The Administration's "Council on Competitiveness," chaired by Vice President Dan Quayle, was created in 1990 to eliminate environmental, health, and safety regulations, which supposedly hamper international economic competitiveness. The Council operates in secret; it refuses to discuss or release documents to Congressional committees concerning its decision-making processes.

Behind closed doors, the Council has gutted the Clean Air Act regulations in several areas. Polluters can now increase emissions without prior review or approval from the state in which the company operates, and permits for changes to increase emissions do not have to be open to public review. The Council also sought to weaken monitoring requirements for utilities' emissions of sulfur dioxide, a major cause of acid rain.

The Council has fought against recycling standards, energy efficiency, and protection of drinking water from toxic contamination. The Council has also restricted the definition of "wetlands" so as to eliminate protection for over half of the currently protected areas in the US. The Council was at the forefront of US opposition to the Biodiversity Treaty at the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro this past June.

In the Appropriations Committee's mark-up of the FY 93 Treasury Appropriations bill, Representatives David Skaggs (D CO-2), Steny Hoyer (D MD-5), Vic Fazio (D CA-3), and Les AuCoin (D OR-1) offered an amendment to delete all funding for the Council on Competitiveness. When the bill went to the full House for consideration, Representative Joe McDade (R PA-10) offered an amendment to restore funding for the Council. The McDade amendment was defeated 183-236 on July 1, 1992. NO is the pro-environment vote.