SEPTEMBER 29, 1969, LANSING, MICH. Milliken, Gov. William G., statement delivered by James C. Kellogg, Exec- utive Assistant for Policies and Programs, Lansing, Mich_-_. DeGrow, Hon. Alvin J., chairman, Michigan Senate Committee on Agri- Gazlay, A. Gene, assistant director, Michigan Department of Natural Re- sources, Lansing, Mich.; accompanied by Charles D. Harris, deputy director for natural resources; Dr. Charles T. Black, environmental spe- cialist; and Paul M. Flink, forest entomologist, Michigan Department of Calkins, John, chief deputy director, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Lansing, Mich.; accompanied by Robert Kirkpatrick, supervisor of en- forcement division, Michigan Department of Agriculture_. Cooper, William, associate professor of zoology, Michigan State Univer- Carbine, William F., director, Regional Office, Bureau of Commercial Fish- eries, U.S. Department of the Interior, Ann Arbor, Mich.... Brown, Thomas, District Director, Detroit District, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; accompanied by Clifford G. Shane, Chief Inspector____ Tanner, Howard, Director of Natural Resources, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich Johnson, Howard E., Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State Wallace, George, professor, department of zoology, Michigan State Uni- versity; member of board of directors, Michigan Audubon Society, East SEPTEMBER 30, 1969, MUSKEGON, MICH. Banks, Richard C., Secretary, the American Ornithologists' Union, Wash- Cottam, Clarence, "Pesticide Pollution," from the National Parks maga- Frazier, Kendrick, "More Ways Than One To Kill A Bug-Insect Viruses, If They Are Approved For Use, May Prove A Successful Alternative to Chemical Pesticides", from Science News, Oct. 11, 1969_-_- Guyer, Gordon E., chairman, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich_. Hartung, Rolf, Department of Industrial Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., "Interactions of Pesticides With Sedimented Polluting Oils-With Special Reference To the Detroit Knight, Fred B., professor of forest entomology, School of Natural Re- sources the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.. Laycock, George, "The Beginning of the End For DDT," from the Audubon Marlatt, Sandra E., the Battle Creek, Mich., Nature Club_-- Petition requesting the suspension and cancellation of registration of eco- nomic poisons containing DDT, filed before the Department of Agricul- ture by the Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, Sierra Club, and West Michigan Environmental Action Council___ Sprunt, Alexander, IV, research director, National Audubon Society, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare's Commission on Pesticides and Their Relationship To Environmental Health-Recommendations 568 TO CONSIDER THE EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES ON SPORTS AND COMMERCIAL FISHERIES MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1969 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Lansing, Mich. The subcommittee met at 9:35 a.m. in the Terrace Room, Lansing Civic Center, Hon. Philip A. Hart (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF THE CHAIRMAN Senator HART. The subcommittee will be in order. First of all, let me introduce the people sitting with me. On my right is the representative of Senator Robert Griffin, Mr. Robert Webber, who tells me he is just a day or two away from a switch to Senator Griffin's Detroit office, having served with the Michigan House of Representatives. Senator Griffin had hoped very much to be here and regrets that he cannot. As all of you have read with pleasure, I am sure, that additional duties have been assigned to him by his party, and that makes it tougher than ever for him to get away from the floor, particularly since the Senate is in session today. To my left is Mr. William Meserve who serves the Senate Committee on Commerce as its counsel and who also serves as counsel to this subcommittee. The hearing today is one of a series we are holding in the Environmental Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce. The chairman of the full committee is Warren Magnuson, of Washington. And this year, reflecting, I suspect, the increasing awareness of the need to better understand what lies ahead in terms of our environment, the Commerce Committee created and the Senate approved this new standing subcommittee. It is this subcommittee, formally named the Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and the Environment, which meets this morning. The Senator from Utah, Mr. Moss, is the vice chairman of the subcommittee, and the maority members are Pastore, of Rhode Island; Long, of Louisiana; Tydings, of Maryland; and Spong, of Virginia. On the other side is Baker, of Tennessee; Goodell, of New York; Scott, of Pennsylvania; and Cook, of Kentucky. Senator Griffin, incidentally, Staff member assigned to this hearing: William G. Meserve. is a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, though not a member of this subcommittee. I am the chairman of this subcommittee. This morning, we begin a set of field hearings to consider the effects of pesticides on fisheries, both sports and commercial. Pesticides have been used in large quantities in this country since the end of World War II. There is no doubt that they have produced great benefits in dramatically increasing agricultural production and controlling certain types of disease. At the same time, we recognize with an increasing degree of concern that the large-scale introduction of some of these chemicals into our environment have created mixed