As an aside, in the realm of prevention, the U.S. Department of the 

 Interior (DOI) recently took a very strong stand against the proposed refinery 

 at Portsmouth, Virginia. While many problems were brought out, the key prob- 

 lem from DOI's perspective was the risk of oil spills in the Chesapeake Bay 

 estuary. It was specifically for the protection and the minimization of that 

 risk to shellfish that DOI took and sustained the strong action of recommend- 

 ing that a refinery not be built. It is significant that we would take this 

 rather strong step in an era when energy is needed. 



PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 



Americans have enjoyed the extensive economic and social benefits of 

 chemical substances. People have not, however, always realized that risks 

 to health and environment may be associated with them. I feel that this is 

 changing. Publicity regarding nuclear accidents, the disposal of nuclear 

 waste (which is certainly one of the most toxic and hazardous substances), 

 oil spills, and waste disposal has riveted public attention on such risk. 

 The great demonstration in Washington, D.C., this spring was \jery closely 

 related to the question of how we will deal with hazardous substances in the 

 environment for generations to come. That is the most significant problem 

 with nuclear power. 



Recently, we have witnessed accidental and intentional releases of 

 hazardous substances into the environment during transportation, storage, 

 and other routine handling procedures. Significant environmental legislation 

 has been passed in this decade to deal with these issues. The Clean Water 

 Act; the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; and the Toxic 

 Substances Control Act are among the bills that directly address the control 

 of hazardous substances. 



It is remarkable that, in a time of issues such as inflation and energy 

 shortage, the public support of environmental protection has remained high. 

 Public support for the environment probably peaked in the early 1970' s, but 

 some recent surveys indicate that at least two-thirds of the population fully 

 support environmental protection. And, this support is stable. Even when 

 the public is asked whether they would pay more for such protection, the 

 answer is yes. This fact indicates that although ups and downs can happen, 

 the public attitude will remain favorable toward protection of the environ- 

 ment, especially in terms of developing and enacting additional legislation. 



NEW ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION 



I call your attention to three significant pieces of legislation. The 

 first is the proposed regulations for the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. 

 These regulations are related to the new water policy containing planning 

 principles and standards backed by President Carter. After months and months 

 of effort, the proposed regulations were signed yesterday by the Secretary of 



