WASHINGTON – The House Energy and Commerce Committee considered several pieces of legislation today including HR 2491 The International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act, or the Canadian Trash bill, and HR 3058 The Drug Free Sports Act. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) spoke in favor of the bill on Canadian Trash and offered an amendment to the Drug Free Sports bill.

The Canadian trash bill authorizes the EPA to carry out an existing agreement that requires Canada to notify the EPA of waste shipments before they occur, giving the agency the choice to accept or reject the Canadian trash.  When determining whether to give consent to a shipment, the EPA must heavily weigh the views of recipient states, meaning that if Michigan doesn’t want Canadian trash, it must be considered.

“After 13 years of the EPA failing to implement and enforce this Agreement between our two countries, I am pleased to see that this bill also provides states with the freedom to enact laws or issue regulations to limit the receipt of foreign municipal solid waste,” Stupak said. “It is important that we enforce this 1992 Agreement for the many states, including Michigan, that are getting buried each year with millions of tons of Canada’s trash without the ability to stop the influx.”

The Drug Free Sports bill essentially regulates steroid use by professional athletes in the U.S.  The bill, as written, prohibits athletes from receiving advanced notice of the drug testing, but it does not prohibit the coaching and training staff from receiving advance notice of testing.  Stupak said that leaving the loophole open provides opportunities to get around the rule.

“I believe that the overwhelming majority of the coaches, trainers, and other personnel are dedicated to protecting the integrity of their sport.  But we are foolish to believe that athletes are the only bad apples,” Stupak said. 

Stupak offered a successful amendment that will explicitly prohibit coaching and training staff from receiving advanced notice citing that under the most recent NBA contract, the team trainers are notified of the testing 24 hours before the tests.  

“I have the privilege of representing one of the nation’s Olympic training centers in my District, the Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University,” Stupak said. “The athletes who train at NMU’s Olympic Education Center don’t receive notice, nor does the school, nor the coaches, the administrators, or anyone else. This ensures that the testing process is protected.  I think the same Olympic standard, or something close to it, ought to be applied to professional sports.”

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