[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 14 (Friday, February 11, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        CLEAN LAKES LEGISLATION

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, when the Senate returns from the 
President's Day recess, the Environment and Public Works Committee will 
meet to mark-up legislation to reauthorize the Clean Water Act.
  I want to commend Senate Graham, the chairman of the subcommittee, 
and Senator Chafee, the ranking minority member of the subcommittee, on 
the development of sound and constructive amendments to the bill 
introduced last spring--S. 1114.
  As a member of the committee, I look forward to working with Chairman 
Baucus, Senator Graham, Senator Chafee, and other members of the 
committee, in developing the best possible legislation to protect our 
rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.
  Since 1991, I have sponsored legislation to expand and strengthen 
protection of freshwater lakes. Freshwater lakes are an outstanding 
recreational resource throughout the country, especially in my home 
State of Maine. For many Americans, a lake at a State or local park is 
the first thing that comes to mind when they think of the water 
resources and water quality.
  Unfortunately, lakes have serious water quality problems. The 
environmental Protection Agency reports that 25 percent of lakes are 
impaired and 20 percent are threatened with impairment.
  Many of the pollutants causing lake impairments are conventional, 
rather than toxic, pollutants and excessive nutrients and phosphorus 
are critical problems.
  My legislation, S. 1198, expands the existing clean lakes program 
under section 314 of the Clean Water Act. A key provision of the bill 
provides for a 5-year phaseout of phosphates in household laundry 
detergents. This proposal, which I first introduced in 1991, builds on 
the actions of 17 States, including my home State of Maine, to ban 
household laundry detergents with phosphates.
  There is clear evidence that bans on phosphate in household laundry 
detergent have resulted in substantial benefits to water quality. In 
addition, the bans have saved millions of dollars in operational costs 
at sewage treatment plants because reducing the levels of phosphates in 
water coming to the plants reduces treatment costs.
  Over the past several years,the amounts of phosphates used in 
household laundry detergents have declined substantially. Industry 
analysts indicate that the decline in phosphate use is due to several 
factors.
  First, the steady enactment of State bans on phosphates in household 
laundry detergents has forced manufacturers to develop both phosphate 
and nonphosphate products. State bans now are in place for a 
substantial percentage of the U.S. population. The marketing of dual 
products was increasingly expensive and complicated for manufacturers 
and retailers. Many manufacturers resolved this problem by shifting to 
a nonphosphate product only.
  Second, the industry was able to develop effective and cost 
competitive substitutes for phosphates.
  Today, industry publications indicate that the overall amounts of 
phosphates in household laundry detergent will decline to some 25,000 
short tons in 1994. In 1976, the amount of phosphates in household 
detergents was estimated to be some 423,000 short tons.
  In addition, this decline will continue as a result of the recent 
decision by Procter & Gamble to convert its flagship product--Tide with 
Bleach--to a nonphosphate formulation. Proctor & Gamble products are 
thought to account for about half of all household laundry products.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter to me from 
Procter & Gamble be printed in the Record at the close of my remarks.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I want to commend the detergent industry 
for substantially converting to nonphosphate detergents. This action 
will result in water quality benefits, especially for sensitive aquatic 
systems such as lakes, and cost savings to sewage treatment works.
  In recognition of the substantial progress made in reducing 
phosphates in detergents, I have decided not to include the phosphate 
detergent ban provisions in my clean lakes amendment to the Clean Water 
Act.
  I will, however, include in the amendment a requirement for the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to report to 
Congress within several years on the status of phosphate use in 
detergent products, including dishwashing detergents and commercial and 
industrial detergents.
  Dishwashing and other detergents now include significant amounts of 
phosphates--estimated at about 180,000 short tons. Substitutes for 
phosphates in dishwashing and other detergents have not yet been 
perfected, but it is appropriate for the Administrator to advise the 
Congress and the States on progress in development of phosphate 
substitutes in these cases and recommend appropriate actions to protect 
water quality.

                               Exhibit 1

                                                 Procter & Gamble,


                                              General Offices,

                                 Cincinnati, OH, January 19, 1994.
     Hon. George J. Mitchell,
     Major Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Mitchell: We understand that you have inquired 
     about the use of phosphate in Procter & Gamble laundry 
     products. This confirms that The Procter & Gamble Company 
     shortly will no longer manufacture in the U.S. any home 
     laundry detergent containing phosphate. Over the past year, 
     we have manufactured only one brand containing phosphate, 
     Tide With Bleach. By the end of this January, we will have 
     completed our manufacturing conversion of tide With Bleach to 
     only a non-phosphate formula. In addition, our laundry pre-
     soak product, Biz, will also convert to only a non-phosphate 
     formula this month.
       Our decision to convert entirely to non-phosphate laundry 
     detergents was driven by the need to optimize efficiency in 
     manufacturing and distribution, which was complicated by 
     maintaining dual formulas. Our ability to make this 
     conversion represents over 20 years of research into 
     developing effective non-phosphate based formulas. The result 
     is an improved laundry granule technology which performs 
     comparably to phosphate-based products and provides improved 
     value to our customers.
           Sincerely,
     R. Kerry Clark.

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