The Nation - News from July 26, 1985

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a $10-billion Superfund toxic waste cleanup bill that the panel’s staunchest environmentalists branded “toothless” special-interest legislation. The 31-10 vote ended six days of wrangling and squabbling over how much flexibility to give an Environmental Protection Agency stung by Superfund scandals during the early years of the Reagan Administration. Among those casting protest votes against the measure were five of the committee’s six subcommittee chairmen, including Rep. James J. Florio (D-N.J.), the author of the original Superfund law.