■718 HISTORY Ol 1111 COMMITTE1 ON SCIENC1 AND l 1 < HXOLOGY 



the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. Representative Jonathan B. 

 Bingham (Democrat of New York) submitted the amendments in 

 the Democratic caucus December 8, 1976, which split the joint com- 

 mittee jurisdiction among the Interior, Commerce and Science Com- 

 mittees Bingham stated in the Caucus: 



Generally, it is the intention of this resolution that the jurisdiction of the 

 Interior Committee would parallel that of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and 

 the jurisdiction of the Science and Technology Committee would parallel that of 

 ERDA 



When the House convened on January 4, 1977, to adopt the new rule 

 for the 95th Congress, Bingham placed in the Record a "memorandum 

 of understanding" which clarified the nuclear regulatory functions 

 which would go to the Interior Committee, and the public health 

 and environmental protection against radiation functions conferred on 

 the Commerce Committee. It was strictly a Commerce-Interior deal 

 which made no mention of the Science Committee. This impelled 

 McCormack to follow up with a colloquy prearranged with Majority 

 Leader Jim Wright (Democrat of Texas) to insure that the Science 

 Committee jurisdiction was protected and clarified as the full intent 

 of the new rule. The colloquy went in part as follows: 



Mr. McCormack. Would the majority leader state that the intention of the new 

 rules involving this jurisdiction is as indicated by Mr. Bingham, that is, that juris- 

 diction for all activities of the Energy Research and Development Administration, 

 except for weapons research and fabrication, falls within the jurisdiction of the 

 Science and Technology Committee? * * * 



Mr. Wright. The gentleman from Washington is completely correct. * * * 

 This includes fusion energy research. 



Mr. McCormack. It is my understanding that the intent of the amendment is to 

 transfer the jurisdiction for energy research and development activities performed 

 under contract for the Energy Research and Development Administration at the Na- 

 tional Laboratories to the Committee on Science and Technology. 



Mr. Wright. Yes; that is correct. * * * 



Having established that point, McCormack went on to congratu- 

 late the majority leader for his announced intention to establish a 

 Select Committee on Energy, "a goal I have sought for many years." 

 McCormack then lashed out at the "chaotic situation" produced by 

 the Bingham amendments. He denounced the "splintering of energy 

 jurisdiction in the House" as a result of the Bingham amendments, 

 which redistributed among three committees what was once within 

 the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. He said he hoped the new 

 5clect Committee on Energy would be able to pull things together 

 through its "wiser deliberations." 



FLOWERS BIDS FOR FOSSIL AND NUCLEAR IN 1977 



A few weeks later, Flowers surprised McCormack by bidding to 

 take over the chairmanship of a new Fossil and Nuclear Energy Sub- 



