[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 124 (Friday, July 28, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND 
             INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1996

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                               speech of

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 1995

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2099) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and 
     Housing and Urban Development agencies, boards, commissions, 
     corporations, and offices for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 1996, and for other purposes:

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the provisions in this VA-
HUD appropriations bill which decrease the funding levels for the 
Environmental Protection Agency. These provisions not only severely 
limit the agency's ability to protect our lands, air, and water; they 
also continue the full-scale assault on the environment that began on 
the first day of the 104th Congress.
  Mr. Chairman, this bill's funding cuts directly threaten the quality 
of America's air and water, the safety of America's food supply, and 
the health of all Americans. This bill would prohibit the EPA from 
enforcing or implementing most Clean Water Act programs; end protection 
for wetlands; prohibit many EPA actions with respect with enforcement 
of the Clean Air Act; and prohibit the EPA from preventing the use of 
certain cancer causing pesticides on crops, even if residues from these 
crops end up in processed foods.
  The bill's spending cuts would also freeze all future cleanups of 
Superfund sites--regardless of the health and environmental risks posed 
by a site.
  While there is agreement that some reforms are necessary to make 
these Federal programs more responsive, the spending cuts in this bill 
are nothing more than a blatant attempt to undermine the effectiveness 
of the EPA and to permanently cripple our Nation's environmental laws.
  Poll after poll have indicated that the American people favor strong 
environmental laws. We should not be willing to sacrifice the health 
and safety of our constituents on the altar of regulatory reform. For 
the families, children, and citizens of America, I urge my colleagues 
to restore full funding for the EPA.


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