[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 16, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1290]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CLARIFICATION OF THE 1990 CLEAN AIR ACT AMENDMENTS

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                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 16, 1996

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce legislation 
today to clarify that the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments do not require 
pollution controls for beverage alcohol compounds emitted from aging 
warehouses.
  To meet the strictures of the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, 
installation of pollution controls may be required for beverage 
alcohol, ethanol, emissions from distilled spirits aging warehouses 
despite the facts that the EPA recognized that such controls could 
adversely effect product quality and that ethanol emissions do not 
contribute significantly to ozone formation.
  The aging process is a natural process by which distilled spirits 
products derive their inherent characteristics, including color, taste, 
and aroma. Altering this aging process by imposing emission control 
technology on aging warehouses could inflict an unreasonable adverse 
effect on the maturation process for these products and thereby 
jeopardize the desired quality and uniqueness of each distilled spirits 
brand.
  Imposition of Clean Air Act emissions controls on aging warehouses 
would create significant costs on both the industry and the Government. 
First, for the industry, distillers would risk jeopardizing the quality 
of their products by installing pollution control technology of 
uncertain effect on aging warehouses.
  Second, for the Government, tax revenue would be threatened by any 
action which significantly impacts product quality and thereby product 
sales. Distilled spirits are the highest taxed consumer product in the 
United States and a major source of revenue for Federal, State, and 
local governments.
  Since December 1992, the industry has tried time and time again to 
get a definitive answer from either the EPA or the State governments 
involved on the question of whether such controls are required by the 
1990 amendments. While both the Indiana and Kentucky general assemblies 
have passed resolutions urging EPA not to regulate beverage alcohol 
compounds emitted from aging warehouses, EPA has still not provided a 
definitive response.
  The change I am proposing is only for those emissions coming from 
aging warehouses and does not exclude any other portions of the 
distilled spirits production process from Clean Air Act requirements.

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