July 31, 1970
Page 26853
THE AIR QUALITY ACT OF 1970
(Mr. ANDERSON of Illinois asked and was given permission to extend his remarks at this point in the RECORD and to include extraneous matter.)
Mr. ANDERSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend this administration on the strong leadership it has provided in the effort to protect and reclaim the environment. In his February 10, 1970, environment message to Congress, President Nixon announced a comprehensive 32-point program with seven major legislative proposals to abate pollution of the air and water, to establish solid waste management, and to protect parklands and public recreation. One of these proposals, the Air Quality Improvement Act of 1970, reforms and amends present pollution control laws in order to give Federal agencies a stronger hand in preventing pollution of the air and establishing high standards of ambient air quality. This is indeed needed legislation.
However, on Thursday, July 31, 1970, the Senator from Maine, EDMUND MUSKIE, indicated that this reform was unnecessary and that the existing law, the Air Quality Act of 1967, gave sufficient power to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to enforce air quality standards. This simply is not true, and I would like to submit some information regarding the effectiveness of the 1967 law.
John T. Middleton, Commissioner of the National Air Pollution Control Administration, has stated that the law's provision on testing procedures is "questionable." According to Mr. Middleton, the present act only authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to test prototype vehicles. Up to this date, HEW has been testing prototype vehicles which, even though meeting the air quality standards established by NAPCA, often differ from what is manufactured on the production line. The President's clean air legislation authorizes production line testing.
Former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Robert H. Finch recently noted the need for this new power. In a letter to Ralph Nader, he reported on the testing of rental car fleets in Detroit and Los Angeles. Mr. Finch found that "more than one-half of the cars tested failed to meet the Federal exhaust standards for hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions."
The 1967 act also has several shortcomings in relation to control of pollution from stationary sources. The establishment of national air quality control regions, while necessary in controlling the ambient air quality, has been time consuming due to compromise and revision delays. The act does not provide for control of pollution outside of established air quality control regions.
Finally, and most important, the act's insufficient enforcement powers have hindered the Government's ability to establish and enforce effective abatement programs.
In summary, Mr. Speaker, the 1967 law is inadequate. It has not provided the protection of the environment and the public that is needed. The Air Quality Act of 1967 has created a large bureaucratic superstructure, but it has not cleared up the problem of pollution by the emission of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide by vehicular and stationary sources.
The Air Quality Improvement Act of 1970 will alleviate this situation by strengthening Federal automobile emissions standards and by reforming enforcement procedures, including onsite inspection, so that the standards will be applied to all new autos. This legislation, as part of this administration's impressive effort to improve and enhance the environment, is a progressive proposal that is indeed necessary.