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[] SUPERFUND: Appropriate Name For Punitive Cleanup Kitty
<br />S. 1480 baa been nickn,'imed the "~nperftind" associated with truly hazardous inactive waste
<br />bill - and no wonder. This legislation mandates disposal sites - like Love Canal. But S. 1480
<br />creation of a S4.1 billion fund over six years, a clearly goes wbll beyond that, and not in a very
<br />whopping 88% of which would be contributed by rational inanner.
<br />industry. Since there's little or no chance that S. 1480
<br />Money in the "superfnnd' would be nsed by call be narrowed in scope or completely cleaned up
<br />the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to this late in tile session, the C/lamber is oppos#lg it.
<br />respond to, clean up, and make "compensation" Contact your Senators before or during the up-
<br />for "release into the environment" of virtually comhlg recess, because the "superfund" bill could
<br />any "hazardous substance." come to the floor early itl September.
<br />Under S. 1480, a "hazardous substance" conld Urge Senators to reject this measure because,
<br />be anything from a known caminogen or a caustic among other objectionable things, it:
<br />chemical, to road salt or distilled water. , is too broad in scope;
<br />And, under this legislation, "compensation" , defines "bazardous substance" too loosely;
<br />could be made by EPA for expenses even * defines "release into tbe environment" too
<br />remotely associated with such a "hazardous" generally; and
<br />release. · exposes industry to incalculable financial
<br />Legislation may be needed to address problems liability.
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<br />[] SUNSET.' Pell Breathes Life Into Nearly Dead Issue
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<br />Senator Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.) revived tire sun- And S. 2 doesn't include under its sunset urn-
<br />set issue tbis week. surprising many congressional brella "tax expenditnres"-tax exemptions, deduc-
<br />observers who believed it was dead for this session, lions and exclusions businesses and individuals are
<br />Pell, Chairman of the Senate Rules and Admin- allowed to claim.
<br />istration Committee, announced that his panel If this Chamber-backed sunset proposal gets to
<br />would take action on S. 2, the sunset proposal re- the Senate floor, it's likely to be approved, even
<br />ported in June by the Governmental Affairs eom- though several senior Senators recently have ex-
<br />mittee, pressed doubts about tile sunset concept. Tile
<br />And because botb Pell and Rules and Administra- present Senate isn't radically different from the
<br />tion's ranking Republican Mark Hatfield of 95th Congress' Senate, which two years ago
<br />Oregon, are co-sponsors of S. 2, it's all but certain approved a sunset bill by an 87-to-1 margin.
<br />that tbe committee will give a favorable nod to the However, because Majority Leader Robert Byrd
<br />measure-before its September 4 deadline, doesn't consider S. 2 "must" legislation, it's up
<br />S. 2 mandates automatic termination of govern- to you to get tbe measure on tile Senate calendar.
<br />ment spending and regnlatory programs alter 10 ItWte your Senators bi support of& 2.
<br />years, utiless they're reantborized by'Congress.
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<br />[] R&PERWORK REDUCTION ACT: Governmental Affairs Needs Nudging
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<br />The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 would time for action this year.
<br />create an Office of Federal Information Policy Contact the Members of this committee, listed
<br />within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). below, during the ttpcom#lg recess. Urge them to
<br />This new office would be charged with working act immediately on S. 1411, now that their work
<br />with affected individnals and businesses to stem the oil the omnibus regulatory reform, lobbying and
<br />rampant growth of paperwork required by govern- sunset bills is pretty much ont of the way.
<br />ment. The Chamber has some concerns about this
<br />It's difficult for ally Member to oppose this kind legislation-like the fnnding it would authorize. So
<br />of measure, especially in light of OMB's esfimate of also ask Governmental Affairs to be responsive to
<br />its annual savings: S248.4 million, business' concerns during its markup.
<br />So it's not surprising that, last spring, the Paper-
<br />work Reduction Act breezed through tire ltouse. SENATE GOVERNMENTAL
<br />Tile final passag,e, vote on H.R. 6410was328-to-13. // AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ~
<br />It is surprising, however, that tile Senate version / Democrats Sasser (Tenn.) Roth (Del.) %x
<br />oftbislegislation, S. 1411, mmains bogged down [ Ribicoff(Conn.) Pryor(Ark.) Stevens(Alaska)
<br />in tile Govenmlental Affairs Cominittee-thotigh / Jackson (Wash.) Levin (Mich.) },tathias (bid.) ~
<br />probably dtie to that panel's heavy 1980 workload. [, Eagleton (Mo.) Danforth (Mo.)
<br />l-lopefutly, sonic encouragenlent from the grass- xx. Chiles (Fin.) Repnhlicans Cohen (Maine)
<br /> %.xj'iunn (Ga.) Percy (llh) Durcnbcrgcr (Minn.)
<br />roots will sitar Govcrnnrental Affairs to take time Dle~(Ohio) Javits (N.Y.) /
<br />to mark up S. 1411 and send it to the floor, in
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