mr. manchin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: i ask to dispense with the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. manchin: i rise today to speak about an issue that is directing impacting each and every family, not just in west virginia but throughout this whole country. it's the high gas prices. the truth is that in states all across this nation and particularly in west virginia, countless families have to drive to survive. for these families, a jump in the gas price isn't just an inconvenience or an annoyance. it's a threat that hits extremely hard in the pocketbook and could change their way of life. but as every american knows, the cycle of high gas prices is not a new member with any of us -- a new phenomenon with any of us. i stiller vividly remember waiting in line for gas in the early 1970's when gas was rationed by a license plate number, when we could buy gas. it's something i never thought could happen in america and i'm sure those it happened to felt the same. this all came about because of o

mr. manchin: permission to address the senate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. manchin: madam president, i rise today to speak about the importance of getting our young people involved in our electoral process and to highlight a west virginia school with a standout record for going the extra mile to encourage students to register and to participate in voting. i tell young people all the time, you cannot sit on the sidelines and watch life happen. you have to get in the game and start making the calls. the same can be said about our democracy. if you want results, you have to first become an informed and active voter. voting is one of the greatest rights of the free people of a free nation possess. over the course of our history, many have fought tirelessly to gain the right. it was jennings randolph who relentlessly pushed for the 26th amendment to the constitution, ensuring those 18 years of age or older had the right to cast a ballot. it took him almost 30 years to get this passed. he started during world war ii. it didn't pass until 1971. each vote matters, an

mr. manchin: i ask the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. manchin: osama bin laden's death is an historic victory for this nation. while this is a profound victory, our thoughts must go to the thousands of innocent men and women although lost family members and whose lives were forever changed by the tragedies of september 11. the families of those lost in our nation as a whole can take great pride that our brave service members and the intelligence community successfully carried out this mission. i cannot be more proud of the outstanding men and women of our military who put their lives on the line daily. each and every one of us has a deep convection -- deep connection to the tragedy of settlement 11. i remember staff coming into my office and they said, did you see what's going on? that's all they had-to-say. that's all they did say. so many americans have similar stories. we watched in horror as the second plane hit the world trade center live on television and i knew that something we could never anticipate and never imagine had just hap

mr. manchin: i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer: is there anyone who wishes to vote or change their vote? if not, the ayes are 94, the nays are zero. the nomination is confirm. under the previous or the motion considered made and laid upon the table. the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action and the senate will resume legislative session much. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. boxer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to a period of morning business for debate only until 5:00 p.m. with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. boxer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that i may speak for up to 20 minutes and then followed immediately after with -- by senator isakson as much time as he may wish to consume. the presiding officer: wi

mr. manchin: i rise to address the offshore production and safety act. it is a piece of legislation that attempts to address the regulation and the critical need to drill for oil in this country. let me tell you, i understand the frustration from my colleagues who are upset about the bureaucratic agencies that don't seem to understand the urgent need to review permits in a timely and responsible manner. mining in west virginia has long been a direct target of the e.p.a., and these unfair regulatory practices they have practiced for far too long. for example, in may of 2009 the e.p.a. had a permit backlog of 235 applications. two-thirds of them were already deemed complete for final processing by the army corps of engineers. clearly there's a problem. the question: is this legislation the right solution? the truth is i will love to sink my teeth in and vote for this measure, but i simply can't. i do not believe this legislation strikes the right commonsense balance between our energy demands, responsible regulation, our economy and the environment. in fac

manchin. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank both of you for being here. we appreciate it very much. state west virginowest virginia you've done and assistance we get from the older americans act and what it's done to our state. we have the second most aged state in the nation per population. probably one of the most rural states so it's quite costly to get the services that are needed. we've expanded those and i think the word you had mentioned earlier was flexibility. i can't explain enough how much flexibility that we need in some of these states so that the money is not siloed. transportation is one. meals on wheels is another. used for small states and rural states sufficient as myself. there's more populated states and i know funding mechanism is based on population, it should be base on td on the services t are given. if y'all could just consider that, we serve an awful lot of people in west virginia and our funding is much lower, but we're feeding many, many, many more than other states that might not have the need as we have. with that, i think you might be aware of some of

manchin. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank both of you for being here. we appreciate it very mu. state west virginowest virginia you've done and assistance we get from the older americans act and what it's done to our state. we have the second most aged state in the nation per population. probably one of the most rural states so it's quite costly to get the services that are needed. we've expanded tse and i think the word you had mentioned eaier was flexibility. i can't explaienough how much flexibility that we need in some of these states so that the money is not siloed. transportation is one. meals on wheels is another. used for small states and rural states sufficient as myself. there's more populated states and i know funding mechanism is based population, it should be base on td on the services t are given. if y'all could just consider that, we serve an awful lot of people in west virginia and our funding is much lower, but we're feeding many, many, many more than other states that might not have the need as we have. with that, i think you might be aware of some of the progr

hereby appoint the honorable joe manchin a senator from the state of west virginia to perform the duties of the chair. signed: daniel k. inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: mr. leader, please. mr. reid: following any leader remarks, the senate will be in a period of morning business for debate only until 5:00 today. there will be no votes today. the first roll call vote of the week will be around noon tomorrow on the confirmation of susan carney of connecticut to be united states circuit judge for the second circuit. i'm told there are two bills at the desk due for second reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the titles of the bill for the second time. the clerk: h.r. 1229, an act to amend the outercontinental shelf's land act to facilitate the save atomic reduction from the gulf of mexico and so forth and for other purposes. s. 990, a bill to provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the small business act and the small business investment act of 1958, and for other purposes. mr. reid: mr. president, i would object to any further proceedings with respect to these two bills.

mr. manchin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia is recognized. mr. margin: i ask consent to dispense with the -- mr. manchin: i ask consent to dispense with the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. manchin: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate now proceed to the consideration of senate resolution 195, which was submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 195, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the massachusetts institute of technology in cambridge, massachusetts. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. manchin: i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the the motion to reconsider be laid on the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. manchin: i understand that there are three measures at the desk, mr. president. i ask for their first reading en bloc

manchin. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank both of you for being here. we appreciate it very much. state west virginowest virginia you've done and assistance we get from the older americans act and what it's done to our state. we have the second most aged state in the nation per population. probably one of the most rural states so it's quite costly to get the services that are needed. we've expanded those and i think the word you had mentioned earlier was flexibility. i can't explain enough how much flexibility that we need in some of these states so that the money is not siloed. transportation is one. meals on wheels is another. used for small states and rural states sufficient as myself. there's more populated states and i know funding mechanism is based on population, it should be base on td on the services t are given. if y'all could just consider that, we serve an awful lot of people in west virginia and our funding is much lower, but we're feeding many, many, many more than other states that might not have the need as we have. with that, i think you might be aware of some of