.S. companies on a level playing field with their European and Asian competitors, who currently have preferential access to improved business rules Russia has negotiated in order to join the World Trade Organization,” said Barry M. Granger, vice president, DuPont Government Marketing & Government Affairs.  “Granting Russia PNTR status ensures American companies have access to those same rules and can compete in the growing Russian market.”

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Senator Coons calls for Congress to address unemployment insurance before time runs out

WASHINGTON – Speaking at a press conference in the Capitol on Thursday, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) called on Congress to preserve federal unemployment insurance through 2013 to spur consumer demand and help local businesses, states, and struggling families. An Economic Policy Institute study last month found that the U.S. economy would save about 400,000 jobs if federal jobless benefits were continued through 2013.

“The human faces of the fiscal cliff are those families that are facing the painful uncertainty of whether unemployment insurance, which has sustained them through this long, grinding, and difficult recovery, will be cut off abruptly,” said Senator Coons at today’s press conference. “In Delaware, 30,000 Delawareans face the abrupt loss of their unemployment insurance that allow them to keep their families together, to sustain their search for a return to work, to contribute to our local economy, and to create local jobs by taking money they receive through unemployment insurance and contributing it and creating consumer demand.”

If Congress fails to act by the end of the year, approximately 2 million Americans would stop receiving their weekly unemployment checks, no matter where they are in the federal program.  Starting January 1, it will be back to a state system of up to 26 weeks of jobless benefits, well below the 99 weeks of assistance Americans were eligible for at the height of the recession.

Additionally, by mid-April, another 1 million Americans will exhaust those 26 weeks of state benefits and will not be able to sign up for the federal program, according to the National Employment Law Project.

“If the Senate doesn’t step in and act, nearly 2 million Americans will step out of the formal economy,” continued Senator Coons at the press conference. “Instead of celebrating holidays, they will be facing a genuine crisis, losing their houses, unable to buy groceries for their families, unable to afford medication, unable to sustain the basics of life.”

Congress already trimmed the program earlier this year, reducing the number of weeks of eligibility, which has caused more than 500,000 Americans to lose coverage.

Last week, Senator Coons and 41 of his colleagues wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell urging them to make extending unemployment insurance a priority. For more on that, click here: http://1.usa.gov/XuoMZN

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Budget Committee.

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Delaware Congressional Delegation highlights Delaware recipients of 2012 Environmental Justice Small Grants

WASHINGTON – Today, Sens. Tom Carper, Chris Coons and Rep. John Carney (all D-Del.) highlighted the Delaware winners of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2012 Environmental Justice Small Grants. The competitive grants, announced by the EPA this morning, were awarded to the Clean Air Council and the Southeastern Rural Community Assistance Project, both located in Delaware, as well as 48 other non-profit and tribal organizations throughout the United States working to address environmental justice issues nationwide. The Natural Lands Trust, located in Pennsylvania, which does work in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey to benefit the Delaware Estuary, is also among this year’s winners. The EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants enable non-profit organizations to conduct research, provide education, and develop solutions to local health and environmental issues in low-income communities overburdened by harmful pollution.  

“Protecting and improving the air we breathe and the water we drink is a critical effort at local, state and federal levels,” said Sen. Carper. “But in these challenging economic times, many communities can’t afford to make the proper investments in projects that help protect the health of families up and down the First State. Through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Small Grants, these two Delaware organizations can now move forward with their work addressing the environmental challenges impacting Delawareans, ultimately improving our environment, protecting public health and expanding communities’ economic opportunities.”

“Having clean air, waterways and natural resources helps protect the health of our communities and keeps our ecosystem in balance,” said Sen. Coons. “It’s important that we invest in conserving our environment so future generations can enjoy Delaware’s abundant natural resources. These environmental justice grants will allow for the implementation of programs and research to protect the health and vitality of the First State.”

“There’s nothing more important to the health of our community than ensuring that the air we breathe and the water we drink is clean and safe,” said Congressman Carney.  “These Environmental Justice Grants will provide needed resources to local organizations focused on improving Delaware’s air and water quality, educating Delawareans about potential risks in the environment, and maintaining healthy communities.  It’s important work that benefits everyone in our state.”

