[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 50 (Thursday, April 24, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HELP CLEAN UP OUR HIGHWAYS

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                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 24, 1997

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Visual 
Pollution Reduction Act, legislation that would reduce the clutter of 
billboards along our Nation's roads and highways.
  Today, Scenic America released a report entitled ``The Highway 
Beautification Act--A Broken Law.'' The report detailed how, despite 
the Highway Beautification Act, the number of billboards along our 
Nation's highways has continued to grow. Each year 5,000 to 15,000 
additional billboards are built. Billboards that do not conform to 
States and local zoning ordinances continue to clutter our Nation's 
roads. In addition, State highway departments subsidize the billboard 
industry by operating permitting programs that lose money and use 
taxpayer funds to cut down trees to improve billboard visibility.
  Billboards destroy the scenic beauty of our countryside and the 
architectural beauty of our inner cities. Billboards sell liquor and 
cigarettes to our Nation's children, especially in inner-city 
neighborhoods and poor communities. Billboards are visual pollution.
  For this reason, I am introducing the Visual Pollution Reduction Act. 
This bill would prohibit new billboards in unzoned, rural areas. It 
would place a cap, at the current level, on the total number of 
billboards permitted in a State. And, it would prohibit States from 
removing trees and other vegetation to make a billboard more visible.
  The Highway Beautification Act is broken. We must fix it. I hope that 
Congress will do the right thing and pass the Visual Pollution 
Reduction Act. America's highways would be visibly improved.

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