Gore Urges Push to Curb Chemical Threat to Ozone
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Albert Gore Jr., in an environmental policy speech Thursday, called on President Reagan to immediately ban non-essential uses of chlorofluorocarbons and to place a tax on continued production of the chemicals, which scientists say are destroying the Earth’s protective atmospheric ozone layer.
Depletion of the ozone layer has been blamed for increased cases of skin cancer and may adversely affect agricultural production. A National Aeronautics and Space Administration study this week said the man-made chemicals have reduced the ozone layer by about 2.3% over most of the United States since 1969 and suggested that the depletion is worse than previously believed.
During the speech, the Tennessee senator said the President should place a $1 per pound assessment on CFCs this year, increase it to $2 in 1989 and to $5 in 1992.
Will Send Message
“This will send a long overdue message to the producers of CFCs that we must embark on a crash program to develop environmentally sound alternatives,” Gore said.
The tax would raise $260,000 in the first year, he said, a portion of which should go to fund research into alternatives for CFCs and to help industries that depend on CFCs to manufacture their product. CFCs are used in refrigerators and air conditioners and for the production of plastic-insulating foam.
Gore, outlining a six-point “emergency” program to eliminate the chemicals, also said Reagan should begin a five-year phase-out of all uses of the most harmful CFCs.
Additionally, Gore said, the President should personally call on the leaders of European nations and Japan to urge their countries to ratify a treaty designed to reduce production of CFCs. So far, only the United States and Mexico have done so.
Efforts ‘Inadequate’
Gore said the President’s current efforts to handle the problem are terribly inadequate.
“For years, the Reagan-Bush Administration has crossed its fingers and hoped this problem would simply go away,” he said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
