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June 1971

Local Program Adopted
State Convention -- June 4th
May Calendar
From Our President (Dee Lum)
Charter Consensus
Local Board Elected
Remember that Membership Questionnaire...?
Committee Update - Charter Study (Dorothy Bremner)
Committee Update - Public Relations (Laura Goo)
Committee Update - Aloha Voter (Claudia Patil)
Committee Update - Units (Glendora Alder & Carol Whitesell)
Our Gal on the Move (Lucile Mundy)
Foreign Policy Wrap-Up II
Air Quality Consensus
Congressional News Service

Air Quality Consensus

Here is the League's new national position dealing with the control of air pollution.

The clean air position includes:

Federal standard setting with state and local governments having the right to set more stringent standards.

Enforcement at the local and state levels with the federal government having ultimate enforcement authority in cases where responsibility is not carried out by other levels of government.

Business assuming the cost of pollution control with citizens as consumers and.taxpayers accepting some pass on of costs.

Participation of the public in all phases of decision-making on air pollution control.

Mrs. Berson, LWV National President, said, "League members across the country clearly agree that the principal governmental tool to reduce air pollution is setting standards -- standards to regulate emissions from both mobile and stationary sources as well as to delineate levels of pollution permitted in the surrounding air -- and then forcing polluters (be they industries, governments, or individuals) to comply with those standards."

Mrs. Benson stated that, "Leagues agreed that standard-setting should be primarily a federal responsibility, with lower levels of government having the right to set more stringent standards. Enforcement, they said, must be a shared responsibility: state and local governments should enforce controls and regulations in their jurisdictions, but the federal government must have the power to step in and should do so if officials of lower government levels fail strictly to enforce laws, timetables, and regulations."

"Members noted that everyone pays, and pays dearly, for damages inflicted by pollution," she added.

Goals of the League position include:

Reducing vehicular pollution through emission inspection and controls, changes in engine design,, fuel composition and the development of alternate transportation systems.

Reducing air pollution from stationary sources through emission monitoring requiring controls, full disclosure of pollution data and stronger penalties for violators.

More citizen representatives on regulatory bodies and easier public access to the Courts.


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