THE NEED FOR A NATIONAL MATERIALS POLICY

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1974

U.S. SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION,

PANEL ON MATERIALS POLICY,

Washington, D.C.

The Panel met at 9:30 a.m., pursuant to recess, in room 4200, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Jennings Randolph (chairman of the full committee) presiding.

Present: Senators Randolph, Baker, Stafford, and Domenici.

Senator RANDOLPH. A pleasant morning to all of you who are with us for the 7th day of these hearings.

We have as our first two witnesses Mr. Quarles and Mr. Strelow of the Environmental Protection Agency, if they would come to the table, please.

Members of our special Panel on Materials Policy are gratified to have these witnesses.

Mr. Quarles, if you would identify yourself for the record and what background material you think would be helpful before your statement is given.

Mr. Strelow, you are not yet confirmed but your words will be appreciated.

STATEMENT OF JOHN R. QUARLES, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, ACCOMPANIED BY: ROGER STRELOW, ACTING ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR AIR AND WASTE MANAGEMENT

Mr. QUARLES. Sir, I am John Quarles, the Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Roger Strelow is the Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Waste Management.

We appreciate this opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the management and disposal of the increasing quantities of solid waste discarded across the Nation and the recovery of valuable resources from this ever-growing supply of waste materials.

This is my first appearance before this Panel since its establishment in May of this year. We at the Environmental Protection Agency look upon the formation of the Panel as the reflection of an increasing national concern for the need to develop a wise policy of resource conservation and careful use and reuse of materials, particularly in the face of our burgeoning rate of energy and materials consumption. (1065)

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The problems of solid waste management and disposal and resource recovery which confront us today are compounded by the alarming magnitude and properties of the wastes we discard each year.

Multiple packaging, built-in obsolescence, and the convenience of disposable consumer items all contribute to an estimated 125 million tons of wastes discarded each year from our households, commercial establishments, and other general business and service activities of our economy. When we add to this an estimated 2.3 billion tons of agricultural wastes, 1.7 billion tons from mining operations, and 110 million tons per year from industrial sources, the total figure of well over 4 billion tons of solid waste generated per year is staggering.

Not only are we concerned with the proper management and disposal of the relatively non-hazardous postconsumer wastes which form the greater bulk of our solid waste problem, but we are especially concerned with the effects of hazardous wastes which, if not properly handled, can cause serious harm or injury to humans and other living species and can directly affect the ecological balance in often subtle, latent ways.

Any national program for effective solid waste management and resource conservation should be directed toward the reduction of the amount of waste generated and materials consumed, maximum recovery of energy and materials from these wastes, and the proper disposal of the residuals which have no further beneficial use in a manner which will protect both public health and environmental quality.

The Environmental Protection Agency and its predecessor agency have been actively engaged in developing and implementing programs directed toward this goal since the enactment of the Solid Waste Disposal Act in 1965. Our efforts in this area were considerably intensified in 1970 with the passage of the Resource Recovery Act, which amplified the broad-ranging national program aimed at assisting the States in planning their own solid waste management programs and added new thrusts in resource recovery, guidelines, and hazardous waste treatment.

From our experience with solid waste management, in general, and that gained while implementing the Resource Recovery Act, in particular, we have become increasingly aware of the need to continue the progress made at both the Federal and State levels under our 1970 authorities and the need for national standards and special care in the management of hazardous wastes.

Under the Resource Recovery Act, EPA has addressed the environmental problems associated with solid waste disposal through emphasis on several major areas of Federal involvement, with primary responsibility for solid waste management being exercised by State and local officials.

Through our demonstration program, States and municipalities have demonstrated and applied innovative waste management and resource recovery systems. We are currently demonstrating four energy recovery systems and two materials recovery systems under this program. These demonstrations have attracted a great deal of national interest-this is really gathering a good deal of momentum-and we have identified over 30 communities which are considering the installation of similar systems.