Date: 1982-01-28
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I am pleased to introduce today a bill to accelerate the concentrated Federal research effort into the causes and effects of acid deposition. I take this step in an earnest attempt to provide a prudent and reasonable alternative to the Senate on the issue of acid deposition. There are several comprehensive control measures that have been introduced to deal with the effects of acid deposition. While I deeply respect the efforts of those who advocate such measures. I would hope that the Senate would recognize the value of the approach that I am outlining today. On November 8. 1979. the Senate adopted S. 932. the Energy Security Act. Title VII of this legislation is the Acid Precipitation Program and Carbon Dioxide Study. The acid precipitation program. as enacted. provides for a 10year. comprehensive and fully coordinated study by an Acid Precipitation Task Force. The task force is an interagency body. jointly chaired by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. the Secretary of Agriculture. and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The task force membership is composed of representatives of virtually every important Federal agency with scientific or regulatory expertise in fields related to the study of acid deposition. The purpose of the comprehensive study of the causes and effects of acid deposition. to be carried out by the task foice. is to provide the Federal Government with a sound. scientific data base concerning acid deposition. Such a data base does not now exist in a form that the scientific community. much less Government officials who are not scientists. can agree represents a totally accurate picture of the phenomenon of acid deposition. The program established in the Energy Security Act is intended to be the primary building block of the scientific data base that the Federal Government must have before it can presume to act in a rational manner with respect to acid deposition. It is not wise to attempt to apply comprehensive controls on emissions. at considerable cost in dollars and jobs in whatever region is singled out for such controls. until sound. scientifically verifiable information is available. As the Senate proceeds with the reauthorization of the Clean Air Act. it is becoming clear that pressures to establish comprehensive controls in advance of the results of the Federal acid deposition study are increasing. Those pressures make it all the more necessary for the Senate to consider an alternative course of action. The search by some for an immediate remedy with respect to acid deposition only highlights the need for an acceleration of the Federal research effort. My bill. which is substantially similar to legislation introduced in the I louse of Representatives by Congressman RAHALL. requires the task force to complete its efforts at the end of 5 years from the date of enactment of the Energy Security Act. That puts the completion date at June 30. 1985. My bill adds a requirment to the program. as set forth in the Energy Security Act. to provide to the Congress and the President a final report on the information and findings of the task force. My bill also permits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to submit recommendations. at the Administrators discretion. for changes in existing law. if any. to deal with acid deposition at the same time that the final report of the task force is submitted. Any recommendations that the EPA Administrator would submit must be supported by the scientific findings of the task force. The increased level of effort by the task force is in part made possible by the increase in funding for the task force that was provided by Congress for fiscal year 1982. Funding of this critical undertaking should not be in an impediment to its accelerated completion. Before the heavy hand of massive new Government regulation falls on the coalproducing and coalusing parts of our country. or on some other section where auto emissions or metal smelters may be more important sources of emissions. we in the Congress and the entire Federal Government must know more. It should be the goal of the Senate to act when equipped with the best available factual information. When such information is lacking. the Senate is likely to go astray. I urge all my colleagues to consider carefully the prudent course that we must take. and to support my effort to seek a responsible process to deal with the issue of acid deposition. By Mr. BRADLEY (for himself.