Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-06
Open Rule Set
To Speed Action
On BIutnik Bill
BY JOHN W. sTEPP

The Rules Committee late yes
terday declared an open rule on
the measure. Two hours of gen.
eral debate will be permitted.
No opposition to the open rule
tactic of speeding the meas
ure was registered in committee
hearing.
Representative Blatnik. Demo-
|crat of Minnesota. sponsor of the
measure designed to succeed the
present Nationwide anti-pollu-
ton act, led the proponents
arguments for getting it to the
House floor.
Key Section Opposed
Representative Dondero, Re-
publican of Michigan. who OPP
poses a key section of the pro-
posed bill. also urged swift action
by the whole House.
The opposition strategy was
understood to involve getting the
House to perpetuate the Federal
anti-pollution law after knock
ling out the Objectionable section.
This provision would authorize
$500 million in Federal grants
to help States and municipalities
build sewage treatment plants
on interstate streams.
The Washington Metropolitan
Area would be among the bene-
Iflciaries.
The present pollution control
act expires June 80.
House action on the bill will
send it to joint conference with
the Senate. The Senate equiv
alent measure introduced last
year calls for no construction
grants.
Federal Help Needed
Both versions recognize the
need for Federal participation
in the critical drive for clean
ing up the nations streams.
Both, moreover, strongly sup
port increased Federal research
into the problems of pollution
and bigger matching grants to
States to plan anti-pollution
programs.
Generally accepted, as well,
are provisions strengthening en-
lforcement to the act. The present
law permits Federal court action
against stream polluters only
with the consent of the State
responsible for the pollution. The
amended bills would let the Fed
eral Government go into court
not only with the offending
States approval, but on the re-
quest of any other State af-
lfected by the pollution.
The Surgeon General of the
United States would administer
the research and grant programs.
He would be assisted by top
echelon advisory board.
The programming grants in
the Senate bill total So million
per year for five years. The
House measure calls for SIS mil
lion in annual expenditures over
the same period.
The chief cleavage point is the
$50 million in annual grants on
a 10-year schedule.
Before the Rules Committee
yesterday, Representative Dom
dero asserted such a Federal
spending program would be the
old WPA all over again."
Approved 1875
Mr.. Dondero led the minority
in reporting adversely on the
measure approved by the House
Committee on Public Works. Mr..
Blatnik was chairman of the
Rivers and Harbors Subcommit-
tee of that group. The works
committee vote was 1875 in IA
vor of the measure
Mr.. Blatnik, as spokesman for
the works committee majority.
emphasized the need for Federal
help to States and communities.
One of his principal points
was to record limited assist
ance under the existing pollu-
ton control act. In the years
from 1850 through 1852 when
sewage treatment programming
grants were available. State
planning and construction ac-
tivities increased sharply. Mr..
Blatnik said. When the grants
stopped in 1853, these efforts
promptly leveled off.
The grants. as specified in the
bill. would only catch up with
the backlog of needed construc-
ton. Municipal treatment plant
construction. without Federal
aid. since 1915 has averaged only
SITS million annually. And a
large part OF this figure, he
pointed out, is due to the ex-
penditures under the Works
Progress Administration in the
1930s.
Rules Committeeman expressed
most concern over the measures
failure to provide compensation
to Jurisdictions that have
launched construction programs
on their own up to now.
Chairman Smith. Democrat of
Virginia, offered Alexandria as
AN example. That city Just
across the Potomac is rushing
multi-million dollar sewer and
treatment plant construction TO
completion even now. Under
terms Of the bill, he said, Alex
andria would in effect be penal
lied for being so ambitious.