Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "4526308",
    "label": "Rotary Club, Belding, MI, August 31, 1970",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526308"
}

{
    "id": "4526308",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526308",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Rotary Club, Belding, MI, August 31, 1970",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526308",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
        "Speeches"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Water pollution"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0054/642080/4526308.pdf",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0054/642080/4526308.pdf",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0054/642080/4526308.pdf",
    "imageCount": 1,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526308",
    "naId": 4526308,
    "coverageEndDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1970-08-31",
        "month": 8,
        "year": 1970
    },
    "coverageStartDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1970-08-01",
        "month": 8,
        "year": 1970
    },
    "levelOfDescription": "fileUnit",
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0054/642080/4526308.pdf",
    "mediaId": "987b46e3a962db41",
    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D30, folder \"Rotary Club, Belding, MI, August\n31, 1970\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald\nR. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDistribution\nall\nFifth District News Midia\n8/25/70 (3: rop.m.)\nM Office Copy\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\n--FOR RELEASE AT 12 NOON--\nMonday, August 31, 1970\nExcerpts from a Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford before the Belding Rotary Club\nBelding, Mich., may well prove to be a model for hundreds of communities\nacross the Nation.\nThis is because Belding is the scene of a \"first\" in America's fight against\nwater pollution. Belding is the location of a sewage treatment facility which will\nbe the first of its kind in the country--a facility featuring spray irrigation of\na municipal nursery and agricultural acreage with effluent from sewage oxidation\nponds.\nI am pleased to have had a hand in gaining approval of a $120,000 Federal\ngrant for this project--a Federal grant which is being combined with $70,000 in\nCity funds to pay for the new facility.\nI congratulate Belding on pioneering with the spray-irrigation sewage\nsystem. What is significant about the method being used in Belding is that it is\na 100 per cent effective system and it also has beneficial end products which will\noffset operating costs.\nAs you know, the waste water will be cleaned of phosphates and nitrates and\nthose two chemicals will be used through the spray system to fertilize and irrigate\nthe municipal nursery. Trees, shrubs and sod will be grown, but there will also\nbe test plots for various crops.\nIt appears to me that the Belding project will lead the way for countless\nother communities throughout the country. The importance of the project cannot be\nover-emphasized.\nAll of us who are tremendously concerned about environmental pollution will\nbe watching the Belding project with special attention.\nWe are determined, too, that the Nation shall make the fastest practical\nprogress in eliminating all of our environmental problems.\nI personally have sponsored seven bills that touch all aspects of our\nenvironment.\nIn the fight to abate water pollution, the bills I have introduced would\nauthorize $4 billion to cover the Federal share of a $10 billion program for the\nconstruction of municipal waste treatment plants. If we are going to make headway\n(more)\nDigitized from Box D30 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\n-2-\ntoward cleaning up Lake Michigan, for instance, every community on the lake must\nhave good waste treatment plants.\nOne of my bills would establish an Environmental Financing Authority to\ninsure that every municipality can finance its share of treatment plant construction.\nIt also encourages the construction of large-scale regional treatment facilities.\nMy legislation also extends the Federal-State Water Quality Standards to\ninclude precise standards for all industrial and municipal sources, provides for\ncourt action for violation of standards with fines of up to $10,000 a day, and\nextends pollution control authority to include all navigable waters. The bill\nfurther provides operating grants of from $10 million to $30 million (by 1975) to\nState pollution control agencies.\nMy Clean Air Bill establishes and implements national clean air standards.\nIn the area of recreation, the environmental preservation program I have\nintroduced would provide $327 million to fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.\nIt provides for a review of federally owned real estate to find properties that\ncan be converted to public recreational facilities.\nMy recreation area bill would authorize the Interior Department to convey\nto the states and local government surplus property for park and recreational\npurposes and would provide assistance to state and local government to use idle\nfarmland for recreational purposes. The bill would also provide for longterm\ncontracts with owners of idle farmlands for reforestation and any other improvements\nfor public recreational use.\nWe need to pass all of this legislation. Programs of this kind will be a\ngiant step toward cleaning up our Nation.\nTo date the U.S. House of Representatives has moved on three important fronts\nin an effort to improve the environmental quality of our lives. First, on June 10,\nthe House passed the Clean Air Act, with new authority for establishing nationwide\nair quality standards and including the control of automotive and aircraft emissions.