[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 22, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E623-E624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      EARTH DAY AND ELSMERE CANYON

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 1998

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a very significant 
environmental issue: Elsmere Canyon. I find it particularly appropriate 
that I am afforded the opportunity to speak today, Earth Day, on a 
subject that is important not just to me, but also to the community 
that I represent.
  Let me provide a brief history on this matter, Mr. Speaker. Before 
coming to Congress, I had the honor of serving as the first mayor of 
the City of Santa Clarita, which was incorporated in 1987. While in 
that capacity, a situation came to my attention that galvanized our 
community. A solid waste disposal company had proposed building a 
landfill using a portion of the Angeles National Forest known as 
Elsmere Canyon. If approved, the largest landfill in the United 
States--with a capacity of 190-million tons--would have been 
constructed in Elsmere Canyon.
  In the early 1980's Los Angeles County's population boomed. At the 
same time, many small landfills were closed without any alternative 
measure to deal with the increased

[[Page E624]]

trash. As a result, Elsmere Canyon became a prime location for a new 
landfill to handle the country's trash. However, the choice of Elsmere 
Canyon had major shortcomings that were easily recognizable.
  The first issue involved preserving the integrity of our National 
Forest System. The Angeles National Forest, which is visited by over 30 
million people each year, is considered by Southern Californians to be 
our ``Central Park''. Using part of the forest for a landfill was, in 
my view, bad public policy. Second, the Elsmere landfill would 
potentially contaminate groundwater and displace endangered wildlife 
and plant life in the Angeles. Third, after the 1994 Northridge 
earthquake, whose epicenter was a mere eight miles from Elsmere Canyon, 
the presence of seismic activity presented additional concerns that had 
to be addressed.
  Finally, I was deeply concerned Los Angeles County was already 
accepting trash from other counties in California. I cannot agree with 
the notion that new landfills should be built in order to accept other 
communities' trash.
  Additionally, there are proven alternatives to landfills, such as 
recycling and environmentally-safe incineration programs, and we need 
to explore them. Instead of passing waste from one area to the next, we 
should investigate the potential of disposing of trash in other 
manners. This also would alleviate growing tensions between our 
communities regarding the transportation of waste.

  In 1995, I was proud to introduce legislation prohibiting the 
Secretary of Argriculture from approving any land transfer of Elsmere 
Canyon for the purposes of creating a landfill. I was even prouder when 
this legislation was approved as part of the Omnibus Parks Act of 1996. 
This legislation was the result of a community coming together--
environmentalists and business leaders, government representatives, and 
civic-minded individuals--to bring about this historic change.
  Yet this fight is not over Mr. Speaker. The portion of Elsmere Canyon 
that is not owned by the Forest Service is still viewed by Los Angeles 
County as a potential site for a future landfill. As you might imagine, 
this would be a major blow to our community and one that I continue to 
work to prevent.
  However, I am not here today just to speak words but to seek action. 
I have requested and am ultimately hopeful that Browning-Ferris 
Industries, which in late 1995 purchased the company that proposed the 
original Elsmere landfill, will donate its Elsmere parcel to the 
Angeles National Forest. Should this occur, the entire canyon would 
become part of the Angeles National Forest and would be preserved and 
enjoyed for future generations.
  Mr. Speaker, I view Earth Day as an opportunity to remember the 
natural beauty and wonders that God has given us and what we can do to 
preserve those gifts. Elsmere Canyon truly is one of those gifts and I 
am proud to have done what I can to preserve this marvelous place. I am 
also proud of the work that my community has done to save this 
treasure. So as we celebrate Earth Day, I would like to take the time 
to remember the accomplishments of my community to make Earth a better 
place to live. I also would like to recall how these achievements were 
accomplished. Not through finger pointing or heated debate. Our 
community came together with a common goal. A goal to make our 
community, our state, our nation, and our earth a better place.

                          ____________________