[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 29, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H1943-H1946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXTENDING THE ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS RESEARCH PROGRAM
Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 363) to amend section 2118 of the Energy
Policy Act of 1992 to extend the Electric and Magnetic Fields Research
and Public Information Dissemination program, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 363
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. AMENDMENTS.
Section 2118 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C.
13478) is amended--
(1) in subsections (c)(5), (e)(5), (g)(3)(B), (j)(1), and
(l) by striking ``1997'' each place it appears and inserting
in lieu thereof ``1998''; and
(2) in subsection (j)(1), by striking ``$65,000,000'' and
inserting in lieu thereof $46,000,000''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Colorado, Mr. Dan Schaefer, and the gentleman from Texas Mr. Hall, each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Dan Schaefer.
Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
(Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado asked and was given permission to
revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 363 extends for a
period of 1 year the Department of Energy's authorization to conduct
research on electric and magnetic fields. In 1992 it became clear to
Congress that there was a need for more research and more coordination
within this particular area and more public dissemination of the
information, mainly on the health effects of EMF, and thus the 5-year
DOE-EMF RAPID program was authorized.
Since its creation, the RAPID program has added a great deal to our
understanding on the effects of EMF. Unfortunately, however, the
authorization to conduct the 5-year EMF RAPID program will expire
before the program is scheduled to conclude. At the subcommittee
hearing we learned this is not because the program is behind schedule,
but because money was not appropriated for the program until after the
first year's authorization had already passed. We want to now extend
that authorization for one year to get this concluded in a logical
manner.
[[Page H1944]]
Importantly, this program has been cost effective. Industry
stakeholders have matched the Government dollar for dollar in funding
this particular program. This has allowed the Government to do more
with less, a concept which both Republicans and Democrats certainly can
support. In fact, when the program is concluded, it is expected to cost
nearly $20 million less than what was originally contemplated. The cost
to the Federal Government of extending this program another year is
$4.5 million.
Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support H.R. 363.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. HALL of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of
H.R. 363. It is a bill to reauthorize the Electric and Magnetic Fields
Research and Public Information Dissemination Program. This important
5-year program, this very important 5-year program was first authorized
by Congress in 1992 in response to public concerns about the possible
adverse health effects of exposure to electric and magnetic fields.
The program first received appropriations in fiscal year 1994 rather
than 1993, yet the authorization will expire at the end of this year.
Now, this reauthorization for fiscal year 1998 is necessary to complete
the fifth and final year of funding and to fulfill the program's
original objectives. These objectives are to determine whether or not
exposure to electric and magnetic fields affects human health, to
conduct research with respect to technologies to mitigate any adverse
human health effects, and to disseminate this information to the
public.
Without this funding, the risk assessment portion of the program
would be completed without the research due to be provided in mid-1997.
More importantly though than that, the National Institute of
Environmental and Health Sciences, which is conducting this program
jointly with the Department of Energy, will have to produce risk
assessment through a closed process rather than through the public
process currently planned.
The program's cost will be much less than originally projected. It
was authorized at $65 million over the 5-year period, but it is now
projected to cost nearly $20 million less than originally estimated,
about $46 million. Fifty percent of the funding comes from non-Federal
sources, including electric utilities, electrical equipment
manufacturers and realtors. The cost to the Federal Government will be
$23 million over the 5-year period. Supporters of the reauthorization
include the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric
Institute, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and the
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, among others.
Mr. Speaker, the program's research is on target and will be
successfully completed by 1998, at which time the final report will be
issued concerning potential health effects of exposure to electric and
magnetic fields. Our citizens are depending on us to give them complete
and accurate information, and the credibility of the final report would
be compromised without this 5th and final year of funding.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 363 so that this
important program can achieve the objectives that Congress intended and
provide the public with the information they deserve to have.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Sensenbrenner], the chairman of the full
Committee on Science.
Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 363
to amend section 2118 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to extend the
Electric and Magnetic Fields Research and Public Information
Dissemination Program.
This bipartisan bill is designed to fulfill the intent of legislation
enacted in 1992 to conduct a 5-year research and public information
dissemination program on the health effects of electric and magnetic
fields.
