Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the Bentsen amendment, and I commend my colleague from Houston for his leadership on this important issue. On March 15, 1996, the EPA issued a final rule to amend the Federal PCB regulations and allow the import of PCB waste for disposal in permitted facilities in the United States. This rule allows the importation of foreign PCB waste for disposal in the United States. The EPA has estimated that the U.S. disposal industry would receive $50 to $100 million annually if PCB's are imported into the United States from Canada and Mexico. And where would PCB's be disposed? In Kansas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Port Arthur, TX, and Channelview, TX. Mr. Bentsen's amendment would prohibit the EPA from using any funds to implement its final rule. PCB's when incinerated release dioxin--one of the most toxic chemicals known. Dixon, as we all know, causes a wide range of adverse health effects and it accumulates in the environment. The incineration of PCB's is recognized as a health hazard. That's why the Congress designed a phase out of domestic PCB manufacture in the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976. Last week, the ninth circuit court overturned EPA's rule to allow the importation of PCB's. The Bentsen amendment will ensure the continual prohibition of imported PCB's even if EPA exercises its option to appeal this ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.”