The 2012 grants support activities that address a range of community concerns including restoring and protecting waterways, reducing exposure to air pollutants from diesel exhaust and seeking healthier alternatives to household pesticides. 

Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in the environmental decision-making process. Since 1994, EPA’s environmental justice small grants program has supported projects to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,300 communities. The grants represent EPA’s continued commitment to expand the conversation on environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across the nation.

 

2012 Delaware Grant Recipients 

Recipient: Clean Air Council

Project Name: South Wilmington Air Quality Assessment Study

Project Location: Wilmington, DE

Issue: Clean air

“Clean Air Council Combats Air Pollution in South Wilmington, Delaware”

The goal of this project is to examine Wilmington, Delaware City Ordinance 02-116 which is intended to prevent or limit fugitive dust. The project also seeks to ensure the ordinance is effectively implemented and enforced in the community where residents are burdened by a number of air pollution sources including industrial, manufacturing, and transportation sources. The Clean Air Council will conduct interviews with local government officials in an effort to understand the background behind the current ordinance and how it has been implemented. The Council will also conduct interviews with members of the South Wilmington community to learn about ways in which the law could be implemented more effectively. 

Recipient: Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (RCAP)

Project Name: Delaware Homeowner’s Associations Onsite Wastewater Sustainability Project

Project Location: Delaware (Sussex and Kent Counties)

Issue: Clean water, safe drinking water

“RCAP Seeks Solid Waste Management Solutions for Financially Burdened Delaware Communities”

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (RCAP) RCAP seeks to create a sustainable system of solid waste management and removal in ten rural, low-income Delaware communities. This project will address the environmental, public health and financial burdens of each community and provide assistance in properly maintaining wastewater treatment systems.  The project will ensure functional sustainability of the wastewater treatment systems, compliance with local and federal regulations and explore ways to address health hazards due to improperly treated wastewater.

Recipient: Natural Lands Trust

Project Name: Addressing Sea-Level Rise in Downe Township

Project Location: Downe Township, NJ

Issue: Water quality

“Natural Lands Trust Seeks to Tackle Threats Against Downe Township Water Supplies”

Natural Lands Trust will examine potential threats and vulnerabilities to the septic systems and drinking water supplies in Downe Township, N.J.  This project will examine strategies for responding to climate change with a focus on Sea Level Rise (SLR) and extreme storm events in economically depressed communities along the Delaware Bay.  This project is intended to serve as a pilot study about strategies for responding to the potential impacts of climate change on water supplies and infrastructure for bayshore communities throughout the Delaware Estuary.

2012 EJ Small Grant recipients and project descriptions: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2012.pdf

More information about EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants program: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html

Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY 2013 Environmental Justice Small Grants and schedule of pre-application teleconference calls: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-rfp-2013.pdf

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Statement from Senator Coons on Senate’s failure to ratify Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement Tuesday expressing strong disappointment in the Senate’s failure to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The treaty, which required two-thirds of the Senate to vote for in order to be ratified by the United States, failed by a vote of 61-38.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international agreement to promote, protect and ensure the full human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons with disabilities. It sets broad goals of autonomy, equality, acceptance, and accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

“Persons with disabilities deserve basic human rights and freedoms no matter where they live. I am deeply disappointed that the Senate failed to extend American global leadership by encouraging other countries to follow our lead and offer full rights and protections to persons with disabilities around the world.

“Ratifying this treaty would not require the United States to do anything except comply with our own existing law. It would have no impact on our budget, but it would create new opportunities for American businesses, protect the rights of parents to homeschool their children if they choose to do so and promote access, mobility, and inclusion for disabled Americans living abroad, especially our wounded veterans.

“There is bipartisan support for this treaty, which was negotiated under the Bush Administration and approved by the Foreign Relations Committee, including from former Senator Bob Dole, himself a disabled veteran, and current Senators McCain, Barrasso and Moran. I have been proud to work alongside them, along with our colleagues Senators Durbin, Harkin and Udall, in advocating for ratification of this treaty since March. We fought for every last vote on the Senate floor today because ratifying this treaty would have been a step forward for human rights, freedom and the dignity of persons with disabilities around the world. Our fight is not over, and we plan to continue to work toward ratification in the future.”

