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Culver City, Calif., M. Tellefson, city attorney: Letter to chairman__
Culver City, Calif., Chamber of Commerce, Glen H. Preston: Letter
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National Aviation Trades Association, Samuel Freeman, eastern vice
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HOUSING ACT OF 1954

Air Pollution Prevention Amendment

TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 1954

UNITED STATES SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND CURRENCY,

Washington, D. C.

The committee met, pursuant to recess, in room 301, Senate Office Building, at 10:15 a. m., Senator Homer E. Capehart (chairman) presiding.

Present: Senators Capehart, Bennett, and Frear.

Also present: Representative Hiestand.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will please come to order.

I might say that these hearings are being held pursuant to an amendment Senator Kuchel and I introduced with respect to the elimination of smoke and prevention of air pollution, as part of the housing bill which we are considering at the moment. We introduced the amendment and we are holding 3 days of hearings on it for the purpose of focusing the attention of the American people on the billions and billions of dollars of waste and loss each year that we suffer as a result of smoke.

Also, we feel this ought to be part of the housing bill, particularly the slum-clearance section of the housing bill and the public-housing section of the housing bill, because it is rather hard to eliminate slums and blighted areas without eliminating the smoke and other contaminants which contribute to the creation of slums. It doesn't do much good to build a new home, or a series of homes in a suburb, and then have some factory or a section of the town throwing smoke down upon them, so that in a matter of 6 months you can't tell whether the houses were originally red, white, or blue.

What we want to do, if we can, is to find some way to eliminate smoke and other contaminants that pollute air. We recognize, of course, that many aspects of the problem are local. We can't do much with it here in Washington, unless the cities are enthusiastic about it and pass the necessary ordinances and make the requisite effort themselves. But we feel that there are some areas in which the Federal Government properly can assist. Smoke is an interstate problem. Smoke doesn't pay much attention to State lines. Where cities are close together, the smoke will carry from one city to the other.

So it is a matter that the Federal Government has an interest in, just as it has in flood control for example. But it is primarily a local problem. We recognize that. We are by this amendment attempting to encourage the mayors and city councils of all cities in the United States to do something about this acute problem. We hope some good

will come of our hearings. We would like to do something to encourage people and city officials to take whatever steps are necessary to eliminate smoke and air pollution.

I will insert at this point in the record the statement I made on the introduction of the amendment on the floor, the amendment itself, and a summary of provisions of the amendment.

(The documents referred to follow :)

Mr. President, for myself, and Mr. Kuchel, I introduce an amendment which I intend to offer to S. 2938, the Housing Act of 1954, now pending before the Senate Banking and Currency Committee.

The purpose of this amendment is twofold:

To encourage and assist individuals, industries, and communities to solve their air pollution problem in order to conserve home values, improve health, and preserve the essentials for good environments needed for community living.

Essentially, by the very nature of the problem, the air pollution nuisance is interstate in character. Its control, however, is a local problem. By that I mean any program to be effective must originate at the local level and have the full and united support of all segments of the local community. Certain aspects, however, transcend city and State lines. In fact, polluted air knows no respect for corporate limits or State lines. Consequently, it appears that there is a very proper role for the Federal Government to play in any anti-air-pollution campaign.

The provisions in the amendment are threefold:

1. Rapid tax amortization of air pollution control facilities constructed by industry to provide tax relief to build control facilities when they are built in conformance with State and/or local law. As written, the tax writeoff is authorized over a period of 5 years.

This provision, it is believed, will encourage industry to install air pollution abatement equipment and assist those communities with active programs. Such equipment is frequently very costly and for the most part industry recovers nothing in the way of lower costs of operation.

2. A loan program by HHFA in cooperation with private lending institutions is provided for business enterprises which install air-pollution equipment when financial assistance is not otherwise available on reasonable terms. For the homeowner, FHA loan insurance may be used for purposes of home conversion and improvements which will aid smoke abatement and air-pollution prevention. 3. A program of technical research and study concerned with (a) the cause of air pollution, (b) devices and methods for the prevention or elimination of air pollution, and (c) guidance and assistance to local communities in smoke abatement and air-pollution prevention and control.

With the incentive provided by the proposed bill, it is hoped that cities and States will thereby be encouraged to enact legislation contemplated to reduce air pollution immediately and ultimately to eliminate air pollution.

Insofar as I am aware, this bill provides the first opportunity for congressional consideration of air pollution on a comprehensive basis, including all of its component parts. It provides a forum whereby the entire problem may be explored. Certain phases of the solution may involve an overlapping of committee jurisdiction. Even so, it is thought wise to include in the amendment all aspects of the problem in order that testimony may be directed to every facet at one and the same time. It would be unwise for 2 or 3 committees of the Senate to consider separately 1 or more aspects of the problem, because any solution of this highly complex problem can be achieved only by viewing all factors as a part of the whole. Jurisdictional matters lend themselves to solution and can be ironed out readily in the event favorable consideration is extended by the Senate Banking and Currency Committee to the suggested role of the Federal Government.

The Housing Act of 1954, S. 2938, contains provisions to encourage and assist local communities in slum clearance. It is well and good to eliminate slums. It is shortsighted, however, to permit air pollution to continue because, unless abated, we can expect the newly constructed homes of today to become the slums of tomorrow-as surely as blight follows decay.

An educated guess places the polluted-air costs to the people of the United States at about $5 billion a year. The extent of the damage to merchandise, buildings, homes, and home foliage alone is said to be nearly $1 billion a year.

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