Joe Lieberman: “at the same time, by exempting the smokestacks and discharge pipes operated by State and local governments from…”

“at the same time, by exempting the smokestacks and discharge pipes operated by State and local governments from complying with future environmental standards, S. 1 would force a wide range of businesses to bear even more of the burden to meet overall clean air and clean water goals. For example, if publicly owned incinerators or landfills do not reduce emissions contributing to smog, carbon monoxide, and particulates, private sources of pollution would have to do more in order to meet the cleaner environmental goals. Let me illustrate, if I might, in a little greater detail how this legislation could hurt private businesses. States and businesses advocate water pollution laws that establish an overall pollution loading limit for individual bodies of water. That has been something that the sources of pollution, potential sources, have asked us to do. We have done it. This is based on the notion that each body of water is best managed for cleanup based on a scientific understanding of what that river or lake or bay can withstand in the way of pollution, identifying the sources, and then assigning the source's limits based on what they contribute. This is very fair, and it creates a cooperative effort to clean up a body of water.”