[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E27]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           FAIR CLEAN AIR COMPLIANCE DOWNWIND FROM POLLUTERS

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                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 1997

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation 
that requires the Environmental Protection Agency to consider the 
downwind transportation of air pollution when determining a region's 
air quality compliance. This legislation is similar to H.R. 1582, which 
I introduced in the 104th Congress with the support of the county of 
San Diego.
  In 1990, Congress amended the Clean Air Act to base the smog control 
requirements for each area on the severity of the area's pollution 
problem as indicated by the nonattainment area classification. The EPA 
has established five such classifications: marginal, moderate, serious, 
severe, or extreme. Under current law nonattainment status is 
determined without addressing air pollution transported from upwind 
areas.
  Due to pollution blown downwind from the Los Angeles basin, San Diego 
was initially given a nonattainment classification of severe. San Diego 
was later reclassified to serious because the ozone design value, 0.185 
parts per million, was at the lowest limit of severe. Had the design 
value been outside that narrow window, San Diego would have been forced 
to carry out excessively stringent and costly control programs to 
combat air pollution created and transported from elsewhere.
  This situation affects many other communities, too. I encourage all 
of my colleagues to join me by cosponsoring this legislation.

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