[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 91 (Friday, July 10, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S7939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-501. A resolution adopted by the City Council of 
     Hialeah, Florida relative to the renaming of the Everglades 
     National Park; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources.
       POM-502. A resolution adopted by the Village Council of 
     Miami Shores Village, Florida relative to the renaming of the 
     Everglades National Park; to the Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources.
       POM-503. A resolution adopted by the Village Council of the 
     Village of Virginia Gardens, Florida relative to the renaming 
     of the Everglades National Park; to the Committee on Energy 
     and Natural Resources.
       POM-504. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the State of New Hampshire relative to trade 
     with Japan; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
       POM-505. A resolution adopted by the Legislature of the 
     State of Michigan; to the Committee on Environment and Public 
     Works.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 72

       Whereas, The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) as 
     passed by Congress and was signed into law on August 3, 1996, 
     by President Clinton; and
       Whereas, Among the purposes of the FQPA is to assure that 
     pesticide tolerance decisions and policies are based upon 
     sound science and reliable data; and
       Whereas, Another purpose of the FQPA is to assure tolerance 
     decisions and policies are formulated in an open and 
     transparent manner; and
       Whereas, The EPA is required by the FQPA to have reviewed 
     approximately 3,000 of the approximately 9,700 existing 
     tolerances by August 1999 to determine whether these 
     tolerances meet the safety standards established by the FQPA; 
     and
       Whereas, The implementation of the FQPA could have a 
     profound negative impact on domestic agricultural production 
     and on consumer food prices and availability. With Michigan's 
     diverse agriculture, this impact could be especially severe 
     on our numerous specialty crops; now, therefore be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That we memorialize the Congress of the United 
     States to take the following actions:
       1. Direct the EPA to initiate immediately appropriate 
     administrative rulemaking to ensure that the policies and 
     standards the agency intends to apply in evaluating pesticide 
     tolerances are subject to thorough public notice and comment 
     prior to final tolerance determinations being made by the 
     agency.
       2. Direct the EPA to use its authority under the FQPA to 
     provide interested persons the opportunity to produce data 
     needed to evaluate a pesticide tolerance so that the agency 
     can avoid the use of unrealistic default assumptions in 
     making pesticide tolerance decisions.
       3. Direct the EPA to implement the FQPA in a manner that 
     will not disrupt agricultural production nor have a negative 
     impact on the availability, diversity, and affordability of 
     food.
       4. Conduct oversight hearings immediately to ensure that 
     actions taken by the EPA are consistent with the FQPA 
     provisions and congressional intent. If the intent of the 
     legislation is not carried out, then Congress should postpone 
     the August 1999 deadline. Following oversight hearings, 
     Congress should, if necessary, take appropriate actions or 
     amend the FQPA to correct problem areas.
       5. Encourage the Secretary of Agriculture and the United 
     States Department of Agriculture to increase its commitment 
     of manpower and budgetary resources to work with the EPA to 
     gather scientific data. Furthermore, Congress should 
     encourage the United States Department of Agriculture to 
     conduct an economic impact statement on the implementation of 
     the FQPA.
       6. Clarify the role of Section 18 of the Federal 
     Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act as its provisions 
     relate to the reestablishment of tolerances under the FQPA.; 
     and be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, the members of the 
     Michigan congressional delegation, and the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency.
       Adopted by the Senate, March 26, 1998.
       Adopted by the House of Representatives, June 11, 1998.

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