Energy, other key bills await Congressional action House and Senate members began their annual, month-long summer vacation last week, leaving behind them an uneven record of accomplishment and a number of important bills waiting to be acted on when Congress reconvenes on Sept. 2. Congress and the White House still are locked in a stalemate over what the nation's energy policy should be. Both branches of Congress have passed bills allowing limited production of the Navy's petroleum reserve fields, as called for by President Ford. But the rest of Ford's energy program, which includes, among other things, strict conservation measures, and deregulation of oil and natural gas prices, and increased tariffs on imported oil, has not proved acceptable to Congress. And the House and Senate have shown little inclination to pass tough energy legislation on their own. A major energy-tax bill, reported out by the Ways & Means Committee, lost most of its teeth on the House floor, and the Senate Finance Committee, which now has the bill under consideration, isn't making it any stronger. A tough Interior & Insular Affairs energy conservation bill, H.R. 7014, also is being watered down in House floor action. The bill was in the process of being amended when Congress adjourned. And Ford, so far, has vetoed those energy bills Congress has managed to pass. He promises to do the same with legislation extending the Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act, under which the Federal Energy Administration regulates price increases of petroleum and its products. Environmental legislation is not moving much faster than energy legislation. Both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are displeased with the way the Environmental Protection Agency is handling its pesticide regulation program. As a result, Congress extended the program for only 90 days to prevent its termination on June 30. And Rep. W. R. Poage (D.-Tex.), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is backing a move to give the Agriculture Department, which previously regulated pesticides, a say in EPA's pesticide decisions. Toxic substances bills that got off to a fast start in both House and Senate are now languishing in committee. And House and Senate subcommittees have been in the process of marking up amendments to the Clean Air Act for several months, with no end in sight. However, some legislation is moving quickly. The Senate Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights in only a month and a half has managed to complete work on both copyright and patent reform bills. The full Judiciary Committee is expected to act on them early this fall. The House Science & Technology Committee has reported out a U.S. metric conversion bill. The committee also is working on its version of a White House science advisory apparatus that probably will include a director and up to four deputy directors, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and a 15-month study of the federal science apparatus. The budget effort is again picking up steam, although it hadn't moved fast enough to get agencies their money before the fiscal year ended on June 30. So all agencies are operating on an interim basis at fiscal 1975 funding levels. In the area of science and technology both House and Senate have passed all the important 1976 appropriations bills—setting out exactly how much money each agency gets to spend— including those for the National Science Foundation and the Energy Research & Development Administration. Somewhat surprisingly, Congress is holding quite close to budget targets it established early this year. The targets set an overall spending ceiling and ceilings for individual areas. For example, the target for general science, space, and technology was $4.7 billion, almost exactly the same as the Administration figure, and so far estimates of outlays appropriated are $4.6 billion. Janice R. Long, C&EN Washington 14
C&EN August 1 1 , 1975
Bill and background
Antitrust. (S. 1284, 1637, H.R. 39) Allow the Justice Department to obtain in advance of a merger depositions, written interrogatories, documentary evidence on which to"decide if the merger should be challenged (H.R. 8532) Permits states' attorneys general to obtain treble damages from companies for persons or political subdivisions injured by antitrust violations (S. 489) Prohibits oil producers and refiners from owning interests in other energy resources Authorizations^ (S. 598, H.R. 3474) Provide fiscal 1976 funding for ÉRDA
Consumer Protectfon_Agency. (S. 200, H.R. 7575) EstabTîsfTan àgëncy~Îo represefrTfhe interests of individuals in proceedings before federal agencies in the area of consumer affairs Copyrights." (S. 22, H.R. 2223) Provide for general reform of U.S. copyright laws
Economy. (S. 409, H.R. 8731) Extend the authority of the Council on Wage & Price Stability and allow it to require corporations to break down business information by each product line Energy. (H.R. 6860) Imposes mandatory oil import quotas, sets tariffs on crude oil, petroleum product imports, establishes auto efficiency standards (H.R. 7014) Establishes plans to curtail energy consumption, develop domestic supplies of oil and natural gas, sets price ceilings on domestic oil (S. 521, H.R. 2772, 3808) Provide management, development plans for outer continental shelf resources Foreign investments. (S. 425, H.R. 2329) Require notification and, in some instances, prohibit acquisition by foreign investors of significant interests in U.S. companies Health.i(S. 3, H.R. 1, 21, 93, 363). Provide for medical, hospital, dental care through voluntary national insurance system (S. 963, H.R. 6371) Ban feeding of diethylstilbestrol to animals intended for use as food Land use. (S. 1292, H.R. 3510) Provide for management, protection, development of national resource lands M e t r i c ^ ( S . 100, 1882, H.R. 8674) Convert U.S. to the metric system Crone. (S. 1982, H.R. 3916, 4327, 4328) Provide for oneyear study of effects of aerosols containing chlorofluorocarbons on the atmosphere, ban or limit manufacture after two years, if deemed dangerous Patents. 1 (S. 2235) Reforms and modernizes U.S. patent law
Pesticides. (S. 1629, H.R. 6387) Provide funds for EPA programs under the Federal Environmental Pesticides Control Act only until 9/30/75, instead of the usual two years Science policy.' (S. 32, 79, 1987, H.R. 9058). Establish a Council of Advisers on Science & Technology in the White House 'Toxic substances.* (S. 776, H.R. 7229) Regulates hazardous chemical substances, requires premarket testing a ACS policy developed, b ACS policy being developed.
