I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1984
To provide for a four-year moratorium on the establishment of new standards
for ozone and fine particulate matter under the Clean Air Act, pending
further implementation of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990,
additional review and air quality monitoring under that Act.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 19, 1997
Mr. KLINK (for himself, Mr. BOUCHER, and Mr. UPTON) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To provide for a four-year moratorium on the establishment
of new standards for ozone and fine particulate matter
under the Clean Air Act, pending further implementation
of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, additional
review and air quality monitoring under that Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 set
forth a number of measures or programs that ad-
dress ozone and particulate matter pollution and
their precursors;
(2) most of these measures or programs are
continuing or have yet to be implemented;
(3) the United States has made significant
progress on reducing atmospheric levels of ozone and
particulate matter since passage of the Clean Air
Act Amendments of 1990 and will continue to make
significant progress on reducing atmospheric levels
of ozone and particulate matter through continued
implementation of that Act for the next 5 years;
(4) changing the current national ambient air
quality standard for ozone, which is explicitly incor-
porated into subpart D of part I of the Clean Air
Act, could nullify many of the ozone provisions in
the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and lead to
disruptions and delays in the reduction of ozone and
its precursors;
(5) both the Environmental Protection Agency
and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee
have recommended that additional research be con-
ducted to determine any adverse health effects of
fine particles including the biological mechanism for
adverse health effects, toxicity and dose response
levels, and specification of the size and type of par-
ticle that might have adverse health effects; and
(6) there is a lack of atmospheric data regard-
ing fine particle levels in the United States and this
atmospheric monitoring data is necessary both to
further understanding of any adverse health effects
of fine particles and to provide a basis for designat-
ing areas under title I of the Clean Air Act.
SEC. 2. MORATORIUM ON NEW STANDARDS AND REVIEW
OF CRITERIA.
(a) MORATORIUM.—During the 4-year period after
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency shall not promulgate any
new or revised national ambient air quality standards
under the Clean Air Act for ozone or fine particulate mat-
ter. Not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency shall (1) complete a thorough review of the
air quality criteria published under section 108 of the
Clean Air Act for ozone and fine particulate matter and
a thorough review of the standards in effect under such
Act for ozone and particulate matter, and (2) determine,
in accordance with section 108 and 109 of such Act,
whether to retain such standards, whether to make revi-
sions in such criteria and standards, and whether to pro-
mulgate new standards.
(b) SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO PARTICU-
LATE MATTER.—In reviewing the air quality criteria for
particulate matter as provided in subsection (a), the Ad-
ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in
consultation with the independent scientific review com-
mittee appointed under section 109(d)(2)(A) of the Clean
Air Act, shall—
(1) evaluate any adverse health effects of expo-
sure to airborne particulate matter;
(2) determine the amount and size of particles
inhaled and retained in the lungs; and
(3) investigate the biological mechanisms by
which particulate matter (based on its size, con-
centrations, and type) in ambient air may induce ad-
verse health effects.
(c) MONITORING.—For purposes of subsection (b),
the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen-
cy is authorized to require State implementation plans to
require ambient air quality monitoring for fine particulate
matter pursuant to section 110(a)(2)(B) of the Clean Air
Act, and the Administrator shall make grants to the
States to carry out such monitoring.
(d) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated not more than $75,000,000 for each of the fis-
cal years 1998 through 2002 to carry out this Act.
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