I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1400
To amend the Clean Water Act to eliminate certain discharges of chlorine
compounds into navigable waters, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 5, 1995
Mr. RICHARDSON (for himself, Mr. NADLER, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. ACKER-
MAN, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BONIOR, Mr. BROWN of California, Ms. ESHOO,
Mr. EVANS, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. FARR, Mr. FILNER, Mr. HINCHEY,
Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. PALLONE, Ms.
PELOSI, Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO´, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. SABO, Mrs.
SCHROEDER, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. TORRES, Mr. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. VENTO,
Mr. WAXMAN, Ms. WOOLSEY, and Mr. YATES) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure
A BILL
To amend the Clean Water Act to eliminate certain dis-
charges of chlorine compounds into navigable waters,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Chlorine Zero Dis-
charge Act of 1995’’.
SEC. 2. ZERO DISCHARGE OF TOXIC PERSISTENT AND
BIOACCUMULATIVE SUBSTANCES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
(1) 
substances 
that 
persist 
and/or
bioaccumulate in the environment, build to higher
and higher concentration over time, reaching their
greatest levels in the tissues of species high on the
food chain, including humans;
(2) 
toxic 
substances 
that 
persist 
and/or
bioaccumulate in the environment are biologically ac-
tive in infinitesimal quantities, causing reproductive
failure, birth defects, developmental impairment,
hormonal disruption, behavioral disorders, immune
suppression, and cancer at low doses, and mixtures
of these substances may cause these effects at even
lower doses;
(3) regulatory approaches that permit even lim-
ited production and discharge of toxic substances
that persist and/or bioaccumulate result in the accu-
mulation of these substances in the environment and
food chain over time and subsequent damage to the
health of humans and other species;
(4) the most favored method of preventing the
continued contamination of the environment from
persistent or bioaccumulative toxic substances is to
phaseout their production and/or use over time and
replace these substances or the processes that
produce them, or both, with safer alternatives;
(5) 
among 
the 
persistent 
and/or
bioaccumulative toxic substances of greatest concern
are organochlorines discharged in the production of
pulp and paper as a result of the use of chlorine or
any other chlorinated oxidizing agents in the pulp
and paper manufacturing process;
(6) the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
between the United States and Canada concludes
that ‘‘the discharge of toxic substances in toxic
amounts be prohibited and the discharge of any or
all persistent toxic substances be virtually elimi-
nated’’; and
(7) in the Sixth Biennial Report on Great
Lakes Water Quality, the International Joint Com-
mission on Great Lakes Water Quality concluded
that ‘‘the concepts of virtual elimination and zero
discharge are consistent and a clear statement or di-
rection to take to achieve the Agreement’s purpose.
The overall strategy or aim regarding persistent
toxic substances is virtual elimination, and the tactic
or method to be used to achieve the aim is through
zero input or discharge of those substances created
as a result of human activity.
(b) ZERO DISCHARGE OF ORGANOCHLORINE COM-
POUNDS, BYPRODUCTS, OR METABOLITES.—Title III of
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act is amended by
redesignating section 519 as section 520 and by inserting
the following after section 518:
‘‘SEC. 519. DISCHARGE OF ORGANOCHLORINE COMPOUNDS,
BYPRODUCTS, OR METABOLITES.
‘‘(a) ZERO DISCHARGE.—(1) Effective 5 years after
the enactment of this section, each pulp and paper manu-
facturing facility shall achieve zero discharge into water
of organochlorine compounds, byproducts, or metabolites
formulated as a result of the use of chlorine or any other
chlorinated oxidizing agent in the pulp and paper manu-
facturing process.
‘‘(2) Effective 5 years after enactment of this section,
all existing and new permits under this Act for paper and
pulp mills which use chlorine or any other chlorinated oxi-
dizing agent shall require compliance with the zero dis-
charge requirement set forth in paragraph (1).
‘‘(b) SAFE ALTERNATIVES ASSISTANCE.—Within one
year after the enactment of this section, the Administrator
shall evaluate alternatives to the use of organochlorines
in the manufacturing of pulp and paper, and shall publish
a report on the transfer of technology in the pulp and
paper industry from organochlorine to chlorine-free tech-
nology as a model for pollution prevention. Within 18
months after the enactment of this section, the Agency
shall begin providing technical information and support to
assist permit applicants in the use of alternatives to
organochlorine compounds in the production of pulp and
paper.
‘‘(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS ON ORGANOCHLORINE
ZERO DISCHARGE CANDIDATES.—Within 18 months after
the enactment of this section, the Administrator shall
complete a report to Congress on nonpoint sources and
industrial discharges of organochlorine compounds and
their byproducts and metabolites into water. The report
shall include a listing of all types or categories of nonpoint
sources and industrial organochlorine discharges into
water and their byproducts and metabolites. The report
shall also include a listing of the annual quantities of each
organochlorine compound discharged into water nationally
and by permitted facility, together with a list of each per-
mitted facility’s location and quantities of combined
organochlorine compound discharges into water. The re-
port shall contain recommendations for achieving a zero
discharge policy for important categories of organochlorine
pollution sources. In order to develop such recommenda-
tions, the Administrator shall convene an advisory panel.
The advisory panel shall conduct public hearings and so-
licit public and expert comment. The panel shall consist
of 15 members, including at least 1 independent expert
in each of the fields of public health, occupational health,
technology change, toxics use reduction, and ecology, 2 af-
fected citizens, and technical and policy experts from in-
dustry, labor, public interest groups, and State environ-
mental agencies.
‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—For the purposes of this section,
the term ‘zero discharge’ means absolutely no output or
release, including nonpoint source output or release, into
water. The term ‘zero discharge’ does not mean a less than
detectable output or release.’’.
Æ