Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009--Continued

Floor Speech

OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009--CONTINUED -- (Senate - March 10, 2009)

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Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I agree with the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water that the House-passed language contains flaws that we would all like to see remedied. In response to his two questions I will state the following.

First, I am willing to work with him and any other Member who has a similar concern about the unintended impact of the language on these energy projects.

Second, I agree that the Department of Energy, including its Loan Guarantee Office, should not cease, delay or slow down its processing of any of these pending loan guarantee applications.

The Department of Energy should continue to take all actions and steps necessary and predicate for the issuance of a final loan guarantee so that a final loan guarantee can be issued upon enactment of the necessary technical corrections and competitive selection.

I can assure the ranking member of the Energy and Water Subcommittee that I will work with him to try to correct this situation. Accordingly, the Department of Energy and its Loan Guarantee Office should proceed to process these loan guarantee applications expeditiously so as to be prepared to act immediately on these pending loan guarantee applications to issue final loan guarantees if corrective legislation is enacted.

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