On the recordApril 18, 2012
This legislation does not include any legal standard to establish a minimum level of safety, and to the extent new safety requirements are established, nearly all of them can be waived at a State's discretion. This legislation appears to create a program, but the decision about whether or not to go forward is one that will be at the States' discretion. The result will inevitably be uneven and inconsistent rules between the States. Some will do a good job and others won't. If this legislation is adopted, no one should be fooled. This bill won't protect communities living near these waste disposal sites. Mr. McKINLEY. Mr. Chairman, just a quick couple of observations, just to remind everyone, we've been using fly ash in concrete for over 80 years, and the President has not--has not--issued a veto threat on this legislation. Perhaps he's aware of the 316,000 jobs that others are not as concerned about. I want to thank my colleague from West Virginia for cosponsoring this legislation, and I hope he will continue to help us find the bipartisan support in protecting the jobs. Mr. Chairman, how much time remains? The CHAIR. The gentleman from West Virginia has 1\1/4\ minutes remaining. Mr. McKINLEY. I'm going to yield time to the gentleman from Michigan, the chairman of the committee, for the purpose of closing. The CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 75 seconds. (Mr. UPTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
