Government
Legislation
Authorizations. (H.R. 6974, S. 2294) Set fiscal 1981 Defense RDT&E budget ceiling at about $16.6 billion
Congress acting on hazardous waste bills For the past several weeks Congress has been scurrying to meet its May 15 budget deadline, extended this year to noon Saturday, May 16, for reporting fiscal 1981 authorization bills. But it also found time for a number of bills dealing with hazardous wastes, both nuclear and chemical. For example, the Senate subcommittees on Environmental Pollution and Resource Protection broke a week-long deadlock late last month and approved for full committee action a bill, S. 1480, creating an $800 million "superfund" to pay for cleanup of hazardous chemical spills and hazardous waste dump sites. The bill provides for federal cleanup of releases from hazardous waste dump sites; sudden, episodic releases of chemicals into the environment, as from a truck or rail accident; and of any release that causes an imminent hazard to public health. The fund would be financed by fees in the amount of $700 million on petrochemical feedstocks, crude oil, and inorganic chemicals. The remaining $100 million would come from federal funds. However, the subcommittees left a number of thorny issues to be decided by the full Environment & Public Works Committee. These include the definition of hazardous substances, the question of what to do about permitted discharges such as those that are regulated under the Environmental Protection Agency's National Permit Discharge Elimination System, and the question of third-party liability. The Senate bill differs in a number of ways from bills approved earlier by the two House committees that cover the same area. But these bills face an uncertain future in the House because the Ways & Means Committee has asked, and based on precedent is likely to get, jurisdiction over them on the grounds that the fees set in them are revenue-producing measures, which come under its jurisdiction. Several other committees have been active in the area of nuclear waste. The House Committee on Science & Technology, as part of the Department of Energy's fiscal 1981 authorization bill, has provided for four large nuclear waste repository demonstration sites to be in place by 1990, with the first two to be selected in 1981. The sites would be exempt from licensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources has authorized $5 million for a nuclear waste management demonstration project to test processes to solidify the waste at Western New York Service Center in West Valley, N.Y., a defunct commercial fuel reprocessing plant. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Committee on Interior & Insular Affairs are in the process of marking up legislation that would give states the right to be consulted in and concur on the siting of nuclear waste facilities within their boundaries. The House bill also calls for a federally approved waste repository to be in place by 1996. Janice Long, Washington 14
C&EN June 2, 1980
(H.R. 6627, S. 2332) Set Department of Energy fiscal 1981 similar budget ceiling at about $9.3 billion (H.R. 6413, S. 2240) Set NASA fiscal 1981 budget ceiling at about $5.7 billion (H.R. 7115, S. 568) Set NSF fiscal 1981 budget ceiling at about $1 billion (H.R. 7113, S. 2320) Set NBS fiscal 1981 budget ceiling at about $88 million Business. (H.R. 7040, S. 1722) Impose stringent penalties on a business manager who knowingly fails to inform federal agencies and the public of a serious danger associated with a product or business practice Energy. (S. 1308) Provides for some form of expedited approval of critical energy projects (S. 932) Sets forth program to provide financial incentives for full development of domestic energy resources Environment. (H.R. 7020, S. 1480) Establish superfund to pay for cost of cleaning up abandoned hazardous waste dump sites (H.R. 6390, S. 742, 1360, 1521, 2189) Provide various methods for interim and/or permanent disposal of nuclear wastes
(H.R. 85, S. 1480) Create superfund to pay for cleanup of damages caused by oil, chemical spills
Health. (H.R. 6539, 6692, 6862, S. 2153) Exempt workplaces with good safety records from OSHA inspections, target inspections Innovation. (H.R. 4672, S. 1250) Establish Office of Industrial Technology, regional research centers to support technological, industrial innovation Oceans. (H.R. 2759, S. 493) Establish federal standards for deepsea mining operations
