Congressional Record—Senate S 1242
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S 1242 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð SENATE January 19, 1995 He tried negotiation, which was met by a LEGISLATION RELATING TO THE gram would be as effective as a central- declaration of independence; he tried an in- CLEAN AIR ACT AMENDMENTS ized program in meeting air quality ternal coup, which flopped; now he's trying OF 1990 standards. force, which is bringing world obloquy on his · Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I am Since early last year, Virginia has head because the Chechens are fiercely fight- attempted to work with EPA to de- ing for their homeland and the Russian pleased today to join as a cosponsor of velop a program that would bring the Army has no heart for a lengthy guerrilla legislation to require that the Environ- battle, especially after its loss in Afghani- mental Protection Agency allow States northern Virginia area into compliance stan. to meet the requirements of the Clean with air quality standards. Unfortu- All thatÐadded to Yeltsin's personal Air Act as intended by Congress by nately, EPA has been less concerned punchiness and isolationÐis why Russia ap- pursuing options that best meet their with the results of my State's emis- pears unstable. We tend to equate the future own circumstances. sions reduction plan, than with the of democracy with the future of Yeltsin, who As a member of the Committee on process Virginia chooses to achieve is on his last leg. Environment and Public Works during these results. But consider the political miracle taking the development of the Clean Air Act In an effort to comply with the Clean place in Moscow today. An unpopular and in 1990, I can confirm that it was recog- Air Act, Virginia has presented two unjust war is being denounced in the Par- nized that the requirements for an en- plans. The first plan was rejected by liament, with reformer Grigory Yavlinsky, hanced inspection and maintenance EPA because it included a decentral- openly calling for Yeltsin's resignation. The program would require some States to ized test and repair program with oper- military is publicly divided between con- modify their current emission test and science-stricken warriors and hard-line ator certification and more enforce- incompetents. Free speech is spilling out all repair programs. It was our full inten- ment, as opposed to a fully centralized over. tion, however, to allow States to oper- program operated by State employees The newspapers, after centuries of czarist ate a decentralized automobile emis- or State-hired contractors. The second and Communist docility, are crusading: a sions inspection and maintenance pro- plan which Virginia has offered has picture of Defense Minister Pavel Grachev is gram to meet the requirements of the been the subject of extensive discus- captioned ``the most talentless commander act. sions, but no final resolution. The last in Russia.'' And the television crews are In developing regulations to imple- meeting occurred on October 20, 1994, bringing home the horror of the war just as ment the enhanced I&M program, EPA between EPA and Virginia with EPA American cameramen did in Vietnam, with did not follow the direction of the Con- pledging to respond to the State's pro- similar impact on Russian public opinion. gress and provisions of the statute. In- posal. To date, EPA has not responded. This is wonderful. The world should be stead, EPA mandated that States oper- During this time, Virginia has oper- proud of the Russian people, who should be ate a centralized testing program by prouder of themselves for exercising their ated under a regulatory determination giving States only 50 percent credit to- known as a protective finding for new-found freedom to debate a great issue. ward achieving the 15-percent reduc- Contrast that democratic turmoil to the transportation conformity. This des- tion in emissions if they elected to ignation allows transportation projects facade of ``stability'' in China. With the sponsor a decentralized program. death of Deng Xiaoping imminent, the lead- to go forward on the assumption that As States have attempted to work ership is cracking down on dissidents. Virginia will soon have an approved with EPA to develop emission reduc- By jailing its leading independent think- emissions reduction plan. tion plans that would comply with the ers, the regime in Bejing reveals its inherent Time is short, Mr. President, and our act, it has become clear that the Agen- weakness. The new imprisonment of the cou- protective finding expires this month. cy is mandating that States implement rageous Wei Jingsheng, China's Sakharov, The EPA has repeatedly stated that, only one approach. This inflexible ap- was the tip-off that the leadership fears a without an approved plan, Virginia popular