March 26, 1975
Page 8720
NOTICE OF HEARINGS ON THE CLEAN AIR ACT
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, on March 20 and 21, the Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution of the Committee on Public Works began its hearings on the implications of the Clean Air Act.
The Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution is committed to a thorough review of the implications of this important environmental statute this year. Clean Air Act funding authority must be extended this year. The President has proposed a series of amendments to the Clean Air Act and several Members of the Senate have introduced legislation to amend that law.
Detailed hearings have been scheduled to begin on April 21, to consider issues relating to air quality standards, stationary source cleanup schedules, nondegradation, transportation controls, enforcement options, and air quality-related land use questions. Hearings will continue in May on issues related to auto pollution.
In order to facilitate consideration of the range of issues which have been identified in relation to the Clean Air Act, the subcommittee will depart from its usual hearing format. Unlike past years when the full range of interests have been heard in oral testimony, this year's hearings will be related to specific issues with witnesses invited to testify on a given day on the implications of each specific issue.
This format will not in any way inhibit development of a complete record on these issues but rather should provide an opportunity to focus on the complexity of specific Clean Air Act questions. All interested parties are invited and, in fact, encouraged to submit statements for the
record which address these issues and any other matters which should be brought to the attention of the subcommittee.
The only exception to consideration of Clean Air Act questions on an issue-by-issue basis will be the opening day of testimony, April 21, when elected officials at the State, local, and congressional level will be provided an opportunity to appear.
I would hope that any of my colleagues who are interested in testifying before the subcommittee on that day will make early arrangements for their appearance. Any State or local elected officials who wish to testify should contact the staff regarding their appearance.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to include in the RECORD at this point a schedule of hearings including the subject matter to be discussed on each day. A complete witness list will be released by the subcommittee immediately following the recess.
There being no objection, the schedule was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
SCHEDULE.– CLEAN AIR ACT HEARINGS
TITLE I-STATIONARY SOURCE AND STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
April 21 – General Testimony.
April 22 – Air Quality standards as a Test of Clean Air.
April 23 – Nondegredation and Air Quality Maintenance.
April 24 – Transportation and Land Use Controls.
April 29 – Control Options.
April 30 – Enforcement Options.
May 1 – National Standards and Federal Pre-emption.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, persons interested in making their views known to the subcommittee may submit written statements until May 30, at which point the hearing record will close. Anyone interested in having their comments on a specific issue available to the members on the day scheduled to discuss that issue should submit 15 copies of a prepared statement 48 hours in advance of the hearing in order that the statement can be distributed to and read by the members.
In addition to the days of hearings I am announcing today, the subcommittee has scheduled hearings on auto-emission questions for the week of May 12. Specifics of those hearings will also be announced shortly after the recess. Any questions regarding these hearings should be directed to Leon G. Billings, Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution, Senate Committee on Public Works, Washington, D.C.