
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC13101]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
                    CHAPTER 133--POLLUTION PREVENTION
 
Sec. 13101. Findings and policy


(a) Findings

    The Congress finds that:
        (1) The United States of America annually produces millions of 
    tons of pollution and spends tens of billions of dollars per year 
    controlling this pollution.
        (2) There are significant opportunities for industry to reduce 
    or prevent pollution at the source through cost-effective changes in 
    production, operation, and raw materials use. Such changes offer 
    industry substantial savings in reduced raw material, pollution 
    control, and liability costs as well as help protect the environment 
    and reduce risks to worker health and safety.
        (3) The opportunities for source reduction are often not 
    realized because existing regulations, and the industrial resources 
    they require for compliance, focus upon treatment and disposal, 
    rather than source reduction; existing regulations do not emphasize 
    multi-media management of pollution; and businesses need information 
    and technical assistance to overcome institutional barriers to the 
    adoption of source reduction practices.
        (4) Source reduction is fundamentally different and more 
    desirable than waste management and pollution control. The 
    Environmental Protection Agency needs to address the historical lack 
    of attention to source reduction.
        (5) As a first step in preventing pollution through source 
    reduction, the Environmental Protection Agency must establish a 
    source reduction program which collects and disseminates 
    information, provides financial assistance to States, and implements 
    the other activities provided for in this chapter.

(b) Policy

    The Congress hereby declares it to be the national policy of the 
United States that pollution should be prevented or reduced at the 
source whenever feasible; pollution that cannot be prevented should be 
recycled in an environmentally safe manner, whenever feasible; pollution 
that cannot be prevented or recycled should be treated in an 
environmentally safe manner whenever feasible; and disposal or other 
release into the environment should be employed only as a last resort 
and should be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.

(Pub. L. 101-508, title VI, Sec. 6602, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1388-
321.)

                       References in Text

    This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a)(5), was in the original 
``this subtitle'', meaning subtitle F (Secs. 6501, 6601-6610) of title 
VI, Pub. L. 101-508, which is classified generally to this chapter. For 
complete classification of subtitle F to the Code, see Short Title note 
below and Tables.


                               Short Title

    Section 6601 of Pub. L. 101-508 provided that: ``This subtitle 
[subtitle F (Secs. 6501, 6601-6610) of title VI of Pub. L. 101-508, 
enacting this chapter and section 4370c of this title] may be cited as 
the `Pollution Prevention Act of 1990'.''