blessings. Short-term gain may have been purchased at the price of irreversible disruption of many ecological systems. Lake Michigan, for example, has experienced a steady increase in its volume of persistent pesticides in recent years. According to the Department of Natural Resources, rivers, such as the Little Manistee in the lower peninsula, are dumping pesticides into the lake in concentrations 14 times higher than that prevailing in the lake itself. Now, I don't think we have to be Ph. D.'s in anything to figure out that if this continues, the concentration of these pesticides in the lakes will also increase. The results may be serious. Fish, feeding on microscopic organisms within the lake which contain these pesticides, assimilate these chemicals into their own systems. And as we continue to move upward in the lake's food chain, the concentrations of pesticides become higher and higher. The Coho salmon, one of the species at the end of this chain, has been discovered to contain DDT concentrations ranging up to 19 parts per million. Raptor birds, such as the osprey and eagle, which also feed on smaller lake fish predictably have exceptionally high concentrations of DDT as well. In the case of the Coho, these high pesticide concentrations appear to have severely harmed the rate of survival among its fry after they are hatched. And the continued existence of the osprey and eagle may be jeopardized by their inability to hatch young birds from eggs which now have exceptionally brittle shells. In both cases, DDT is generally identified as the villain. Much more speculative at the present time are questions about whether large-scale consumption of DDT or other persistent pesticides by man could seriously harm his health or well-being. The Food and Drug Administration, concerned by the effect of DDT on other organisms, has taken precautions by establishing maximum tolerances of 5 parts per million for this pesticide in commercially processed fish products. Although there is little question that the FDA is taking proper precautions in setting maximum tolerances for fish products, it is also clear that this action will severely disrupt, if not destroy, the fishing industry in Lake Michigan. For besides the Coho, commercially important fish such as the chub, which is in the middle of the Lake's food chain, now appear to be building up DDT concentrations in excess of the minimum FDA tolerances. If we are to preserve the unique ecological systems which depend upon Lake Michigan, and if we are to restore the quality of the lake's waters for both fishing and recreational purposes, immediate action. seems in order. The purpose of these hearings, therefore, will be to develop information-collect the old and identify the new-about the scope and nature of the pesticide problem in the Great Lakes and to consider what steps should be taken to reduce the volume of persistent pesticides entering the lakes. I hope that the tone of these hearings will reflect the urgency of taking prompt remedial action. We have a distinguished list of witnesses scheduled to testify here in Lansing today and in Muskegon tomorrow, and whatever else you may think about my prepared statement, you will agree that it is true that our list of witnesses is distinguished. They are informed. And as a result of these 2 days, I think all of us will have a better appreciation of just where we stand. I certainly look forward to having their comments. May I add also for the information of anyone who might find it useful, that just over this weekend there was printed the record of the first pesticide hearing conducted by this subcommittee. It was held on May 19, in Washington. There are several interesting Federal bureau reports in this hearing record, I think. It will be available upon request. Let me add now for those who are following the list of witnesses an acknowledgement, with an apology, for the omission in the listing of the chairman of the Michigan Senate Agricultural Committee, Senator Alvin DeGrow. Senator, we will be asking you to speak very, very promptly. Governor Milliken indicated on Friday that he would appear this morning, if possible, and voice personally his position and concern with the subject matter. His schedule-and it is not at all surprisingthus far has not permitted him to get over, but I am advised that he is represented by Mr. James Kellogg, his executive assistant for policies and programs. If Mr. Kellogg is here, we would welcome his coming up and giving us the Governor's position. STATEMENT OF GOV. WILLIAM G. MILLIKEN, DELIVERED BY JAMES C. KELLOGG, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT FOR POLICIES AND PROGRAMS, STATE OF MICHIGAN Mr. KELLOGG. Senator Hart, members of the committee staff, ladies and gentlemen, Governor Milliken would like to send his regrets that he could not be here this morning because of a recent commitment that he had to make this weekend. But he did ask me to read a statement on his behalf because of his strong interest in environmntal quality and pesticides. It is indeed a pleasure to have the opportunity to address the Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment. We particularly are pleased to see emphasis on the part of the committee on the quality of the environment and support and applaud your efforts to protect and preserve it. Michigan is particularly appreciative of your interest since environmental quality ranks high on our State agenda and our concern and commitment have been underscored in a number of recent actions. Last November, as you know, the citizens of Michigan approved a $335 million bond issue to help finance local wastewater treatment |