U.S. seeks to curtail hazardous waste exports

The Clinton Administration last week recommended that Congress adopt a set of principles severely restricting export of hazardous wastes to countries outside North America. The Administration wants the principles included in legislation to implement the Basel Convention, the first major international agreement to address the import and export of hazardous and other wastes. The Senate approved the convention in August 1992, but Congress must enact legislation to implement its provisions to make the U.S. a full party to the convention. Carol M. Browner, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, discussed the new principles at the general assembly of the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment, held in Washington, D.C. "We believe the U.S. must set an example for the world by taking responsibility for our own waste," she says. "We have more than enough capacity here. There is no good reason for sending our waste overseas. Citizens in other countries should not be asked ...