77 



preserve important recreation, conserva- 

 tion, or aesthetic values or to prevent 

 water pollution. 



The second concerns the authority of the 

 Atomic Energy Commission to consider the 

 thermal effects of nuclear power plants. The 

 AEC, supported by the Depaitment of Jus- 

 tice, has held that it lacks authority to con- 

 sider the potentially deleterious effects of 

 thermal pollution in deciding whether to 

 grant applications for private power plant 

 construction. Power to consider such effects 

 should be granted to the AEC. 



The Commission recommends that leg- 

 islation be enacted to enable the AEC to 

 consider the environmental effects of 

 projects under its licensing authority. 



More aggressive action by all Federal 

 agencies is needed to enforce the provisions 

 of Executive Order 11288, which empowers 

 agencies to require' their grantees, borrowers, 

 and contractors to conform with State water 

 quality standards. There is obvious precedent 

 for effective provisions to be included in Fed- 

 eral loan and contract instruments to achieve 

 important national goals, and pollution 

 abatement is such a goal. 



More funds will also be needed for ap- 

 proved programs. One such program, initi- 

 ated in Executive Order 11288, requires con- 

 struction of adequate waste treatment facil- 

 ities at Federal installations to bring them 

 within State standards. Implementation has 

 lagged for lack of funds. A second fund- 

 ing deficiency hampers the program of 

 grants-in-aid to States and localities to assist 

 in construction of municipal waste treatment 

 plants. Legislation has been proposed (S. 

 3206 of the 90th Congress) to provide new 

 financing arrangements for this program, 

 which the Commission hopes will overcome 

 the difficulties. 



The Commission recommends (1) a re- 

 view of enforcement procedures by 

 Federal agencies with the objective of 

 strengthening enforcement of existing 

 law and Presidential Orders concerning 

 pollution abatement and (2) Federal 

 assistance to States and localities ade- 

 quate to permit the construction of waste 

 treatment facilities at the rate already 

 authorized by law. 



New Technology 



New engineering approaches to the treat- 

 ment and disposal of wastes should be ex- 

 plored. It has been suggested, for example, 

 that useful products might be developed from 

 processed wastes. New excavation and tim- 

 neling techniques may permit construction of 

 more economic systems for larger regions to 

 collect and convey wastes to practical dis- 

 posal sites. The 1968 Federal Water Pollution 

 Contrpl Administration research and devel- 

 opment program of $66 million is inadequate 

 to permit exploration of bold new ap- 

 proaches, which may hold the key to far more 

 efficient waste management than present 

 methods. 



Water Quality Restoration in the Great 

 Lakes 



Although first priority must be given to 

 curbing the inflow of pollutants, it is impor- 

 tant to begin now to explore the feasibility 

 of restoring the quality of some of the Na- 

 tion's most seriously damaged waters. Tliis 

 will be an extraordinarily difficult and ex- 

 pensive task — underlining the importance of 

 preventing the spread of pollution before ac- 

 celerated eutrophication occurs. 



Although careful analysis must precede fi- 

 nancial commitment of such great magnitude, 

 the Commission concludes that the national 

 importance of the Great Lakes warrants test- 

 ing the feasibility of restoration techniques. 

 The knowledge obtained from a pilot pro- 



