Let me say also that I used to be a citizen of your State. I used 

 to reside in your State. I worked for the Federal Government for 

 awhile back between 1944 to 1946 and I resided for awhile and was 

 gainfully employed at the Las Vegas Air Force Base. Had I stayed 

 there, I would have been a strong Harry Reid supporter, I can as- 

 sure you. 



Mr. Chairman, I want to commend you for convening this hear- 

 ing on the Office of Research and Development at the Environ- 

 mental Protection Agency. 



As you know, the House passed H.R. 1994 last year, which is 

 very similar to S. 1545. As you may know, in the district that I rep- 

 resent in North Carolina, there are approximately 1,200 EPA Fed- 

 eral employees. The majority of these employees are scientists at 

 the EPA research laboratories and offices located in the Research 

 Triangle Park and surrounding area — the Air and Energy Engi- 

 neering Research Laboratory, the Atmospheric Research and Expo- 

 sure Assessment Laboratory, the Health Effects Research Labora- 

 tory, and the Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office. 



The applied research mission of EPA is critical to the solution of 

 America's environmental problems, as has been stated. The re- 

 search conducted in and supported by the laboratories in North 

 Carolina and Nevada, as well as those throughout the country, has 

 provided the based for many of the actions taken by environmental 

 regulation agencies both in this country and around the world. The 

 need for this environmental research will only increase in the com- 

 ing years as we are faced with even more complex environmental 

 crises. 



It is imperative that EPA maintain a high-quality, credible re- 

 search program. EPA cannot afford to establish regulations based 

 on poor quality or insufficient scientific data. The regulatory deci- 

 sions must be based on the very best scientific evidence available. 

 We believe that H.R. 1994 and S. 1545 will help to accomplish this 

 purpose. 



I believe that one of EPA's biggest problems is a public relations 

 problem. It is our belief that the way to cure this problem is to pro- 

 vide a means for the agency to make judgments which are based 

 on the best that science and technology can offer and good judg- 

 ment. 



I have many other pearls of wisdom written out here, and I will 

 ask unanimous consent to have placed in the record. 



Senator REID. Without objection, your prepared statement will 

 appear in the record. 



Mr. VALENTINE. I thank you again for this opportunity to appear, 

 Mr. Chairman. 



Senator REID. In reference to your statement, Congressman Val- 

 entine, I did serve on the Science and Technology Committee. It 

 was one of the high points of my congressional career — and I say 

 that seriously. I enjoyed that very, very much. I served on a num- 

 ber of subcommittees. The one I remember the most is the one 

 chaired by now Vice President Gore, Investigations and Oversight. 

 We did some very interesting things there, things that I still use 

 over here. It was that beneficial. 



I miss the committee. It was not only educational but a lot of 

 collegiality there. I enjoyed it a lot. 



