March 21, 1966
Page 6334
AMENDMENT OF CLEAN AIR ACT
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, on behalf of myself and Senators BAYH, HARRIS, MOSS, RANDOLPH, and TYDINGS, I introduce, for appropriate reference, a bill to amend the Clean Air Act so as to authorize grants to air pollution control agencies for maintenance of air pollution control programs in addition to present authority for grants to develop, establish, or improve such programs; make the use of appropriations under the act more flexible by consolidating the appropriation authorizations under the act and deleting the provision limiting the total of grants for support of air pollution control programs to 20 percent of the total appropriation for any year, extend the duration of the programs authorized by the act; and for other purposes.
The bill has two principal features.
First. It increases the annual authorization for air pollution control and abatement programs to $46 million a year for the next 6 years.
Second. The legislation would permit 50-50 matching grants to air pollution control agencies and three-fifths matching grants to intermunicipal and interstate agencies for maintaining control and abatement programs. These new grants are in addition to the existing two-thirds matching grants to air pollution control agencies and three-fourths matching grants to intermunicipal and interstate agencies for developing, establishing, or improving such programs.
The provision for matching grants to maintain air pollution control and abatement programs corrects a hardship which the Clean Air Act, by omitting such grants, unintentionally worked on communities and regions.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill will be received and appropriately referred.
The bill (S. 3112) to amend the Clean Air Act so as to authorize grants to air pollution control agencies for maintenance of air pollution control programs in addition to present authority for grants to develop, establish, or improve such programs; make the use of appropriations under the act more flexible by consolidating the appropriation authorizations under the act and deleting the provision limiting the total of grants for support of air pollution control programs to 20 percent of the total appropriation for any year; extend the duration of the programs authorized by the act; and for other purposes, introduced by Mr. MUSKIE (for himself and other Senators), was received, read twice by its title, and referred to the Committee on Public Works.