[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 173 (Friday, November 3, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S16662-S16663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PRESSLER:
  S. 1390. A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to 
permit a private person against when a civil or administrative penalty 
is assessed to use the amount of the penalty to fund a community 
environment project, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.


          the local environmental improvement facilitation act

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
allow companies that violate the Clean Water Act the option to invest 
fines in improving their local environment. This bill makes good sense. 
Clean Water Act fines could be invested in the community where the 
violation occurred, rather than sent to Washington to be spent by 
bureaucrats.
  In May 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency began a new program 
to encourage local environmental projects through EPA fines. My bill 
would adopt as law the goals of this program--to give Clean Water Act 
violators the option to perform community services by targeting their 
fines to local pollution prevention and remediation activities.
  Under my legislation, companies found guilty of violating the Clean 
Water Act would be given the option of contributing to a community 
environmental project in lieu of paying fines directly to the Treasury. 
Violators could negotiate with State and local officials to determine 
an appropriate project. The money would then be paid by the violator 
directly to cover project costs.
  The benefits to this legislation are clear. Passage of this bill 
would express Congress' support for local environmental projects. In 
addition, this legislation represents community empowerment. It gives 
the local community the opportunity to right a wrong done to its 
citizens by one of its own. It is common sense. Clean Water Act 
violations inadvertently can punish the community where the violation 
occurred. It's only fair that when a violator is punished, the 
community should receive some compensation. This option certainly is 
preferable to sending penalty dollars back to Washington to pay for 
more bureaucracy.

  At the State and local level, many of those who violate the law are 
directed to perform community service. That tradition deserves a place 
in our Federal system as well. The legislation I am introducing today 
would do just that.

[[Page S 16663]]

  Senator Chafee, chairman of the Environment and Public Works 
Committee, has stated his intent to hold hearings on efforts to reform 
the Clean Water Act in the near future. I look forward to working with 
him to make sure that fines collected under the Clean Water Act can 
continue to be used for the benefit of the community where violations 
occurred. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.
                                 ______