Section 2118 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 directed the Secretary
of Energy to establish a 5-year, cost-shared program, the EMF RAPID
Program, starting on October 1, 1992, and expiring on December 31,
1997. The EMF RAPID Program objectives are: To determine whether or not
exposure to EMF produced by the generation, transmission, and use of
electric energy affects human health; to carry out research and
development and demonstration with respect to technologies to mitigate
any adverse human health effects; to provide for the dissemination of
scientifically valid information to the public.
Under the act, the Department of Energy and the Department of Health
and Human Services National Environmental Health Sciences Institute are
jointly responsible for directing the program. DOE has responsibility
for research, development, and demonstration of technologies to improve
the measurement and characterization of EMF and for assessing and
managing exposure to EMF, while NIEHS has sole responsibility for
research on possible human health effects of EMF. EPACT also authorized
$65 million for the period encompassing fiscal years 1993 through 1997.
At least 50 percent of the total authorized funding must come from non-
Federal sources, and before the Federal funds can be expended in any
fiscal year, they must be matched by non-Federal contributions. In
addition, not more than $1 million annually may be spent for the
collection, compilation, publication, and dissemination of
scientifically valid information.
The act also established two advisory committees to help guide the
program: The Electric and Magnetic Fields Interagency Committee,
composed of 9 members, and the National Electric and Magnetic Fields
Advisory Committee, a 10-member body.
Finally, EPACT establishes a number of reporting requirements,
including the following: By March 31, 1997, the director of NIEHS is to
report to the Congress and to the agency his or her findings and
conclusions on the extent to which exposure to EMF affects human
health.
Not later than September 30, 1997, the committee, in consultation
with the other committee, is to report to the Secretary and to Congress
on its findings and conclusions on the effects, if any, of EMF on human
health and remedial actions, if any, that may be needed to minimize any
such health effects.
Periodically, the National Academy of Sciences is to submit reports
to both committees that evaluate the research activities under the
program and to make recommendations to promote the effective transfer
of information derived from such research projects.
Although the act authorized the EMF RAPID Program to begin in fiscal
year 1993, no funds were appropriated because the 1993 energy and water
development appropriation bill was enacted before EPACT. Consequently,
the first year of available appropriations was fiscal year 1994. In
1996, DOE submitted legislation to extend the EPACT authority for the
EMF Rapid Program through 1998, and former Committee on Science
Chairman Walker introduced this proposal in the last Congress. However,
the last Congress adjourned sine die without taking action on the
measure.
The President's fiscal year 1998 budget contains $8 million in
funding for the fifth and final year of the EMF RAPID Program and
completion of the DOE long-term commitment to EMF research. The
Department continues to believe the 1-year extension is appropriate in
the interest of completing the work contemplated by EPACT, and the DOE
and non-Federal participants testified at a hearing conducted by the
Committee on Science's Subcommittee on Energy and Environment that a
total authorization of $46 million will be sufficient to complete the
5-year effort.
As amended by the Science Committee, H.R. 363 amends section 2118 of
the Energy Policy Act of 1992 by extending by 1 year: First, the EMF
RAPID Program, the Electric and Magnetic Fields Interagency Committee,
and the National Electric and Magnetic Fields Advisory Committee to
December 31, 1998; second, the Environmental Health Sciences' report to
the EMFIAC and to Congress is extended by 1 year, to
[[Page H1945]]
March 31, 1998; and third, the deadline of the EMFIAC's final report to
the Secretary of Energy and to Congress is extended by 1 year, to
September 30, 1998.
Finally, the bill, as amended, reduces the EMF RAPID Program 5-year
authorization from $65 to $46 million, consistent with the testimony by
DOE and the non-Federal participants on the funding requirements needed
to complete the program.
In closing, I wish to thank the gentleman from California [Mr.
Calvert], the chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment of
the Committee on Science, and the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Roemer],
the subcommittee's ranking member, for their hard work on this
legislation. I would also like to thank the Committee on Science's
ranking member, the gentleman from California [Mr. Brown], for his
bipartisan support.
