Quote – Edwin A. Locke, Jr., President, American Paper Institute, Testimony, Subcommittee on Air and Water Pollution of the Senate Committee on Public Works.

Effluent taxes are a license to pollute. If the tax is low or moderate there is little incentive to provide treatment prior to discharge. If the tax is too high some firms, because of size, marginal nature or age, may be forced to close. This can, and does, happen under existing water quality programs. But such shutdowns are directly related to water quality. Shutdowns due to effluent taxes which ignore water quality and produce no tangible benefits are economically and socially unacceptable.

Edwin A. Locke, Jr., President, American Paper Institute, pgs 1719-1721, esp. 1719, in “Water Pollution—1970 (Part 5),” Hearings, Subcommittee on Air and Water Pollution of the Senate Committee on Public Works, June 9 and 10, 1970.

Tuesday, June 9, 1970
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