[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 16, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H3053]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARTIES ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, this morning I want to examine the 
environmental record of the Republican leadership and of the GOP 
Presidential candidate, Governor Bush. Last Thursday, Madam Speaker, 
the EPA released its Toxics Release Inventory which highlights the fact 
that Texas continues to have the largest amount of airborne toxic 
emissions in the Nation, as has been the case every year since 1995.
  More than 300 million pounds of toxic chemicals were released into 
Texas' air, water and land according to this latest report. Yet, 
Governor Bush has pushed a strictly voluntary program for dirty power 
plants to reduce harmful emissions, even though Texas' deteriorating 
air quality has reached a crisis proportion.
  Madam Speaker, of the air pollution produced by companies exempt from 
mandatory regulations in Texas, 75 percent, or 741,000 tons of toxic 
emissions, came from companies that contributed to and are close to 
Bush's gubernatorial races from 1994 to 1998. And only 3 of 36 plants 
who pledged to reduce emissions under this voluntary plan have actually 
done so and not even 1 percent of emissions from grandfathered plants 
have been reduced.
  In fact, Texas has experienced significant increases in emissions. 
Specifically, Texas experienced an increase of 2 million pounds of 
cancer-causing and other toxic chemicals from 1997 to 1998.
  Madam Speaker, although Texas ranks third worst in water pollution 
from chemical dumping, Governor Bush has done nothing to improve water 
quality and has subsequently underfunded Superfund cleanups. He also 
appointed industry representatives to State environmental agencies that 
had previously fought against environmental regulations.
  Several environmental groups have called on Governor Bush to stop 
gutting the environment and act proactively. We know this will not 
happen. So we have to continue our efforts, in my opinion, Madam 
Speaker, and elect a President that will close the loophole for 
grandfathered power plants.
  Vice President Gore has called for a market-based approach to 
reducing power plants that addresses the four primary pollutants of 
concern, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and mercury. I 
have a bill that establishes a trading program to reduce these four 
pollutants, and I urge my colleagues to enact this type of legislation 
as quickly as possible to improve the health of our citizens and our 
environment.
  Madam Speaker, let me also point out that Vice President Gore has 
lead the fight on many environmental efforts from preserving open space 
to protecting air and water quality. He also has lead the brownfield 
development program. And I can tell my colleagues the importance of 
this program, because my hometown of Long Branch, New Jersey has 
received a $200,000 grant from the EPA to help redevelop brownfields. 
The Republican leadership's ideas of Superfund reform is to gut water 
quality protections and put a cap and fence around a site and call it a 
day.
  I have over 115 superfund sites in my district, and I can tell my 
colleagues that this is not environmental cleanup or protection.
  Again, I just wanted to highlight this morning the major differences 
between the Republicans and the Democrats on environmental issues and, 
particularly, the differences between our Presidential candidates. We 
have our Presidential candidate, Vice President Gore, who has fought 
hard over the last 7 years and even before as a Member of Congress to 
protect the environment and improve the environment around our country.

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