[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 27657]
[From the U.S. 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-369. A resolution adopted by the House of the 
     Legislature of the State of Michigan relative to hazardous 
     materials facilities; to the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works.

                        House Resolution No. 223

       Whereas, Federal law under Title III of the Superfund 
     Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) requires 
     identifying the locations of facilities which handle 
     hazardous materials and also requires the development of a 
     plan for communities to respond to hazardous material 
     releases and to establish right-to-know provisions for 
     hundreds of substances identified as extremely hazardous 
     materials plus an additional 1,000 potentially hazardous 
     substances an toxic chemicals; and
       Whereas, More than 3,200 businesses and industries within 
     the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have been officially 
     identified as being within the SARA Title III planning 
     requirements; and
       Whereas, The time frames for reporting chemicals used by 
     facilities under SARA Title III may be considered ineffective 
     at times due to the length of the required reporting period; 
     and
       Whereas, Conforming the time frames for reporting Material 
     Safety Data Sheets to State and local officials, mirroring 
     Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements on 
     the reporting of hazardous materials, may lead to an enhanced 
     and more accurate reporting system; and
       Whereas, The establishment of Hazardous Material Exposure 
     Parameters around hazardous material facilities and the 
     requirement of direct reporting to residences and businesses 
     within these parameters may lead to the increased safety of 
     our communities; therefore be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives of the 
     Commonwealth of Pennsylvania respectfully request that the 
     Congress of the United States pursue amendments to SARA Title 
     III to ensure higher levels of safety for communities which 
     have hazardous material facilities within their borders; and 
     be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each 
     member of Congress from Pennsylvania.

                          ____________________