Legislative Uses of the Conference: Building a Consensus on Legislation for a National Materials Policy

A national materials policy should deal with all nonenergy materials, both renewable and nonrenewable. Fuels are the subject of other national policies. Major materials issues are: the need to reconcile international economic interdependence with growing worldwide competition for raw materials, the need to consider materials problems in conjunction with national energy and environmental goals, the need for less waste and more recycling of materials, and the need for more and better coordinated research. GAO has pointed out the need for a national materials policy in reports dealing with commodity shortages which recommended long-term planning and new organizational arrangements. H.R. 10859 and H.R. 11203 address some aspects of these issues. H.R. 10859 focuses on institutional structure. While specific organizational arrangements are needed, priority should be given to consensus for materials policy planning. H.R. 11203 would take steps in this direction. It would require the President to identify national materials goals over specified time periods and report to Congress every four years on plans to attain them. Therecognition of the need to exercise maximum foresight in formulating national materials policies is basic to the planning process. The conference could help to build a consensus on the appropriate content of a new planning and policy formulation process for materials.