\nThen, on June 23, the House approved the Resource Recovery Act of 1970. This was\nthe Solid Waste Act, which I sponsored. It provides for a three-year $450 million\nexpansion of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, including the development of new\ntechnologies for handling solid waste. Finally, on June 24, the House approved a\nPublic Works Appropriation Bill including $1 billion for the construction of waste\ntreatment facilities.\nThese bills are a good beginning but we must continue to be sensitive to our\nenvironmental problems and to respond fully to the Nation's environmental needs\nFurther constructive actions must be forthcoming. Our very survival is at stake.\n# # #\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\nFOR RELEASE AT 12 NOON--\nMonday, August 31, 1970\nExcerpts from a Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford before the Belding Rotary Club\nBelding, Mich., may well prove to be a model for hundreds of communities\nacross the Nation.\nThis is because Belding is the scene of a \"first\" in America's fight against\nwater pollution. Belding is the location of a sewage treatment facility which will\nbe the first of its kind in the country--a facility featuring spray irrigation of\na municipal nursery and agricultural acreage with effluent from sewage oxidation\nponds.\nI am pleased to have had a hand in gaining approval of a $120,000 Federal\ngrant for this project--a Federal grant which is being combined with $70,000 in\nCity funds to pay for the new facility.\nI congratulate Belding on pioneering with the spray-irrigation sewage\nsystem. What is significant about the method being used in Belding is that it is\na 100 per cent effective system and it also has beneficial end products which will\noffset operating costs.\nAs you know, the waste water will be cleaned of phosphates and nitrates and\nthose two chemicals will be used through the spray system to fertilize and irrigate\nthe municipal nursery. Trees, shrubs and sod will be grown, but there will also\nbe test plots for various crops.\nIt appears to me that the Belding project will lead the way for countless\nother communities throughout the country. The importance of the project cannot be\nover-emphasized.\nAll of us who are tremendously concerned about environmental pollution will\nbe watching the Belding project with special attention.\nWe are determined, too, that the Nation shall make the fastest practical\nprogress in eliminating all of our environmental problems.\nI personally have sponsored seven bills that touch all aspects of our\nenvironment.\nIn the fight to abate water pollution, the bills I have introduced would\nauthorize $4 billion to cover the Federal share of a $10 billion program for the\nconstruction of municipal waste treatment plants. If we are going to make headway\n(more)\n-2-\ntoward cleaning up Lake Michigan, for instance, every community on the lake must\nhave good waste treatment plants.\nOne of my bills would establish an Environmental Financing Authority to\ninsure that every municipality can finance its share of treatment plant construction.\nIt also encourages the construction of large-scale regional treatment facilities.\nMy legislation also extends the Federal-State Water Quality Standards to\ninclude precise standards for all industrial and municipal sources, provides for\ncourt action for violation of standards with fines of up to $10,000 a day, and\nextends pollution control authority to include all navigable waters. The bill\nfurther provides operating grants of from $10 million to $30 million (by 1975) to\nState pollution control agencies.\nMy Clean Air Bill establishes and implements national clean air standards.\nIn the area of recreation, the environmental preservation program I have\nintroduced would provide $327 million to fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.\nIt provides for a review of federally owned real estate to find properties that\ncan be converted to public recreational facilities.\nMy recreation area bill would authorize the Interior Department to convey\nto the states and local government surplus property for park and recreational\npurposes and would provide assistance to state and local government to use idle\nfarmland for recreational purposes. The bill would also provide for longterm\ncontracts with owners of idle farmlands for reforestation and any other improvements\nfor public recreational use.\nWe need to pass all of this legislation. Programs of this kind will be a\ngiant step toward cleaning up our Nation.\nTo date the U.S. House of Representatives has moved on three important fronts\nin an effort to improve the environmental quality of our lives. First, on June 10,\nthe House passed the Clean Air Act, with new authority for establishing nationwide\nair quality standards and including the control of automotive and aircraft emissions.\nThen, on June 23, the House approved the Resource Recovery Act of 1970. This was\nthe Solid Waste Act, which I sponsored. It provides for a three-year $450 million\nexpansion of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, including the development of new\ntechnologies for handling solid waste. Finally, on June 24, the House approved a\nPublic Works Appropriation Bill including $1 billion for the construction of waste\ntreatment facilities.\nThese bills are a good beginning but we must continue to be sensitive to our\nenvironmental problems and to respond fully to the Nation's environmental needs.\nFurther constructive actions must be forthcoming. Our very survival is at stake.\n# # #"
}