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Senator Coons urges Congress to preserve unemployment insurance

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined 41 of his colleagues in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell calling on Congress to prevent two million Americans from abruptly losing their jobless benefits at the end of the year. Preserving unemployment insurance through 2013 will spur consumer demand and help local businesses, states, and struggling families. The letter warns that cutting off UI could severely hinder economic recovery and harm the middle-class.

“We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the expiration of federal support for unemployment insurance at the end of the year,” the 42 senators wrote. “Unemployment insurance is an essential component of our ongoing economic recovery and provides support to workers and their families who have been laid off through no fault of their own as they search for work.”

Despite recent declines in the unemployment rate, the letter notes that more than 12 million Americans are still looking for work, and that there are approximately 3.4 unemployed jobseekers for every available job opening.  The federal UI program requires workers to search for jobs, and a recent study from Congress’ Joint Economic Committee shows that “beneficiaries of federal UI benefits have spent more time searching for work than those who were ineligible for UI benefits.”

Last month, the Economic Policy Institute found that the U.S. economy would save about 400,000 jobs if federal jobless benefits are continued through 2013.

If Congress fails to act by the end of the year, approximately 2 million Americans – including thousands in Delaware – could stop receiving their weekly unemployment checks, no matter where they are in the federal program.  Starting January 1, it will be back to a system of up to 26 weeks of jobless benefits, well below the 99 weeks of assistance Americans were eligible for at the height of the recession.

Additionally, by mid-April, another 1 million Americans will exhaust those 26 weeks of state benefits and will not be able to sign up for the federal program, according to the National Employment Law Project.

Congress already trimmed the program earlier this year, reducing the number of weeks of eligibility and covering an estimated 500,000 fewer Americans. 

The letter can be downloaded here as a PDF: http://1.usa.gov/UCflEM

The text of the letter follows:

Dear Majority Leader Reid and Republican Leader McConnell:

We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the expiration of federal support for unemployment insurance at the end of the year. Unemployment insurance is an essential component of our ongoing economic recovery and provides support to workers and their families who have been laid off through no fault of their own as they search for work.

The economy has had 32 straight months of private sector job growth and created a total of 5.4 million jobs during that time.  Unfortunately, the unemployment rate remains elevated, 12.3 million Americans are out of work, and there are 3.4 unemployed workers for every job opening.  In light of this unacceptable jobs situation, it is crucial that we focus on ways to get Americans back to work and that we continue unemployment insurance through 2013.  Failure to continue unemployment insurance before December 29, 2012 will immediately cause over 2 million unemployed Americans to lose federal benefits and would by April deny support to an additional 1 million Americans as they exhaust their state benefits.

Continuation of unemployment insurance has in the past, though often after much unnecessary delay, passed on a bipartisan basis.  The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, independent economists, and policy think tanks have consistently found that unemployment insurance is one of our best economic stabilizers and generates tremendous bang for the buck relative to other economic policies.  Given the potency and efficiency of unemployment insurance there should be no reason to let it lapse or expire.  Indeed, a recent analysis found that every dollar of UI generates $1.60 in economic activity and failure to continue unemployment insurance through 2013 would reduce economic growth by $48 billion and sap 400,000 jobs from the economy. 

Because of the significant impact on the unemployed, their families, and the economy we urge you to ensure that unemployment insurance is continued before its expiration and through 2013.

Sincerely,

Jack Reed

Ron Wyden

Sherrod Brown

Daniel Akaka

Tom Harkin

Barbara Mikulski

John Kerry

Debbie Stabenow

Sheldon Whitehouse

Tom Udall

Carl Levin

Bernie Sanders

Frank Lautenberg

Richard Blumenthal

Jay Rockefeller

Maria Cantwell

Kirsten Gillibrand

Al Franken

Jeff Merkley

Barbara Boxer

Jeanne Shaheen

Amy Klobuchar

Dianne Feinstein

Robert Menendez

Herb Kohl

Patrick Leahy

Bob Casey, Jr.

