and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon, with amendments, and recommend that the bill do pass. The amendments are indicated in the bill as reported and are shown by linetype and italic. The purpose of S. 4, is to PURPOSE (1) Express the act's purpose to enhance the quality and value of our water resource and to establish a national policy for the prevention, control, and abatement of water pollution; (2) Provide for an Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to supervise and direct the administration of all functions of the Department related to water pollution, together with such other functions as may be assigned to him by the Secretary, and to establish a Federal Water Pollution Control Administration within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare whose head shall be appointed by the Secretary and [p. 1] who shall administer sections 3, 4, 10, and 11 of this act and other provisions as the Secretary may prescribe; (3) Authorize research and development grants in the amount of 50 percent of the estimated reasonable cost of projects which will demonstrate new or improved methods of controlling the discharge into any waters of untreated or inadequately treated sewage or other wastes from sewers which carry storm water or both storm water and sewage or other wastes. Authorize appropriations of $20 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1965, and for each of the next 3 succeeding fiscal years for the purpose of making demonstration grants. A grant for any single project shall not exceed 5 percent of the total amount authorized for any one fiscal year; (4) Increase the individual dollar ceiling limitations on grants for construction of waste treatment works from $600,000 to $1 million for a single project and from $2,400,000 to $4 million for a joint project involving two or more communities; (5) Authorize an additional 10 percent in the amount of a grant for construction of waste treatment works in the case of a project which is certified as conforming with a comprehensive plan developed or in process of development for a metropolitan area; (6) Authorize and direct the application of enforcement measures to abate pollution when any person is prevented from marketing shellfish or shellfish products in interstate commerce as a result of such pollution and action of Federal, State, or local authorities; (7) Authorize the Secretary to prepare and to encourage the development of regulations establishing standards of water quality to be applicable to interstate waters. The standards shall be in accord with the act's purpose to protect the public health or welfare and to enhance the quality and value of such waters for appropriate uses. The regulations setting forth standards would be formulated after reasonable notice and public hearing and consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and with other Federal agencies, with State and interstate water pollution control agencies, and with municipalities and industries involved. The Secretary is directed to promulgate the standards if, following his request, the appropriate States and interstate agencies have not developed standards which he finds consistent with the provisions of this act. The Secretary shall also call a public hearing after reasonable notice on his own motion or when petitioned to do so by the Governor of any State subject to or affected by the water quality standards promulgated pursuant to this subsection for the purpose of considering a revision in such standards. The Secretary may, after reasonable notice and public hearing and consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and with other Federal agencies, with State and interstate. water pollution control agencies, and with municipalities and industries involved, prepare revised regulations setting forth standards of water quality to be applicable to interstate waters or portions thereof. The discharge of matter into interstate waters, which reduces their quality below the promulgated standards or State or interstate standards established consistent [p. 2] with the Act, is subject to abatement under the enforcement procedures presently provided in the act; and (8) Provide for accountability for financial assistance furnished under the act to accord with acceptable audit and examination practices; and make the authority and functions of the Secretary of Labor with respect to labor standards appropriately applicable to the act's provisions. GENERAL STATEMENT Public hearings on S. 649 were held by the committee on June 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, and 26, 1963. Officials of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and other departments and agencies, and representatives of State and local governments, interstate water pol lution control agencies, conservation organizations, the public health and medical profession, and industry testified at these hearings or presented their views for the record. On October 4, 1963, the committee favorably reported S. 649, as amended, and it passed the Senate on October 16, 1963, by a substantial majority. The Senate vote was 69 yeas and 11 nays. The House of Representatives, in its own counsel, did not act on S. 649 before final adjournment. The bill remained with the House committee until September 4, 1964, when it was reported in an amended version. The bill (S. 4) now reported is identical with the measure previously passed by the Senate with the exception of the deletion of the Federal installations section and the detergent control section. Recent developments and information have caused the committee to conclude that, because of the interrelationship of both air and water pollution control from Federal installations it would be more appropriate to have legislative proposals for these purposes combined and separate from the bill herewith reported. These proposals are presented in S. 560. In reporting S. 649 of the 88th Congress the committee made no proposal for the immediate elimination of hard detergents from introduction into interstate commerce. While the committee felt that legislation prohibiting the production and sale of hard detergents was not necessary at that time, it did feel that some procedural legislation might be advisable