I also want to commend the efforts of the gentleman from Virginia,
[Mr. Bliley], chairman of the Committee on Commerce; the gentleman from
Michigan, [Mr. Dingell], the ranking member of the Committee on
Commerce; the gentleman from Colorado, [Mr. Dan Schaefer], chairman of
the Committee on Commerce's Subcommittee on Energy and Power, the
gentleman from Texas, [Mr. Hall], the subcommittee's ranking member;
and also the gentleman. from New York [Mr. Towns], the bill's author,
for their work on this legislation.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from California [Mr. Brown], the ranking member on the Committee on
Science, and a very venerable former chairman of Science, Space, and
Technology.
Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. Speaker, what did the gentleman call me?
Venerable?
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 363, which provides a 1-year
extension with no extra funding to the electromagnetic field and health
effects research and development bill and information dissemination
program with the Department of Energy.
{time} 1530
As we heard from testimony before the Subcommittee on Energy and
Environment of the Committee on Science on March 19 of this year, this
5-year program seeks to clarify the risks to public health posed by
electromagnetic fields.
Mr. Speaker, in an effort to be brief, I would just point out that
other speakers have already indicated the adverse effects of
terminating this program 1 year before it is completed. I certainly
join in my own feelings with regard to that.
The issue of health effects of electromagnetic fields, such as those
created by high voltage electric lines, was a very highly emotional and
politically potent issue a number of years ago, and it was this
increasing public concern that led to the original enactment of this
legislation. Families that live near such high voltage lines have
wondered whether their children are at greater risk for contracting
leukemia or a host of other maladies, and there has been research
conducted, some of it in other countries, in Europe, for example, which
lent credence to the possibility that such might be the case.
The issue, therefore, had to be put to rest with an authoritative and
complete research program which would deal with that issue, and that is
what this program has done. It has accomplished its goal so far well
under budget and ahead of schedule, and we think it deserves to move
ahead to completion.
I am also glad to say that the Committee on Science has been able to
move expeditiously on this bill in a bipartisan manner, and this is due
in large part to the efforts of the subcommittee chairman, the
gentleman from California [Mr. Calvert], and to the ranking member of
the subcommittee, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Roemer], as well as
to the efforts of the full committee chairman, the gentleman from
Wisconsin [Mr. Sensenbrenner], whose efforts as chairman I have
commended on previous occasions and I will continue to do so.
I have enjoyed working with each of them as well as other members of
the committee and they enjoy my highest respect.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from New York [Mr. Towns].
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Colorado
[Mr. Schaefer] and the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Hall] and the
Committee on Science. I know that they have made a special effort to
move this bill as an early priority. Since the authorization expires at
the end of 1997, the program will terminate after 4 years instead of
the 5-year period originally envisioned.
The need for the extension is plain and very clear. It will ensure
that the original program's objectives set by Congress are met and
enhance the credibility of the RAPID final report regarding potential
human health aspects of exposure to electric and magnetic fields.
During consideration of H.R. 363, the Committee on Commerce received
testimony from industry stakeholders who all agreed that a 1-year
extension was necessary to complete the risk assessment through an
open, public workshop approach that was originally planned by the
National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences.
Upon completion of the 5-year study, a final report to Congress on
the electromagnetic field effects, if any, on human health will be
submitted. The report will allow the Federal Government to confidently
speak to the American people with one voice on this very important
issue. Anything less than a 1-year extension would render the study
incomplete and jeopardize the credibility developed over the last 4
years with EMF issue stakeholders and the public as well.
The RAPID Program has been very successful to date. In addition to
the research initiated, the program has distributed 180,000 copies of
questions and answers about electric and magnetic fields associated
with the use of electric power to the public. Additionally, RAPID has
published EMF in the work force and EMF InfoLine, managed by the
Environmental Protection Agency and funded by the RAPID Program. It has
also responded to the thousands of calls from the general public.
The program conducts research jointly with the Department of Energy
and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and is
funded equally by the annual appropriations and matching contributions
from the electric utilities, electrical equipment manufacturers, and
realtors.
