Without objection that statement of Mr. Laubach will be in the record.

(The statement referred to follows:)

STATEMENT OF GEORGE C. LAUBACH, HEALTH Officer, EliZABETH, N. J.

There are several official groups and private citizens in Elizabeth, interested in this problem and are cooperating and coordinating their efforts. One of these is the Air Pollution Committee appointed by our city council, of which I am a member. Through the deliberations of this committee two definite proposals have been put into effect.

1. Before any permits are issued by a city department, for the construction of a manufacturing concern or an industry in the city; the applications, blueprints, plans and other pertinent information be referred to the board of health for their perusal and recommendations.

2. In cooperation with the State department of health, permanent air sampling stations are being set up in Elizabeth and southward in the critical areas, along the waterfront.

In discussing there two proposals, first, No. 1: This immediately poses a problem, the expenditure of money for the protective or controlling devices may well be prohibitive, and the industry may withdraw their application and move elsewhere, and No. 2: Even though we might be able to pinpoint sources of pollution, from the sampling stations, we are told that additional research is needed rather than law enforcing at the present time, as there are no standard techniques available and we are lacking sufficient data to determine specific air contaminants.

There have been attempts to legislate in the past, not only in our State but in several others and as Mayor LaCorte has indicated, it is an engineering problem of great magnitude. Now this again poses another problem: "What can be done to alleviate the acute situations such as we have experienced in Elizabeth?" Therefore, it is my firm conviction, that this amendment we are discussing today, if enacted into law, will be a tremendous help to us in carrying out our proposals, and in preventing acute and serious smog episodes, because we could approach industry with not only a directive in one hand but with an olive branch in the other.

In closing I should like to raise one question:

Will this amendment take into consideration the expenditure of money for necessary equipment, for the disposal of liquidation industrial wastes, because we know that in many instances this contains toxic material and it cannot be disposed of through the average sanitary sewerage system?

(Whereupon, at 12: 15 p. m., the committee recessed, to reconvene at 2: 15 p. m., the same day.)

AFTERNOON SESSION

(The committee reconvened at 2 p. m., Senator Goldwater presiding.)

Senator GOLDWATER. The committee will come to order.

The next witness will be the Honorable Warren Billings, councilman from South Pasadena, Calif. I want to welcome you here, Mr. Billings. We look forward to your testimony.

STATEMENT OF WARREN BILLINGS, COUNCILMAN,

SOUTH PASADENA, CALIF.

Mr. BILLINGS. Mr. Chairman, I am appearing in the capacity of chairman of the smog control committee of the Los Angeles County Division of the League of California Cities. Without wishing to duplicate any of the testimony that has been presented by Mayor Poulson of Los Angeles or Mr. Harold Kennedy, I would like to emphasize this one point in general.

I believe that the most important factor in the air pollution problem, certainly the one thing that has deterred progress more than anything else, is the terrific complexity of the problem. It has been brought out previously but as I say, I want to emphasize that one fact, that a condition locally in one area may have very little in common with a similar result in another area. I know that that has been the greatest stumbling block in the progress that we have made in Los Angeles County.

I have a prepared statement that I respectfully request be placed in the record, and with your permission I would like to quote briefly

from that.

Senator GOLDWATER. That statement will be received and be made a part of the record at the conclusion of your remarks, and you may testify as you see fit.

Mr. BILLINGS. I am using the city of South Pasadena, my own city, as an example of the potential economic impact of air pollution on urban redevelopment. I wish to point out that we have probably an outstanding example of what can happen. Located between Pasadena and Los Angeles, South Pasadena has long enjoyed the reputation of being an exceptionally clean, homey little city that was very desirable to live in. We have some light precision manufacturing, some excellent apartment areas, but we are predominantly a singlefamily residential city.

We have no heavy industry whatever. As we are only 10 minutes away from downtown Los Angeles by freeway, property has always been in demand. At the present time our local urban redevelopment agency is in the process of redeveloping an area of some 480 acres of potentially choice residential property.

This project will offer the last opportunity for such desirable acreage that is located so close to downtown Los Angeles. There is only one thing that could ultimately affect this project adversely-air pollution.

I have, Senator Goldwater, a map prepared indicating this particular urban redevelopment. The portion indicated inside of the red line includes all of this so-called blighted area which was the result of a poor development back in the 1880's where they ran this rectangular development up the face of a cliff. Surrounding it is good residential property in Pasadena. Here are the Los Angeles City limits, north in this direction. Now, if you will recall the map that Mayor Poulson exhibited this morning indicating the wind velocities and the directions, you will recall that the wind carrying the smog created elsewhere comes in this direction and sweeps directly through

this area.

The area indicated in this redevelopment might be described as a horseshoe of hills, so that we have a large valley in here which is open on the bottom end so that it offers a natural draw for the air pollution clouds to pour in.

I have also 3 photographs that I personally took last fall during 1 of the exceptional days when you could go up on top of this hill area where the air was clear and you could see the approaching smog clouds. I would like to have you examine those. There is one indicating the typical type of incinerate or smog, which is the first one you see, that has rolled up against the foothills. The other two look

south toward Los Angeles and the harbor area, indicating the bank of smog rolling in.