in order to insure an expeditious solution to the detergent problem. As a result the committee provided for industry and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to undertake a cooperative venture in order to solve this problem. In the meantime more than a year has passed and the soap and detergent industry has announced June 30, 1965, as the new target date for completing the changeover to production of the more readily degradable detergents which is 6 months earlier than it had formerly announced. In view of the action by the soap and detergent industry, the committee feels that a review of the problem of eliminating hard detergents is in order before adopting control or regulating legislation. Although extensive public hearings were held in June of 1963 on S. 649, which is identical to S. 4, except for the deletion of the abovementioned provisions relating to Federal installations and soap and detergents, additional public hearings were held on January 18, 1965. [p. 3] Officials of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and representatives of State and local governments, interstate water pollution control agencies, conservation organizations, the public health and medical profession, and industry testified at these hearings or presented their views for the record. It is the view of the committee that the bill as reported provides for necessary strengthening of existing authority and furnishes. required new provisions for the purpose of assuring effective prevention and control of water pollution. MAJOR PROVISIONS OF BILL NATIONAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL POLICY The national water pollution control program has for its primary objective the enhancement of the quality and value of the Nation's water resources. This can only be done by preventing, controlling, and abating water pollution. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act is the basic statutory authority for Federal participation in the national program. The act authorizes the administration and conduct of programs directed to the achievement of the important national water quality goal. The bill provides for specific expression of the act's purpose to establish a national policy for the prevention, control, and abatement of water pollution through effective administration of its comprehensive authorities. ADMINISTRATION Federal Water Pollution Control Administration The committee believes that the program of water pollution control, which relates not only to the health of the people but also has a substantial effect on our economic vitality and the natural beauty of our Nation, must have strong administrative leadership. Pollution is a serious national water resources problem. The injurious effects of water pollution have adverse implications for the development and preservation of our water resources. The individual citizen, industry, agricultural, and commerce are all affected and through them. the Nation's health and its economy. In providing authorities for Federal technical and financial assistance, and for enforcement to abate pollution of interstate or navigable water, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act defines the Federal role and responsibility in preventing and controlling water pollution. Its authorized programs for the protection of our water supplies are vital to our Nation. The 1961 amendments (Public Law 87-88) directed to transfer to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare of the responsibility for the act's administration formerly vested in the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service. Through delegations of the Secretary's authority, the operating programs have continued to be administered in the Public Health Service. In the field of water pollution the Public Health Service has made a major contribution to our understanding of the nature of water pollution, its effect on individuals, and appropriate measures of pollution control. The basic orientation of the Public Health Service, however, is toward cooperative health programs with the States. [p.4] The Public Health Service is not oriented toward the broader problems associated with the conservation of waters for public water supplies, propagation of fish and aquatic life and wildlife, recreational purposes, and agricultural, industrial, and other uses. The public Health Service should be free to concentrate on its primary concern with health, in the water pollution field, as it is in other areas. At the same time, the administration of the water pollution control program should not be subordinated to considerations which are important to the Public Health Service but are not directly related to the sound application of this act. The committee therefore endorses the establishment of a Federal Water Pollution Control Administration which would have specific responsibility for comprehensive programs; interstate cooperation and uniform laws; enforcement measures to abate pollution and to establish and obtain compliance with standards of water quality; and to control pollution from Federal installations. Other functions relating to water pollution are retained within the Secretary's discretion who may additionally assign them to the new Administration. or to other sectors in the Department. The committee is confident that the Secretary will permit no duplication or overlapping in the water pollution control program. However, the committee believes that the Administration should not be limited to those elements of the program which make it possible to achieve enforcement, but should have operational aspects that encourage compliance as well. Enforcement powers should be used but compliance should be sought. Cooperative assignment of commissioned officer staff of the Public Health Service to performance of duties with other Federal agencies, as for example, the Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Bureau of Employees' Compensation, and many other agencies is a traditional Public Health Service function, of which it is justifiably proud. The temporary assignment of commissioned corps personnel to accompany the transfer or responsibilities to the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration is in full accord with this long |