[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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