Max Baucus: “I would like to ask the sponsor of the amendment, Senator Smith, to clarify a couple of points I have on the amendment…”

“I would like to ask the sponsor of the amendment, Senator Smith, to clarify a couple of points I have on the amendment allowing the transfer of Federal facilities. First, let me say that transferring Federal facilities to private parties as quickly as we can so they can be put to productive use is desirable. But we must not transfer property if doing so would compromise protection of human health and the environment. And we must ensure that when we do transfer Federal sites before they are cleaned up, we don't forget about them. We must make sure that the Federal Government cleans up these sites as quickly as it would if the Government still owned the property. At the same time, communities do not want to wait for years while interested parties study the extent of contamination and argue over remedies. So to speed up the transfer of contaminated land at these Federal sites, this amendment will allow the Federal Government to transfer property to private parties before the remedy is completed. While I support the amendment, I do so with some reservations and ask that my concerns be addressed in conference. I want to make sure that if we allow the Federal Government to transfer contaminated property before the site is cleaned up we do so with the appropriate safeguards necessary to ensure that the States and public is not saddled with the cleanup of former Federal sites.”