FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	ENR

MONDAY, MARCH 30, 1998                                                                                                                           (202) 514-2008

                                                                                                                                                                                 TDD (202) 514-1888







STATEMENT OF ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL LOIS SCHIFFER


ON TAKINGS LEGISLATION AND SUPERFUND REFORM








At the Conference of the International


Municipal Lawyers Association








On HR 1534, the "Property Rights Implementation Act of 1997" and
Superfund:




	"On two fronts, this Administration is working hard to help
shield local governments from unfair lawsuits and spare them
undue litigation costs. These approaches will help cities and
towns to devote more - not less - of their resources to the needs
of the American people. 

	"To help achieve that goal, this Administration strongly
opposes House Resolution 1534, a piece of legislation that would
expand the role of federal courts in local land use planning at
the expense of local governments.  HR 1534 threatens virtually
every aspect of local land use planning by allowing developers
and others to sue local officials in federal court far earlier in
the land use planning process. HR 1534 strips away power and
valuable resources from communities, making it harder for them to
enforce environmental laws and protect the public health.

	"The American people don't want more litigation. They want
clean air and clean water and clean land -- and healthy and safe
communities in which to raise their families. HR 1534 is the
antithesis of that dream, and President Clinton will veto it if
the legislation reaches his desk in its current form.

	"Secondly, this Administration strongly opposes the
Republican Superfund bill that the Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee approved last week. This legislation is simply
unacceptable. It protects polluters, not the public. It would
jeopardize the health of people across the country by using
Superfund moneys to reduce the costs of polluters, rather than to
clean up sites. It would increase litigation, not reduce it.

	"This Administration supports reform of Superfund
legislation, not letting polluters off the hook."

### 


98-148

   




	













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