Chris was on MSNBC Thursday morning talking with Chuck Todd about the ‘gang of six’ framework for deficit reduction and why defaulting on America’s debt would be disastrous for America. Watch the video below.
Senator Coons joined Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), and a bipartisan group of original cosponsors in introducing the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act this week. This legislation would encourage the development of offshore wind projects by extending the current investment tax credit for offshore wind power beyond the current 2012 deadline.
Chris spoke highly of the burgeoning industry and its potential impact on the country: “An investment in offshore wind energy is an investment in our country’s economic future and national security,” Chris said. “I’ve seen the opportunities from the NRG Bluewater Wind project off Delaware’s coast and understand the hurdles this company and many other developers are facing to get their projects off the ground. However, I’m encouraged by this bipartisan legislation to expand offshore wind energy through targeted tax incentives. By tapping the offshore wind energy sector, we are further ensuring our country remains a leader in clean, renewable energy development that will create a wealth of new high-tech jobs in the region.”
Offshore wind offers enormous potential for producing clean domestic energy and quality, middle-class jobs in areas located close to population centers along Delaware’s coast. Our coastal waters contain a vast, untapped resource for clean, domestic power, as wind blows faster and more uniformly at sea than it does on land. According to the University of Delaware, wind off the Atlantic Coast has the potential to generate enough power to replace about 300 coal plants and to support the energy needs of nine states from Massachusetts to North Carolina.
In May 2007, NRG Bluewater Wind entered into an agreement with Delmarva Power to construct a wind park off the Delaware coast, making the state one of the pioneers in the nation in wind energy technology deployment. NRG Bluewater Wind has estimated it will create 1,200 jobs in Delaware during the design and construction phase and approximately 300 jobs for operation and maintenance throughout the life of the project. The company’s proposed offshore wind park would produce enough energy to power 100,000 homes across the state.
“Two hundred years ago the trade winds first brought commerce to this country,” Chris has said last November about the NRG Bluewater Wind project, “and today we’re harnessing those same trade winds to create green energy in Delaware and along the Atlantic Coast, an investment that will play a central role in our continuing economy recovery.”
For more information about Chris’ work on renewable energy, click here.
If you haven’t seen it, you have to watch Senator Coons’ opening statement at today’s Judiciary Committee hearing on legislation that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
”To me, this hearing is fundamentally about equality and whether or not we as a nation think it’s ok to deny some American citizens the same rights and privileges afforded other citizens,” Chris said. “Do we really think it is ok for our federal government to say ‘we simply don’t like who you love?'”
You can read a transcript of his remarks by clicking here.
Senator Coons entered a statement into the record Monday in support of J. Paul Oetken, who was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Monday night. Oetken will be the first openly gay judge on the federal bench.
Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I speak today on behalf of J. Paul Oetken’s nomination to be U.S. district judge for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Oetken and I knew each other while we were law students at Yale, and I have followed his career with great interest since then. Mr. Oetken is, in my view, a strikingly intelligent man. His varied career — in private practice, with Jenner & Block and Debevoise & Plimpton; in the public sector with a number of admirable clerkships, culminating with a Supreme Court clerkship for Justice Blackmun; with the Office of Legal Counsel and the White House Counsel’s Office; and, now, in the business world, where he is Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Cablevision — demonstrates a searching intellect and great capability.
Mr. Oetken possesses a unique combination of perspectives and an exceptional series of qualifications. Given Mr. Oetken’s obvious talent and broad experience, I am confident he will make a great federal judge. In my view it is an added and important bonus that, as the first openly gay man confirmed to the federal bench, his service will also move us closer to full equality in our nation. His confirmation will inspire future judges, lawyers and litigants with the knowledge that, for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Americans, it does get better in our nation’s long journey to inclusion and justice.
Are you as excited as we are about the Delaware State Fair? From Opening Day on July 24 through Closing Day on July 30, members of Senator Coons’ staff will be at our very own booth on the first floor of the Wilmington Trust Grandstand. They’ll be on hand to meet with fair-goers and offer information about the services our office provides to constituents.