You can see the tops of the hills in the distance sticking up like little islands in that sea of smog. On that particular day the inversion ceiling was around 500 feet, which made an excellent opportunity of taking those pictures.

The problem that confronts South Pasadena is this: With a potential $12 million development that has everything in the world in its favor, that one question mark ahead of it, air pollution, we see a very, very difficult problem ahead of us. It is our desire to approach this from the standpoint of buying out the property involved. We are already in that process. There will be a considerable amount of condemnation proceedings required. Then we wish to sell this acreage back to a private dealer and he would then proceed under the plan set up by the development agency and produce this very, very beautiful development.

However, when we see what goes on with air pollution, if we are even to disregard for the time being the actual material damage that can be sustained by the property in its path, the mere fact of the nuisance value of air pollution is a very strong deterrent toward anyone's buying property in this area. The result is that at this time we are not at all sure that we are going to be able to interest the proper parties in coming in there and taking over this large project. Where we are talking in the neighborhood of 600 or 650 very fine home sites, we are very, very definitely and earnestly interested in doing anything that will help alleviate the smog problem. I wish to emphasize as strongly as possible that while we are speaking of it as a local problem, we know this thing exists in many other communities throughout the State and throughout the Nation.

In closing, Senator, I would like to let you in on a little secret, too. Speaking of flying, I have unfortunately seen some of our good rich California smog rolling clear across the California-Arizona line, and I am afraid that some of yours has been a little bit mixed up with some of ours.

Senator GOLDWATER. We try to keep it out. We let it go as far as Blythe and then we stop it.

Mr. BILLINGS. I wish we could do the same.

Senator GOLDWATER. Thank you very much for coming here today. I know what your problem is over there. I have watched it develop all my ilfe. I think it is even moving out into the San Fernando Valley now.

Mr. BILLINGS. That is true, it is.

Senator GOLDWATER. Isn't it true that people are now building homes in the Victorville area to get away from that smog? Mr. BILLINGS. That is right, and the amazing thing is that they do not get away from it in Victorville. I have a ranch located considerably farther out in the desert and many times I have seen the pressure so great and the concentration so heavy on air pollution sweeping up through the pass that it just literally oozes out and spreads out over the desert as far down as Victorville.

Senator GOLDWATER. That cement plant doesn't help it any. You people can always move over to Arizona. We have a lot of free area over there. Bring along some of that water and we will talk to you.

Thank you very much.

(Mr. Billings prepared statement follows:)

STATEMENT OF WARREN BILLINGS, COUNCILMAN, SOUTH PASADENA, CALIF.

Air pollution is without question the most important problem confronting the 45 cities of Los Angeles County. Our people have watched the insidious growth of this menace despite all efforts towards control and eradication. They have been patient and long suffering as they breathed foul air during the many days of heavy air pollution. Patience, however, can only exist where there is hope. Once the feeling of hopelessness begins to spread among our people, our very economy becomes threatened. The State of California has provided its citizens with a fine law for the control of air pollution. What is needed now is assistance for industry in its efforts to comply. Air pollution control devices are extremely costly due to the extensive engineering required for each individual installation-and of course they are not productive financially. Many people are prone to believe that air pollution is caused solely by large industrial establishments. This of course is not true. There are many small concerns that find themselves faced with huge expenditures for control equipment. They have the choice of complying or closing up. Industry needs both encouragement and assistance in its battle against air pollution.

I referred previously to the fact that air pollution threatens our overall economy. My own city of South Pasadena is an interesting example. Located between Pasadena and Los Angeles, South Pasadena has long enjoyed the reputation of being an exceptionally clean, homey little city that was very desirable to live in. We have some light-precision manufacturing, some excellent apartment areas, but we are predominantly a single-family residential city. We have no heavy industry whatever. As we are only 10 minutes away from downtown Los Angeles by freeway, property has always been in demand. At the present time our local urban redevelopment agency is in the process of redeveloping an area of some 480 acres of potentially choice residential property. This project will offer the last opportunity for such desirable acreage that is located so close to downtown Los Angeles. There is only one thing that could ultimately affect this project adversely-air pollution.

South Pasadena lies directly in the path of advance of the blanket of polluted air, or smog as we call it, as it creeps daily toward the mountains. Those who have not lived in such contaminated areas cannot conceive of the curse of air pollution. To be denied the right to breath fresh air seems far-fetched and yet that is the lot of millions of Americans today. How can we expect to rehabilitate blighted areas on one hand when on the other we permit blight to grow? Air pollution recognizes no difference in valuation, it depreciates the multimillion dollar development in the same ratio as the three room cottage. We cannot afford to leave any stone unturned in our efforts to eradicate this modern menace to public welfare-air pollution.

Senator GOLDWATER. That concludes the list of witnesses for today. The committee will recess until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning, at which time the first witness will be Professor Charmbury from the Pennsylvania State University.

(Whereupon, at 3 p. m., the committee recessed to reconvene at 10 a. m., Thursday, April 15, 1954.)