H.R. 2869 was passed by Congress and sent to President Bush for his signature. The bill combines S.350, a brownfields cleanup bill that will tighten regulations governing them, and H.R.1831, which included a small business liability exemption provision. Businesses of any size that contribute less than 110 gallons or 200 pounds of waste will be exempt from Superfund liability.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development will be held in Johannesburg in the Republic of South Africa in September and a British official has urged the Bush administration to attend. British Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Margaret Beckett told this recently to a group of reporters and members of the Bush administration, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Whitman. The British do not want to rewrite the Rio environmental accord on climate change but focus on how to meet international targets. Secretary Beckett said she thought climate change talks in the United States were shifting.
John Graham, regulatory administrator of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is encouraging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide options for particulate matter review. Particulate matter is emitted from automobiles, electric facilities, manufacturing, and coal and petroleum refineries, and is considered by the EPA as a harmful air pollutant. Graham requested this redirection of efforts by the EPA because some portions of particulate matter may not be harmful while others may be very dangerous to public health.
Senate energy bill S.1766, the Energy Policy Act of 2002, was introduced by Sens. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. Section 803 of the Energy Policy Act establishes the National Motor Vehicle Efficiency Improvement Program to provide grants to states offering incentives to motorists for the scrappage of vehicles more than 15 years of age. Owners who turn in vehicles for crushing would receive a minimum payment plus an additional credit if the owner purchases a new fuel-efficient vehicle. The purpose of the program is to move more fuel-efficient vehicles to America's roads.
The U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee has approved changing current federal requirements on paperwork required by small businesses. The legislation requires the director of the Office of Management and Budget to post in the Federal Register and online a list of resources available to small businesses. It also establishes points of contact for small businesses and develops a task force to review streamlining requirements for small businesses on information gathering and sharing.
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AutoInc. Magazine ® Vol. L, February 2002
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