(Washington D.C.)- Speaking on the House floor today in strong support of an issue of great importance to the people of Michigan, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) made the following statement regarding H.R. 2491 - The International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act of 2006:

"Mr. Speaker, as one of the cosponsors of H.R. 2491, I rise in strong support of this measure.

"This issue of waste coming into Michigan from Ontario is one of great concern to the people I represent and to others, and I appreciate, Mr. Dingell, your efforts and that of others to move this legislation.

"Let me just try to put this in perspective.  Recently, a breakthrough occurred after years of inaction.  It is the agreement announced by our two Senators from Michigan with the Government of Ontario.  Under this agreement, there is a phasing out of municipal waste shipments from Canada over the next 4 years.  Under the agreement, some 2.78 million metric tons of waste will stay in Canada and not come to Michigan over the first 4 years alone.

"We for a long time have been asking for action on the bill before us today.  A bipartisan group of ten representatives wrote to Speaker Hastert last November to urge expeditious consideration.  That bill had been approved by the full Energy and Commerce Committee 14 months ago.  We wrote twice to Speaker Hastert to urge him to schedule this legislation.  As mentioned, there was a letter November 3, and all but one member of the Michigan delegation signed a second letter to the Speaker on May 16.

"I will insert these two letters into the Congressional Record.

"Mr. Speaker, I do not understand, in view of the importance of this legislation and, indeed, the light workload of the House this year, why this bill was not brought up months and months ago.  Now it is being brought up at the 11th hour, with only 14 or 15 legislative days left before Congress adjourns for the elections.  Fourteen months were wasted before this bill was brought up.

"And it is not clear at all that the legislation can move in the Senate.  Indeed, in an article just this morning in the Congress Daily, a spokesman for the chairman, the Republican chairman, of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee indicated that the committee has no plans to hold a hearing on this legislation before Congress adjourns or recesses for the election.

"Here is a consideration in addition regarding H.R. 2491, and I have read it.  If it were to be made law through passage in this Congress, I think it is likely that there would be lengthy litigation and therefore a further delay in meaningful reduction of trash exports to Michigan for years.  So this bill says the EPA has 2 years, up to 2 years, and in the meanwhile, States could take action, but I think there is a real probability that there would be litigation in the meanwhile.  And so, because of what the Senate spokesman has said, with no likely action in the Senate, and other problems, we have before us a bill that I strongly support, but it should not be the basis for an attack on what was done by the two Senators from our State of Michigan.  No basis whatsoever.

"There has also been a mischaracterization of what our two Senators said.  They did not say they do not support H.R. 2941.  They said they support it.  They had presented some amendments to the Homeland Security bill, and that helped to instigate action by Ontario to do something.  To do something.  And now there is an agreement that will lead to a substantial reduction of the trash that is coming in from Ontario.

"So, look, I would hope that there would be some limitation, some limitation, on partisanship within this House.  Apparently there continues to be little, if none.  That agreement is a step forward.  It was not everything, but after years of inaction in this House, after at least months after action by the committee, something has happened that will bring about a reduction under this agreement.

"So what we should be doing today, instead of engaging in partisanship, is saying, look, there is an agreement.  It is a step forward.  Congratulations.  We have this bill.  It would go beyond it.  We hope the Senate will act.  We are sorry the Senate Republican spokesman said they would not take it up.  Let us unite to see if we can get action by the Senate.

"So under these conditions, I very much rise in support of this bill and hope the full picture will be understood, not misrepresented."

To view the two letters, visit: http://www.house.gov/dingell/documents/letters/Trash_Letter_Hastert.pdf and http://www.house.gov/dingell/documents/press_releases/109th_Session2/05-19-06.htm
 

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