NATURAL RESOURCES AND TH1 I W'lRoWil VI 



993 



The subcommittee proceeded to correct these deficiencies. The final 

 legislation also provided authorizations for $30 million in programs 

 for which no request had been made, including: 



$7 million for grants for long-term programs at universities; 



— $3 million to support the Gulf Coast Air Quality Study; 

 $2 million for coordination of environmental research; 



— $3 million in grants for studies by public interest groups; and 

 SI 5 million for technologies for reusing wastewater. 



The Gulf Coast Air Quality Study had interested the subcommittee 

 as a result of special urban air pollution oversight hearings in Denver 

 and Houston in November 1977. The conference committee produced 

 a 1 i trie of a tussle over the Senate-recommended section on grants for 

 public interest groups. The House conferees pursued their traditional 

 opposition, followed bv severely limiting the nature of the eligible 

 groups before agreeing to the proposal. The House conferees won the 

 addition of $4 million for groundwater R. & D., an item of particular 

 concern to Ambro and Watkins. 



RELATION OF R. & D. TO ENFORCEMENT 



When he presented the bill to the House on April 27, 1978, 

 Brown declared: 



The Agency's abatement and enforcement activities touch every facet of American 

 society. Occasionally, that touch has been rather clumsy. * * * A significant fraction 

 of EPA's problems in the past have been caused by a lack of credible information. 

 * * However, I feel we are making progress. In recent years, EPA's Office of Re- 

 search and Development has received extensive oversight. Although they still have 

 far to go, the research program does show signs of improvement. 



Walker endorsed Brown's approach, adding: 



Many of our colleagues have complained that EPA regulations have not always 

 been fully documented in the past. It is the hope of the committee that the funds 

 provided in this bill will assure that future EPA regulations are based on all neces- 

 sary R. ,* D. 



Winn, Wydler, and Hollenbeck also endorsed the legislation. The only 

 strongly negative note raised in the House in 1978 was sounded by 

 Representative John H. Roussclot (Republican of California), who 

 bluntly charged: 



Just in case anybody believes that everyone here thinks this is a great Agency. 

 I rise to sav that it is not. Instead of authorizing it for another year, we ought to be 

 abolishing it. 



But when the roll was called, the committee's unanimous vote of 

 support was influential, and the bill was passed, 397 to 33- The con- 

 ference report fared even better on October 4, 1978, winning by 387 

 to 15- 