House c o m m i t t e e
House floor
jjudiciary. Subcommittee on Monopoly resumed hearings 7/25/75
Senate committee
Senate floor
Enactment unlikely
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Antitrust & Monopoly reported, amended, for full committee action 7/27/75
Judiciary. Ordered reported 7/24/75
Enactment likely Enactment unlikely
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Antitrust & Monopoly began hearings 6/17/75 Science & Technology. Amended, reported 6/13/75
Outlook
Interior & Insular Affairs. Amended, reported 7/24/75. Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. Amended, reported 5/6/75
Amended, passed 7/31/75
Enactment certain
Government Operations. Amended, reported 7/30/75
Government Operations. Amended, reported 4/9/75
Amended, passed 5/15/75
Enactment likely
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties & the Administration of Justice began hearings 5/7/75
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights approved, amended, for full committee action 6/13/75
Amended, passed
6/20/75
Banking, Currency & Housing. Ordered reported 7/21/75
Amended, passed
Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs. Amended, reported 4/18/75
7/31/75 Ways & Means. Amended, reported 5/15/75
Amended, passed
Enactment likely
Amended, passed 5/6/75
Enactment likely
Enactment likely
Finance. Began markup 7/21/75
6/19/75 Interstate & Foreign Commerce. Amended, reported 7/9/75
Enactment likely
Pending
Judiciary, Merchant Marine & Fisheries, Interior & Insular Affairs. No hearing date set
Interior & Insular Affairs. Amended, reported 7/17/75
Interstate & Foreign Commerce. No hearing date set
Commerce. Subcommittee on Foreign Commerce began hearings 5/17/75. Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs. Subcommittee on International Affairs continued hearings 7/23/75
Enactment unlikely
Ways & Means. Subcommittee on Health began discussions but focused on no specific bill 7/13/75 Interstate & Foreign Commerce. No hearing date set
Finance. No hearings planned
Enactment unlikely
Labor & Public Welfare. Amended, reported 7/7/75
Interior & Insular Affairs. Refused to report the bill 7/15/75
Interior & Insular Affairs. Began hearings 5/15/75
Enactment unlikely
Science & Technology. Reported
Commerce. No hearings planned
Enactment likely
Public Works. No hearing date set
Enactment likely
Judiciary. Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights approved a clean bill for full committee action 7/31/75
Enactment likely
Amended, passed 7/30/75
Pending
7/17/75 Science & Technology. Subcommittee on Environment & Atmosphere began discussions 7/24/75
Agriculture. Amended, reported
6/12/75
Passed 6/17/75
Agriculture & Forestry. Reported 6/19/75
Passed 6/24/75
Enactment likely
Enactment likely
Approved 7/12/75 P.L. 94-51
Science & Technology. Concluded hearings 7/23/75
Labor & Public Welfare, Aeronautical & Space Sciences, Commerce. No hearing date set
Enactment certain
Interstate & Foreign Commerce. Subcommittee on Consumer Protection & Finance concluded hearings 7/11/75
Commerce. Began markup 7/8/75
Enactment likely
A u g u s t 1 1. 1975 C & E N
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