EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume One, Number Six July/August 1992 Call to Action: Quiz Your Congressional Candidates There is nothing like an upcoming election campaign to strengthen the resolve of incumbents and challengers to "Serve All the People." Two important environmental protection laws that have been made relatively ineffective by the regulatory (or deregulatory ) process are up for re-authorization this year: the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the 1972 Clean Water Act. As a focus for debate, ask your candidates their positions on reforming these two laws. RCRA — This is the main federal law that attempts to prevent environmental damage from garbage and hazardous waste. It sets forth a method of tracking hazardous waste from the point of creation to the point of disposal. Under the law, the Environmental Protection Agency established standards for disposal facilities, specifications for hazardous waste incinerators, liners used in landfills, and the type of insurance the landfill must maintain to pay for damages resulting from the inevitable leakage. The trouble is, RCRA does not prevent damage to health and the environment. It tries to manage pollution. Loopholes and exemptions allow vast amounts of hazardous materials to go unregulated. And it has led to the growth of the multi-billion dollar waste handling industry whose business interests work at cross purposes to pollution prevention efforts. Two bills have been introduced to reform our country's waste disposal law, and to increase the incentives for waste reduction at the source. HR 3939, Community Right-to-Know More / Toxic Use Reduction Bill, sponsored by Rep. Gerry Sikorski (MN), expands required reporting of toxic emissions and waste to include federal government facilities, incinerators and landfills, among others. Over 500 substances designated as hazardous under other statutes are added to the reporting list. Laboratory studies of solid waste incinerator ash have shown the presence of mercury, copper, lead, chromium, arsenic and nickel. As ash spreads through water, bacterial action converts these into more toxic compounds, which spread through the environment and are concentrated in the food chain. Therefore, solid waste incinerator ash is declared a hazardous waste. Incineration of batteries and other products which generate toxic emissions are prohibited. The bill also establishes strict criteria for construction permits for hazardous waste incinerators. HR 3253, the Incinerator Moratorium Bill, sponsored by Rep. Peter Kostmayer (PA), prohibits construction or expansion of municipal solid waste incinerators until the year 2000. The bill mandates a series of strong standards protecting public health which must be met by those seeking to construct or expand incinerators after 1999. HR 4255, the Wetlands Reform Bill, sponsored by Rep. Donald Edwards (CA), bases the nation's wetland policy on science rather than politics, and streamlines the regulatory process to protect our endangered wetlands, coastal waters, rivers and streams. It gives greater input to the EPA and US Fish and Wildlife Service in the permitting process of the Clean Water Act Section 404. (See Earthkeeping News, Call to Action, Nov/Dec 1991.) Information from Clean Water Action, 1320 18th St. NW, Washington DC 20036-1811, (202) 457-1286. Clean Water Action is working with the National Toxics Cmpaign, Greenpeace, Interfaith IMPACT and others for stronger environmental legislation. Home     Table of Contents