[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S8955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 663--EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER THE CURRENT FEDERAL 
    POLICY THAT ALLOWS THE EXPORTATION OF TOXIC ELECTRONIC WASTE TO 
  DEVELOPING NATIONS, AND EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE 
     UNITED STATES SHOULD JOIN OTHER DEVELOPED NATIONS AND BAN THE 
      EXPORTATION OF TOXIC ELECTRONIC WASTE TO DEVELOPING NATIONS

  Mr. BROWN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Environment and Public Works:

                              S. Res. 663

       Whereas toxic electronic waste is generated from discarded 
     televisions and computer monitors, computers and peripherals, 
     audio and video equipment, wireless devices, fax and copy 
     machines, video game consoles, and other electronic 
     appliances and products;
       Whereas televisions with cathode ray tubes (CRTs) contain 
     between 4 and 15 pounds of lead, a toxic substance known to 
     cause brain damage in children;
       Whereas many laptops, flat panel monitors, and televisions 
     contain fluorescent lamps that contain mercury, a dangerous 
     neurotoxin;
       Whereas many electronic products contain toxic chemicals 
     such as lead, mercury, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, and 
     brominated flame retardants;
       Whereas approximately 2,630,000 tons of used or unwanted 
     electronics were discarded in the United States in 2005, 
     according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
       Whereas approximately 330,000 tons of electronic waste were 
     collected and diverted from landfills for reuse or recycling 
     in 2005, according to the EPA;
       Whereas an estimated 50 percent to 80 percent of electronic 
     waste collected for reuse or recycling is exported to 
     countries such as China, India, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, and 
     Thailand, according to the Department of Commerce;
       Whereas approximately 131,500 tons of lead-containing CRTs 
     were exported in 2005, representing 75 percent of the CRTs 
     supposedly collected for recycling, according to the EPA;
       Whereas Congress has required the Nation's broadcasters to 
     convert from analog to digital broadcasting on February 17, 
     2009, a move which will render millions of analog CRT 
     televisions obsolete for broadcasting and likely to be 
     discarded;
       Whereas exported electronic waste is often crudely scrapped 
     and dismantled under conditions that are dangerous for human 
     health and the environment in developing countries, according 
     to eyewitness reports by the Basel Action Network and several 
     media outlets including National Geographic Magazine;
       Whereas toxic lead from exported electronic waste has 
     returned to the United States as a public health threat in 
     children's jewelry made in China, according to a study by 
     Ashland University, reported by the Wall Street Journal;
       Whereas the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has 
     issued multiple recall notices for jewelry and toys for 
     children made in China that contained dangerous levels of 
     lead;
       Whereas 32 nations, including the member States of the 
     European Union, have banned the export of toxic electronic 
     waste to developing countries;
       Whereas several major information technology and consumer 
     electronics manufacturers have corporate policies that 
     prohibit the export of toxic electronic waste to developing 
     nations;
       Whereas the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, 
     as amended, prohibits the export of hazardous waste from the 
     United States to other nations unless the EPA obtains prior 
     written permission from the other nation's competent 
     authority; and
       Whereas the EPA has determined that much electronic waste 
     is excluded or exempted from the definitions of ``waste'' and 
     ``hazardous waste'' under the Resource Conservation and 
     Recovery Act of 1976, leading to the largely unrestricted 
     export of toxic electronic waste to developing nations: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses its concern over the current Federal policy 
     that allows the exportation of toxic electronic waste to 
     developing nations; and
       (2) supports joining other developed nations and banning 
     the export of toxic electronic waste to developing nations.

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