Re: ALERT! RAB TECH ASSISTANCE THREATEN

[Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org>]

The following information was sent to us and after speaking with the 
author, I am posting this to the conference for your information

Aimee Houghton

***************Begin transcript*****************************

There was to be a Dear Colleague Letter circulated in the
Senate. It was to be bipartisan; Kit Bond was to be the key
republican. He agreed then had to back out because of pressure
from the leadership; they do not want any bipartisan efforts. We
are trying to get Warner to anchor it now. Will keep you posted.

July 23, 1995

Lenny,

I want to add a little detail for your analysis of the spending
cuts and whats happening in D.C.

I think first we have to face the music. This is not simply
emanating from the Hill. It is coming from DOD. The top brass
have decided that while they don't "mind" pollution control, they
don't like the clean-up. I think at heart they don't like losing 
sovereign immunity.

As a result, our friends in DOD have not had the leeway to hit the
hill and defend the programs the way DOE has. DOE even had folks
at the Natl. Conf. of State Legislators in Milwaukee this week
(the NCSL language on fed. facil. which their
lobbyists take up to the Hill, its wonderful, but very DOE
weighted), so, it appears that agencies can do that type of lobbying.

A big congratulation should go out to the Senate
Authorization Committee for killing the proposed house amendment
(as signed off by Deutch before he headed over to the CIA) on
devolvement and taking down the fences on DERA monies.

As to why the Senate cuts were directed where they were, I think it
has to do with the idiosyncracies of individual Senators. Bingaman
doesn't like the States role in this; he feels its sorta a reverse
unfunded mandate. I don't know where the RAB cut came from, but if
not from a Senator look to a DOD or Service Branch
congressional liaison. At any rate, without DOD defending their
program, particularly the public participation and the state's
roles, ignorance alone would have pushed what seems like such tiny
cuts through.

Finally, let us not forget that EPA plays a role in the federal
facility clean-up. What appears to be a full-scale assault out of
nowhere is more likely an artful cooptation to undercut the
regulatory ability to enforce.

Anyway, the implications for grassroots Congressional
lobbying are: local groups should target local and State officials
to write their Congressional delegations and the President. The
message should be very simple: No cuts and increase funds for
public and state participation.

Take care and you sure do good work.