June 11, 1997: Congressional Record publishes “RESERVATIONS ABOUT OZONE AND PARTICULATE MATTER REGULATIONS”

Volume 143, No. 81 covering the 1st Session of the 105th Congress (1997 - 1998) was published by the Congressional Record.

The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.

“RESERVATIONS ABOUT OZONE AND PARTICULATE MATTER REGULATIONS” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H3669 on June 11, 1997.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

RESERVATIONS ABOUT OZONE AND PARTICULATE MATTER REGULATIONS

(Mr. WISE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. WISE. Interesting note, Mr. Speaker. Does anybody think it a little strange that some of my colleagues from the other side, in protesting the President's veto of the disaster assistance bill, go through long explanations of the census and Government shutdowns? That is the problem. They are not supposed to be on a disaster assistance bill, but that is not why I rise today.

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to talk about the Environmental Protection Agency and to express my concerns about the ozone and particulate matter regulations that are being proposed. My concern, Mr. Speaker, is not that I am opposed to clean air, and indeed I put my support for clean air legislation up there with just about anybody else's. My concern is that in this major legislation that will designate many of our areas as nonattainment that have previously been attainment areas, that in this important area of discussion there has been no discussion, or relatively little discussion, about the impact.

I do not remember in my career in Congress such a change of great magnitude with so little public discussion. It certainly ought to be discussed more in the public, it ought to be discussed more in the Congress. That is why I have joined others in urging Administrator Browner not to proceed with these regulations as written, but to take the advice of many others, including, I might add, some of their own advisory bodies to the EPA that have expressed reservations about them.

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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 143, No. 81