Weekly Washington Report (December 3-7, 2007)	December 7, 2007
Welcome to my Weekly Washington Report for the week of December 3-7. I hope this newsletter keeps you informed about some of the important matters facing our State, our Nation, and the U.S. Senate. Among the key issues this week and last: Banning Waterboarding and other Extraordinary Interrogation Methods Increasing Fuel Economy Standards Improving our Firefighting Capabilities If you have any comments or questions on these or any other issues, please don't hesitate to let me know. Please send any comments you have through my website. Best wishes, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
Banning Waterboarding and other Extraordinary Interrogation Methods Return to Top The Intelligence Authorization Conference Report includes a measure that I sponsored that would apply the Army Field Manual’s established interrogation standards to all interrogations conducted by the U.S. Intelligence Community. This essentially applies the same standards on the CIA and other intelligence agencies that Congress imposed on the Defense Department in the Detainee Treatment Act. Any technique not authorized by the Army Field Manual would be prohibited. The national debate over torture will end if this amendment to place the CIA under the Army Field Manual becomes law. At that point, all U.S. government interrogations – military and civilian – would be conducted under the same rules and regulations, and eight specific techniques, including waterboarding, would be prohibited. This amendment is a matter of strong principal. It is the bedrock on which the United States stands. It lies at the foundation of our Constitution. It must be a part of the intelligence authorization bill. So, I would urge the President not to veto this legislation, and if he does veto it, I would urge Congress to override it. Click here to read more about the legislation to ban waterboarding.
Increasing Fuel Economy Standards Return to Top Last week, the House and Senate reached a landmark agreement to increase fuel economy standards for the first time in more than two decades. The agreed-upon legislation would increase fleetwide average fuel economy standards by 10 miles per gallon over 10 years – or from a fleetwide average of 25 to 35 miles per gallon by Model Year 2020. Congress is expected to include the fuel economy agreement in a broader energy package now under consideration. By 2020, the bill’s fuel efficiency increases for cars and light trucks would: Reduce emissions from motor vehicles by 17 percent below projected levels, the equivalent of taking 28 million of today's average cars and trucks off the road in one year. Save 1.1 million barrels of oil per day, or about half the oil imported by the United States today from the Persian Gulf. Save the average American family $700 - $1,000 per year at the pump (based on a $3.00 gas price). Save consumers $22 billion in net savings per year, and this amount will continue to increase in subsequent years. I’m disappointed that the Senate did not get cloture this week on the energy bill. It was a missed opportunity.  We had the chance to make a historic leap forward when it comes to increasing fuel efficiency standards. Bottom line: it’s time to get this bill finally passed into law.  So, I hope that we’ll come back with the right package and see fuel efficiency increased before the end of the year. Click here to listen to Senator Feinstein discuss the fuel economy legislation. Click here to read more about the landmark agreement on fuel economy.
Improving our Firefighting Capabilities Return to Top By any measure, the wildfires that struck Southern California last month were a disaster of monumental proportions.   On Tuesday, November 27, I visited San Diego to chair a field hearing of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee to investigate these recent devastating wildfires. At the hearing, I called on officials at all levels of government to become better prepared for future catastrophic wildfires. During the hearing, we heard testimony from federal, state, and local officials on fire-prevention efforts, firefighting response, and relief and recovery efforts. Click here to read or listen to my opening statement. Click here to read the recent op-ed I wrote for the San Diego Union-Tribune, "Improving our Firefighting Abilities" (November 27, 2007) Click here to read the recent op-ed I wrote for the North County Times, "Working Together to Reduce the Risk of Wildfires" (December 2, 2007) Click here to visit my priority page on the recent wildfires Click here to read about the package of legislation that I have introduced to reduce wildfire risk to communities and boost federal disaster aid.
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