Chris Coons

Dick Durbin

Ben Cardin

James Webb

Mark Begich

Bill Nelson

Charles Schumer

Mark Warner

Joe Lieberman

Mary Landrieu

Michael Bennet

Jeff Bingaman

Patty Murray

Kay Hagan

Daniel Inouye

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Senator Coons votes to help local fire departments

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Friday applauded passage of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to improve the capabilities of fire departments to prepare for and respond to emergencies. The amendment, which Senator Coons co-sponsored, would reauthorize the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs as well as the United States Fire Administration (USFA) for five years.

The amendment passed by a unanimous consent on Thursday and will become a part of the final NDAA to be voted on by the Senate next week.

“When danger strikes, our firefighters are first on the scene to protect our neighbors and assess the situation,” Senator Coons said. “Every day the brave men and women in our fire departments put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe and the least we can do to thank them for their work is to provide them with the resources and training they need to properly carry out their dangerous missions. Our nation relies on our local fire fighters to be first responders to national emergencies, including natural disasters and acts of terrorism, and we owe them the support that they need to fill this role.”

The amendment, authored by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), would take steps to ensure that firefights not only have the equipment, personnel and resources they need but also allow FEMA to waive requirements for departments in communities that are facing economic difficulties. 

AFG and SAFER Grants are merit-based grants that have never been earmarked. The amendment also includes provisions to prevent earmarks from being attached to the reauthorized programs.

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Senate votes to sanction those helping M23 in Eastern Congo

WASHINGTON – The United States Senate unanimously passed an amendment Thursday night imposing sanctions on those providing financial, material, or technological support to the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Amendment 3199 to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was introduced by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.).

“M23 has demonstrated an unconscionable disregard for human life and Congo’s territorial integrity and seems determined to sink central Africa in another deadly, devastating war that could set the region back a generation,” Senator Coons said. “The actions of M23 rebels, as well as those who aid and abet the M23, are deplorable and must be stopped immediately. These sanctions are designed to stop the illicit and dangerous support the M23 is receiving from those seeking to destabilize the region. I applaud Senator Durbin for taking the lead on this amendment, and am pleased the Senate spoke with one voice in unanimously supporting its passage.” Senator Coons is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs.

“The civil war in eastern Congo is the most lethal conflict since the Second World War and its barbarism defies description,” Senator Durbin said. “Last week, a well-armed rebel forces occupied the city of Goma and have set their sights on Kinshasa, Congo’s capital. The rebels, known for brutal violence and led by known war criminals, have the potential to destabilize the entire nation.  As the violence continues to escalate, it is clear that the rebels are benefitting from strategic and material support from outside forces. This amendment freezes the assets and implements a visa ban for any person providing such troubling support. Our goal is to hasten an end to the violence by starving the rebels of their key lines of support.” Senator Durbin is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs.

Eastern Congo has been plagued by civil war for over the better part of two decades. Fighting for control of the region’s vast mineral resources, the fighting has killed millions and subjected innocent civilians to unspeakable levels of violence, include rape as a weapon of war.  Known as the “Rape Capital of the World,” an estimated 1,000 women assaulted every day – nearly 12 percent of all women in Congo. The conflict is also marred by the use of child soldiers and the bloody and brutal violence inflicted on civilian populations.

M23 is a rebel group comprised largely of defectors from the Congolese army. The group seized the eastern city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo last week and, despite reports of a planned withdrawal yesterday, still occupies the important trading city. According to a report by the U.N. Group of Experts, the group is reported to be receiving significant assistance from neighboring Rwanda.

Last week, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on M23 to disarm, disband, and return control of Goma to the Congolese government, and urging nations to impose sanctions on M23 and its supporters. On Monday, the African Union said it was considering deploying an international force from Tanzania to oversee the withdrawal of M23.

The Democratic Republic of Congo was founded in 2003 at the conclusion of Second Congo War — a five-year multi-lateral conflict involving eight nations and two-dozen militia groups. The war and lingering conflicts are reported to have claimed the lives of 5.4 million people. It was the deadliest war in modern African history.

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