This 1-year extension has the support of the administration, Congress
and the industry stakeholders such as the Edison Electric Institute,
the American Public Power Association, the National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association, and the National Electrical Manufacturers
Association.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to again thank all of the participants in
making this possible. I would like to thank the subcommittee chairman,
and of course the ranking member as well, and all of the staff that
worked very hard to move this legislation very quickly.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 363, which
provides a 1-year extension, with no extra funding, to the
electromagnetic fields and health effects R&D and information-
dissemination program at the Department of Energy. As we heard in March
19, 1997, in testimony before the Subcommittee on Energy and
Environment, this 5-year program seeks to clarify the risks to public
health posed by electromagnetic fields.
The authorization for this program currently ends in 1997--5 years
after passage of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. However, with this
termination date, the program will have actually had only 4 years to
complete its tasks, because, through no fault of its own, the program
began a year late due to the logistics of the budget cycle.
If the program were to terminate at the end of fiscal year 1997,
important tasks assigned to the program by the Energy Policy Act of
1992 would go undone. With a 1-year extension, however, these essential
functions will be completed and presented to the public in a concise
manner.
As many Members are well aware, the issue of the health effects of
exposure to electromagnetic fields, such as those created by electric
high wires, have been controversial and emotional issues. Families that
live near such wires have wondered whether their children are at
greater risk for contracting leukemia or a host of other maladies. And,
unfortunately as is often the case with research, the answers have been
a long time coming, and have wrought their own controversies at times.
[[Page H1946]]
As directed by the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the Department of
Energy has nevertheless pursued a complete airing of the issues in an
open process that solicits public opinion and lets any expert challenge
the results of their work. Learning from past mistakes, the Energy
Policy Act required that the data and final analysis be shared in order
to gain the trust and confidence of the public. Without this openness,
the study would be just another Government study over which opposing
factions bicker.
In fact, just such a closed study was recently completed by the
National Academy of Sciences, and it found no credible evidence for a
significant public health threat due to exposure to electromagnetic
fields. While I fully respect the work of the academy and this study
did reassure many of us, skeptics remain concerned with these results
and their views also need to be considered in a public forum.
As promised in the Energy Policy Act, the EMF program at DOE will
provide such a forum and analyze the opinions of skeptics and
mainstream researchers alike. I look forward to the results of this
work, and I think that it is an important step in public understanding
of these health risks.
I am also glad to say that the Committee on Science has been able to
move expeditiously on this bill in a bipartisan manner. This is due, in
large part, to the efforts of the subcommittee chairman, Mr. Calvert,
and the full committee chairman and ranking member, Mr. Sensenbrenner
and Mr. Brown. I have enjoyed working with each of them, as well as the
other members of the committee, and they enjoy my highest respect.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Commerce
Committee for yielding me this time.
I also thank the chairman of the Committee on Science and the ranking
member, Mr. Brown, for their support in expediting passage of this
bill.
As Chairman Sensenbrenner has pointed out, this bill will allow the
Electric and Magnetic Fields research program to complete its original
5-year authorization. At the same time, we will save the taxpayers
money by reducing the authorization some $19 million to the $46-
million-agreed-upon budget for the program. I should add that 50
percent of this budget is cost-shared by industry.
Mr. Speaker, at the time of the markup of this bill in the Energy and
Environment Subcommittee, the distinguished vice-chairman of the full
Science Committee, Mr. Ehlers, made the point that all the research to
date on this issue has failed to find a significant link between
electric and magnetic fields and serious health problems. I agree and I
doubt that will change.
Nevertheless, this program was agreed to by both Government and
industry to put to rest public concern and, once started, I think it's
worth finishing.
Finally, I want to particularly thank my friend from Indiana, our
ranking minority member of the subcommittee, Mr. Roemer, for
cosponsoring this bill and working closely with us to expedite the
process. Mr. Speaker, this bill has strong bipartisan support and I
urge its passage. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Snowbarger). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Dan Schaefer, that
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 363, as amended.
The question was taken.
Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas
and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________