June 14, 1979
Page 14880
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, President Carter yesterday announced a major new initiative in environmental policy. The proposal is a very positive step toward the goal of eliminating the spread of hazardous contaminants in our environment. The President should be applauded for moving ahead in this area.
In the last year we have found that the problem of hazardous substances leaking from dump sites or spilling during the normal use is extensive. Preliminary estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency indicate there are at least 32,000 chemical dump sites in the Nation, with perhaps 2,000 of these that need immediate attention.
Last year I introduced S. 2900, which created a fund to assist in payment for the cleanup of spills of oil and hazardous substances. That legislation was passed by the Senate, but did not become law.
Two subcommittees of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Senator CULVER and myself, earlier this year began joint hearings on the spread of hazardous substances in the environment and mechanisms to deal with that problem. We recently announced a series of joint hearings to be held over the next month to explore legislative proposals in this area. We will kick off these hearings in testimony next Wednesday, June 20, by inviting administration witnesses to explain their new legislation. In Senator CULVER's statement elsewhere in the RECORD, there is a listing of the schedule of the joint activities of the two subcommittees in this area.
I want to emphasize the cooperative effort that is underway on this legislation. This includes strong involvement and contributions on the part of the minority members of the two subcommittees, and particularly Senators STAFFORD and CHAFEE. Environmental legislation has always been a bipartisan effort on the Environment and Public Works Committee and I will do all that I can to see that this legislation will bear that same mark.
In anticipation of these hearings, senator CULVER and I are jointly cosponsoring the administration bill and introducing it by request today.
We are hoping to introduce our own legislation in the next few days dealing only with hazardous substances. We hope that this will be legislation that a number of the members of the Environment and Public Works Committee will cosponsor. Based on our experiences last year with a bill combining both oil and hazardous substances, we believe there are reasons to proceed with a bill dealing with hazardous substances only. That judgment could change, and the administration bill will be given full consideration.
The administration proposal includes within its coverage provisions governing oil spill liability and compensation in addition to provisions governing hazardous substance releases and cleanup of abandoned waste dump sites. The administration has already proposed legislation for oil spill liability and compensation. This legislation, Senate bill 953, was introduced by request on April 10 of this year and jointly referred to the Committees on Commerce, Science, andTransportation, and Environment and Public Works, along with Senate bill 684, a bill covering liability and compensationfor the marine transportation of oil, introduced by Senator MAGNUSON.
The jurisdictional accommodation embodied in those referrals is not intended to be jeopardized by today's referral of the new administration bill to the Environment and Public Works Committee.
If the Environment and Public Works Committee reports legislation which includes matter which is in the jurisdiction of the Committee on Commerce, Science,and Transportation, then we will work with the Commerce Committee on those matters within their jurisdiction.
If such arrangements are not mutually satisfactory to the two committees, then consideration of a subsequent legislative referral may be necessary.
We will consult with the Commerce Committee as we develop our bill in order to reduce the potential for jurisdictional conflict.