May 15, 1979
Page 11296
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I am cosponsoring today legislation that will provide new flexibility in the way States and localities manage environmental protection programs. In some cases, Federal assistance flows into separate categories such as air pollution control programs, water pollution control programs, pesticide programs, et cetera, with too little attention paid to integrating these programs when they address common problems.
The administration's bill is an attempt to stimulate innovation for environmental programs for the purpose of integrating efforts. If implemented properly, this could lead to better use of resources, improved plans for environmental protection efforts, and more effective implementation of environmental cleanup programs.
Let me distinguish this legislative proposal from a proposal discussed in 1974 and 1975 which bears a superficial similarity. That proposal was an effort to create "consolidated grants." The purpose of that legislative effort was to curtail drastically Federal grants to States in the environmental protection area, and to replace those grants with a single consolidated block grant.
The net effect of that proposal could have been a significant destruction of important State environmental protection programs. The Congress uniformly resisted that proposal. It died.
The legislation the administration has sent up today is different. It does not call for curtailing any other programs. In fact, it proposes to add $25 million in additional funds to supplement the process of integrating existing programs.
A key goal stated in the statute is to develop comprehensive environmental programs. This is an important need in developing adequate pollution control efforts. This is not limited to EPA programs. It means bringing together all governmental activities that play an important role in creating environmental damage and developing a continuing process to make those activities become supportive of environmental protection efforts.
I am certain there will be features in this legislation that I will want to modify, and that other Members will want to modify. But I appreciate the efforts of the administration in discussing this legislation and making useful modifications prior to its submission to Congress. I intend to schedule a hearing on this legislation as soon as time permits.
There are some developments which, if they occurred, would seriously damage the prospects of this legislation moving forward. I think it would be useful to mention those briefly here. First would be any hint that this program is viewed as a substitute for existing programs or a means of curtailing funding for existing programs. Second, the legislation cannot be a vehicle for waiving any requirements of existing programs.