Patents. (H.R. 2414, S. 414) Allow universities, small businesses to obtain patent protection on discoveries made under government-funded research (H.R. 5715, 6933, S. 1215) Set federal policy on rights of government, contractors, and federal employees to any invention conceived under federally sponsored R&D programs (S.1769, H.R. 6933) Allow Patent & Trademark Office to re-examine issued patents Product liability. (H.R. 6152, S. 1789) Permit product manufacturers and sellers to form self-insurance pools Small business. (H.R. 5607, S. 2749) Expand participation of small businesses in federally funded R&D programs Transportation. (H.R. 4370, S. 2665) Provide for right of eminent domain for coal slurry pipelines that cross railroad property
House commute·
Armed Services. Reported, amended 4/30/80
House floor
Amended, passed 5/21/80
Interior & Insular Affairs. Interstate & Foreign Commerce. Science & Technology. Reported, amended 5/15/80 Science & Technology. Reported, amended 4/22/80 Science & Technology. Reported 5/16/80 Science & Technology. Reported 5/13/80 Judiciary. Subcommittee on Crime concluded hearings 4/22/80 Interior & Insular Affairs. Reported 8/2/79. Interstate & Foreign Commerce. Reported, amended 9/21/79 Banking, Finance & Urban Affairs. Reported, amended 5/15/79
Senate committee action
Senate floor
Conference action
Outlook
Armed Services. Ordered reported, amended 5/21/80
Enactment certain
Energy & Natural Resources. Reported, amended 5/8/80
Enactment possible
Commerce, Science & Transportation, Reported, amended 5/15/80 Labor &. Human Resources. Reported, amended 5/15/80 Commerce, Science & Transportation. Reported, amended 5/5/80
Enactment certain Enactment certain Enactment certain
Passed 5/9/80
Enactment possible
Judiciary. Reported, amendée 1/17/80
Ameno^d, passed 11/1/79
Energy & Natural Resources. Reported, amended 9/25/79
Amended, passed 10/4/79
Conferees agreed 4/30/80
Enactment certain
Amended, passed 6/26/79
Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs. Energy & Natural Resources. Reported, amended 10/30/79
Amended, passed 11/8/79
Conferees agreed 5/21/80
Enactment certain
Interstate & Foreign Commerce. Reported, amended 5/16/80
Enactment possible
Environment & Public Works. Subcommittees on Environmental Pollution, Resource Protection, approved for full committee action 5/22/80 Energy & Natural Resources. Reported, amended 9/14/79. Environment & Public Works. Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation began markup 3/20/80. Governmental Affairs began markup 4/24/80 Environment & Public Works. Subcommittees on Environmental Pollution, Resource Protection, approved for full committee action 5/22/80
Interior & insuiar Affairs. Concluded hearings 5/12/80
Merchant Marine & Fisheries. Reported, amended 5/15/79. Public Works & Transportation. Reported, amended 5/16/80
Enactment possible
Enactment possible
Education & Labor. Hearings not yet scheduled
Labor & Human Resources. Concluded hearings 4/25/80
Enactment possible
Science & Technology. Subcommittee on Science, Research & Technology may hold further hearings
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Reported, amended 5/16/80
Enactment possible
Merchant Marine & Fisheries. Reported, amended 8/17/79. Interior & Insular Affairs. Reported, amended 8/2/79. Foreign Affairs. Reported, amended 5/15/80
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Energy & Natural Resources. Foreign Relations. Reported, amended 8/9/79. Finance. Reported 10/3/79
Amended, passed 12/14/79
Enactment likely
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Courts concluded hearings 5/8/80
Judiciary. Reported, amended 12/12/79
Passed,
Enactment possible
Science & Technology. Concluded markup 4/1/80
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Governmental Affairs. Concluded hearings 1/25/80
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Courts concluded hearings 5/8/80
Judiciary. Reported, amended 2/4/80
Interstate & Foreign Commerce. Reported, amended 2/29/80
amended 4/23/80
Passed 3/10/80
Enactment possible Passed 3/20/80
Enactment likely
Commerce, Science & Transportation. Concluded hearings 4/22/80
Enactment possible
Small Business. Reported, amended 5/16/80
Small Business, Reported, amendée 5/21/80
Enactment possible
interior & Insular Affairs. Reported, amended 12/7/79. Public Works & Transportation scheduled to begin markup early June
Energy & Natural Resources. Began hearings 5/20/80
Enactment possible
June 2, 1980 C&EN
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