uprising, this time led by angry proach limits the ability of our States would be subject to the loss of over $378 workers rather than idealistic students. As to pursue programs unique to their cir- Deng sinks, the number of panicky arrests cumstances. Mr. President, I believe million in annual highway funds which rises. that encouraging States to devise their Virginia drivers have paid into the This demonstrates again that succession in own programs with assistance from the highway trust fund. Also, any new a Communist state is a ruthless wrestle for Federal Government is the crucial ele- transportation projects proposed for power within an impenetrable clique. It ment in whether any Federal program addition to our Transportation Im- mocks the assurances of China's Western is successful or not. As EPA has con- provement Program until Virginia's 15 apologists that a market economy leads to sistently demanded a centralized test- percent emissions reduction plan is ap- political freedom. ing program which uses the very costly proved. In a litchi nutshell, here's the play: IM±240 equipment, the program is on These are significant penalties be- Yang Shangkun, an old army leader whose cause it means that new major high- powerful family was neutralized by Deng, is the brink of failure. States are over- whelmingly rejecting EPA's version of way plans or modifications to existing close to Adm. Liu Huaqing, the nation's top plans cannot go forward. Not only military leader. They may challenge Deng's an enhanced I&M program, consumers would approval for Federal projects be proteÂgeÂs, party boss Jiang Zemin and Prime are losing confidence in the benefits of Minister Li Peng, by backing economic an automobile emissions program and denied, State and local approvals for chief, Zhu Rongji, or promoting a next-gen- valuable resources are being wasted. projects on larger roads would be pro- eration politician, Hu Jintao, or by backing Mr. President, there is more than one hibited. Qiao Shi, the former national security ad- way to ensure that we achieve the Mr. President, northern Virginia, an viser and now chairman of the rubber-stamp maximum amount of automobile emis- area already choking on traffic People's Congress, hereinafter known as sions reductions in our fight to im- gridlock that paralyzes our lives daily ``China's Newt Gingrich.'' prove air quality, but EPA is threaten- and results in a tremendous loss of eco- What do 1.2 billion Chinese have to say ing States with the loss of critical nomic productivity, must not suffer about all this? Zilch. (Analysts in Bejing, highway funds unless States do it only from EPA's bureaucratic inflexibility. aware of the exclusive accuracy of my pre- their way. Should EPA repeal Virginia's protec- diction of Mao's successor in the 70's, will Mr. President, that is not what the tive finding, 138 million dollar's worth have to puzzle out ``zilch.'') And therein lies law says and that is not what our of northern Virginia projects in 1995 real instability. States should be required to do. alone would be impacted. A monolithic, totalitarian state, repress- Mr. President, these are extremely ing the spirit of freedom, only seems secure; The Clean Air Act specifically allows we have seen how it can suddenly collapse. A for States to demonstrate to the satis- harsh penalties that bear no relation- noisy, unruly democratic state, drawing on faction of the Administrator that a de- ship to the issues at hand. Virginia has the legitimacy of free elections, is more se- centralized program will be equally ef- committed to improving air quality to cureÐno matter how shaky the leadership. fective to a centralized testing pro- meet the Federal standards. We only That's why Russia is in better political gram. In the case of my State, Virginia ask that we be permitted as provided in shape than China.· has been repeatedly denied the oppor- the law to select the most cost effec- tunity by EPA to show that their re- tive options that will achieve these im- vised decentralized test and repair pro- portant goals. January 19, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð SENATE S 1243 As a member of the Committee on In August of 1777, General Stark was en- pain, I ask to insert it into the RECORD Environment and Public Works, I look gaging the Hessians of Burgoyne's command at this point. forward to working with my colleagues at Bennington. The first action had been The article follows: fought and the Hessians were already win- so that we can take prompt action on ning the day. A powerful enemy reinforce- [From The Jerusalem Report, Dec. 1, 1994] this important legislation.· ment was taking to the field when Seth ar- ORDINARY HEROES rived with his regiment. General Stark or- f dered Seth to ride on the line and order a re- (A month after his son was executed by treat into the middle of Bennington.