The Delaware State Fair is an annual tradition dating to 1920, when adults paid fifty cents each in admission (children could attend for twenty-five cents) for exhibits in seven categories. Today, the fair attracts over 300,000 visitors from across the region, and attendance has become a tradition for many Delaware families. The fair features a carnival with over fifty rides as well as concerts by major entertainers, with this year’s performers to include Miranda Cosgrove, Toby Keith, Ke$ha, and many others. Of course, the Delaware State Fair remains committed to its roots as an agricultural festival, and there will be plenty of livestock shows and farming contests to experience and enjoy.
At Chris’ booth, our staff will be ready to assist Delawareans with federal government casework, including help with questions relating to:
If you need help navigating the federal bureaucracy, if you wish to learn more about services you may be eligible to receive from federal agencies, or if you just want to stop by and say hello, visit our booth anytime between 11:00am to 9:00pm on any day of the fair. We look forward to seeing you in Harrington.
For more information about the Delaware State Fair and directions, click here. To learn more about the kinds of assistance Chris’ office can provide, visit: http://www.coons.senate.gov/services/.
Monday, July 18 at 3:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate gallery.
Tuesday, July 19 at 9:20 a.m. — The Senator will speak at the Third Way event: “The $2.5 Trillion Race to Clean Energy: What the U.S. can do to compete with China and the rest of the world.” Senator Coons will deliver opening remarks at the forum discussing China’s strength in the clean energy sector and how the United States can compete. 210-212 Senate Visitors Center, Washington, DC – Open to the press.
Tuesday, July 19 at 10:30 a.m. – The Senator will attend the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on drug and veteran treatment courts. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to the press.
Wednesday, July 20 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will chair the second panel at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing: “S.598, The Respect for Marriage Act: Assessing the Impact of DOMA on American Families.” Testifying on the second panel will be majority witnesses Joe Somonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign, and Evan Wolfson, Founder and Executive Director of Freedom to Marry. A minority witness has not yet been confirmed. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.
Thursday, July 21 at 1:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate gallery.
Thursday, July 21 at 2:10 p.m. – The Senator will deliver opening remarks at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute’s Cool Roofs briefing. The briefing will discuss the potential benefits for solar-reflective roofs and other “cool-roofing” techniques to lower the surface temperature of buildings and entire cities. 212-210 Senate Visitor Center, Washington, DC – Open to press.
Friday, July 22 at 9:30 a.m. — The Senator will preside over the Senate (if in session). Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate gallery.
Friday, July 22 at 2:00 p.m. – The Senator will host a conference call with Delaware business leaders. The topic of the call is the deficit. Closed to the press.
Friday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m. – The Senator will be the keynote speaker at the Truman Scholarship Dinner. The Truman Scholarship funds students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields. Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, DC
Senator Coons spoke on the floor today about the devastating impact a default crisis would have on America’s economy, calling on his colleagues to work together on a bipartisan budget compromise in order to avoid a default crisis.
Chris is a member of the Budget Committee.
You can read a transcript of his remarks by clicking here.
Senators Coons held a press conference in the Capitol today announcing the introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act of 2011. Chris was joined at the press conference by Senator Kirk (R-Ill.), former Congressman Mike Castle (R-Del.), and members of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation and the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Chris underscored the need for members of Congress to put partisan politics aside and work together to improve American’s health and well being.
“One of the things that’s always made Delaware special is the way that folks like Congressman Castle and I are able to work together in a bipartisan way to tackle hard issues,” Chris said. “Certainly, the 200,000 Americans currently affected by pulmonary fibrosis don’t care whether the folks who are working on the issue are Democrats or Republicans, members of the House or Senate, governors or physicians. They’re really less interested in partisanship and role in life than they are in having this dreadful disease tackled.”
Pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal disease for which the cause is unknown and cure undiscovered. It is estimated that 48,000 Americans are diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis each year.
As many as 40,000 Americans die from pulmonary fibrosis each year, which is about the same number as die from breast cancer.
