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VIEWPOINTS FROM CAPITOL HILL <br />By BTOnwyn Weaver <br />Lawmakers have Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have a lot on their plates this fall. Senate <br />a lot on their majority leader George Mitchell (D-ME) has stated publicly that he intends <br />IateS th15 falL.. to recess at Thanksgiving, giving only a short time to wrangle with <br />F health-care reform, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), <br />lobbying reform, anti-crime legislation and the striker replacement bill-to <br />name only a few of the hotly debated issues. <br />The item of most concern to the aggregates industry is the 1994 <br />Department of Transportation's Appropriation bill, according to Bill <br />Kelleher, the National Stone Association's vice president of governmental <br />affairs. "Passage of this bill should have been anon-confrontational <br />issue;" says Kelleher. "What we are seeing is the failure of those involved <br />with transportation issues to work together." <br />Instead, the bill is being bogged down by conflicts over demonstration <br />projects. The $19.7 billion appropriations bill included demonstration <br />projects not authorized in the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation <br />_ Efficiency Act (ISTEA). It is unlikely that this bill, along with the other 10 <br />~, ^~r+~a ~ appropriations bills pending, will be passed before the beginning of the <br />"'""C^ ~`i~' ~ new fiscal year on Oct. 1. <br />:-7T <br />`fir' '~~ r The American Road and Trans ortation Builders Association (ARIBA), the <br />-y„ ~;;, r~550CIOt10n5 SUe p <br />"-^ } ~ American Mining Congress <AMC), the National Home Builders Association <br />~~ over new <br />~ wetlands rule and the National Aggregates Association (NAA) have challenged the <br />Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the II.S. Corps of Engineers in a <br />federal district court to nullify an expansion of federal wetlands regulation. <br />_ .~ <br /> The suit contends that the EPA and Corps have illegally expanded their <br /> regulatory authority under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act by <br />~~ adopting what is known as the Tulloch Rule. Under the rule, the Corps will <br />~~_ regulate all mechanized land clearing, ditching, channelization and other <br /> excavation in the waters of the U.S., including wetlands. Previously, only <br /> activities requiring the placement of fill in these areas required permit <br />the very authority. The rule explicitly requires permits for additional activities <br /> such as excavation by redefining discharge to effectively eliminate an <br /> exemption for most minor discharges of dredged or fill material. <br />clued by <br />erv ce For practical reasons, according to NAA, the issue of what activities <br /> should be regulated is a necessary part of the overall debate in Congress <br />ood rea on how the Clean Water Act should be amended to provide a balanced and <br />ook at effective wetlands protection program that efficiently protects wetlands <br /> without unnecessarily impinging on property rights. <br />your _ <br />EPA misses The EPA will miss the Oct. 1 deadline for issuing final permits. The agency <br />or to deadline to issue sa s the dela has been due to the re lato <br />y y gu ry requirements to obtain <br />rat on stormwater public comment. EPA has indicated triat the agency will consider members <br />permits of group applications to be in compliance with all applicable requirements <br />until the stormwater rule is finalized. The agency anticipates publishing a <br />proposed Multi-Sector Model Group stormwater Permit next month. <br />PIT 80UARRY (OCTOBER 7993 9 <br />