The Chemical World This Week
MAY 27, 1953
wAsmnoTON C O N C E N T R A T E S • More attention should be paid to the effects of pesticides on fish and wildlife, Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall told Sen. Abraham Ribicoff (D.-Conn.) as hearings continued on the problems of pesticides and other environmental health hazards. Interior representatives on the Federal Pest Control Review Board and other interagency organizations concerned with pest control are trying to determine how they can play a more effective part in these deliberations, Secretary Udall says. He suggests that the Federal Pesticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act be interpreted to extend to wild animals, birds, and fish the same protection from damage by pesticides that is now restricted to domestic animals. Meanwhile, the staff of Sen. RibicofFs committee is reported to be selecting a committee of scientists to evaluate the testimony presented at the hearings. (For more on the hearings, see page 34.) • Activities of cooperatives which may violate the antitrust laws would be supervised by the Justice Department instead of the Agriculture Department under a bill introduced by Rep. Thomas B. Curtis (R.-Mo.). H.R. 6356 would transfer the authority over "jurisdiction for determination of undue enhancement of prices by cooperative associations monopolizing or restraining trade." Rep. Curtis says, "Farmers' cooperatives are the creatures of the Department of Agriculture and a whole division of the department is devoted to their protection and promotion; the provisions of the law putting the Secretary of Agriculture in charge of their prosecution for restraint of trade creates a basic conflict of interest." ^ Administration trade officials heard chemical producers speak out on foreign trade barriers at a closed-door session last week. The meeting—one of a series of consultations with industry by the Commerce Department's Business and Defense Services Administration at the request of Christian Herter, the President's Special Representative for Trade Negotiations-was held to acquaint U.S. GATT representatives with export problems of U.S. chemical producers. Some of the problems cited by the industry's spokesmen concern freight rates, prices, and restrictive labeling laws in some European countries. Du Pont's John G. Tritsch, speaking for basic chemical producers, pointed out that while the U.S.
chemical industry's trade balance is favorable ($1.4 million last year, about 40% of the U.S.'s total trade surplus), its share of the total world export market is declining. BDSA heard earlier from synthetic organic producers. Other industries still to be heard from include textiles, drugs, pulp and paper, synthetic fibers, and metals. • GSA is set to sell surplus aluminum from the government stockpile. General Services Administration will sell 135,000 tons of the metal over a two-year period. The first sale is scheduled for the middle of next month and other sales will be scheduled at six-month intervals. About 25,000 tons will be set aside for small business and the rest will be offered on an unrestricted competitive basis. Aluminum producers like this plan to sell surplus aluminum better than an earlier proposal which was withdrawn by the Government (C&EN, Oct. 29, 1962, page 19). • State support of water pollution control is lagging badly, James M. Quigley, assistant secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, told the House Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Power at hearings last week. The primary responsibility for water pollution control rests with individual states, he says, yet 23 states are planning to spend less than $100,000 each on water pollution control this year, 10 less than $150,000. Although state spending for this purpose has risen from $4 million in 1956 to $10 million in 1963, five statesCalifornia, Florida, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—will spend 49% of the funds. The subcommittee is conducting an exhaustive survey of water pollution problems. • A construction permit has been issued to Nuclear Fuel Services for its atomic fuel reprocessing plant in western New York. However, the Atomic Energy Commission permit requires NFS to submit by Aug. 20 satisfactory evidence that NFS's financial resources are adequate to support the project or the construction permit may be revoked. According to AEC, a considerable part of the financing for the project is to be derived from bank loans for which no formal agreement has been executed; there is only a letter of intent from the banks with final negotiations still under way. (For more on the fuel reprocessing plant, see page 35.) MAY
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