The bill is designed to enhance research, prevention and awareness activities around the disease, creating a national registry, expanding federal research at the National Institute of Health, and creating a national action plan.
To learn more about the event, click here.
To learn more about the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, click here.
To learn more about the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis, click here.
WILMINGTON — Senator Coons met last week with a group of employees at Verizon in Wilmington to learn more about the company’s investments in Delaware.
In addition to discussing the state of the economy and the work he was doing in Washington to try to get more Delawareans back to work, Chris was also given a tour of the Verizon network hub by Bill Allan, the President of Verizon Delaware.
The Senator was impressed by the variety of services and the work that more than 900 Verizon employees perform right here in the First State, including work to ensure that Verizon network in Delaware uniformly serves residents in every town with the same speed and security as is present in the City of Wilmington.
“Verizon’s operations in Delaware are impressive,” Chris said. “The men and women who work throughout the state have built a network that has enhanced the way Delawareans receive and share information. I enjoyed getting to know some of those people better and hearing about their plans for serving Delaware in the future.”
Chris expressed a keen interest in exploring Verizon’s fleet of vehicles, many of which are electric or use advanced biofuels. Alternative energy sources are something that Senator Coons has spent a lot of time working on in the Senate, and he was interested to learn that Verizon has the third largest corporate fleet in the United States — it has more than 400 cars, trucks, and vans in Delaware alone! Chris welcomed the news that Verizon purchases and experiments with a large number of hybrids and fuel-efficient vehicles.
Monday, July 11 at 8:30 a.m. – The Senator will hold a conference call with Delaware business leaders. The topic of the call is the deficit. 1105 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE – Closed to press.
Monday, July 11 at 10:15 a.m. – The Senator will meet with Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Shailen Bhatt. 1105 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE – Closed to press.
Monday, July 11 at 2:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate gallery.
Tuesday, July 12 at 11:30 a.m. – The Senator will meet with Rich Andrews, nominee to be US District Judge for Delaware. United States Capitol, Washington, DC – Closed to press.
Tuesday, July 12 at 2:30 p.m. – The Senator will host a press conference on Pulmonary Fibrosis awareness. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), and Representative Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.), will be joined by former Representative Mike Castle (R-Del.) at a press conference Tuesday to announce the introduction of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act of 2011. Members of Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation and the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis will also be on hand to support this legislation. Senate Swamp, United States Capitol, Washington, DC – Open to press.
Tuesday, July 12 at 5:00 p.m. – The Senator will speak at SAFE and Electrification Coalition Reception. SAFE, or Securing America’s Future Energy, and the Electrification Coalition, will be hosting this event to discuss energy security with prominent business and former military leaders in America. 385 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to the press.
Wednesday, July 13 at 9:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Steering Committee meeting with Jewish leaders. 207 Senate, Washington, DC – Closed to press.
Wednesday, July 13 at 10:30 a.m. — The Senator will attend the Senate Foreign Relations Committee working coffee with the Dalai Lama. 116 Russell Senate Building, Washington, DC – Closed to press.
Wednesday, July 13 at 2:30 p.m. – The Senator will chair the Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. The nominees at Wednesday’s hearing include Morgan Christen, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; Scott W. Skavdahl, to be United States District Judge for the District of Wyoming; Sharon L. Gleason, to be United States District Judge for the District of Alaska; Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of California; Richard G. Andrews, to be United States District Judge for the District of Delaware. 226 Senate Dirksen Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.
Thursday, July 14 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee business meeting. 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.
Thursday, July 14 at 2:30 p.m. — The Senator will attend the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Sudan. 419 Dirksen Senate Office, Washington, DC – Open to press.
Thursday, July 14 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend the Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting. The nominees at Thursday’s hearing include Steve Six, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit; Stephen A. Higginson, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit; Jane M. Triche-Milazzo, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Allison J. Nathan, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; Katherine B. Forrest, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; and Susan O. Hickey, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas. The legislation that will be reviewed at this hearing are as follows: The Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2011, Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act, and Combating Military Counterfeits Act, of which the Senator is a co-sponsor. 226 Senate Dirksen Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.
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