Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 92 Part 2.djvu/1249

 PUBLIC LAW 95-592—NOV. 4, 1978

92 STAT. 2529

Public Law 95-592 95th Congress An Act To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to authorize a program of research, development, and demonstration of guayule rubber production and manufacture as an economic development opportunity for the Southwestern States.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Native Latex Commercialization and Economic Development Act of 1978". SEC. 2. (a) Congress recognizes that natural latex rubber is a commodity of vital importance to the economy, the defense, and the general well-being of the Nation. The United States is totally dependent upon foreign sources for its supplies of natural (Hevea) latex, which total about one million tons per year. Synthetic rubber, manufactured from petroleum feedstocks, cannot be substituted for natural rubber. (b) Congress further recognizes that certain plant species of the genus Parthenium (Guayule), native to Texas and the Republic of Mexico, as well as other plants, are known to contain commercial quantities of extractable rubber. During World War II, through research carried out by the Secretary of Agriculture in the Emergency Rubber Project, the United States demonstrated that Parthenium latex is a promising and realistic substitute for Hevea latex. (c) Congress further recognizes that additional research and development are needed, especially into methods for increasing latex yields, before commercialization of native Parthenium latex or other hydrocarbon-containing plants by private industry is feasible. (d) Congress further recognizes that the development of a domestic natural rubber industry, based on Parthenium and other hydrocarboncontaining plants, would not only relieve the Nation's dependence upon foreign latex sources but also convey substantial economic benefits to peoples living in arid and semiarid regions of the United States. Such an industry would comprise the agricultural production of the hydrocarbon-containing plants and the development of commercial processing and manufacturing facilities to extract the latex and other products. (e) Congress further recognizes that ongoing research into the commercialization of native latex has been conducted by the Department of Agriculture and by the Department of Commerce through the regional commissions and that these research efforts should be continued and expanded. (f) It is the policy of the Congress, therefore, to provide for the development and demonstration of economically feasible means of culturing and manufacturing Parthenium and other hydrocarboncontaining plants for the extraction of natural rubber and other products to benefit the Nation and promote economic development. SEC. 3. As used in this Act— (a) The term "State" means each of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (b) The term "Secretaries" means the Secretary of Agriculture and/or the Secretary of Commerce acting each separately or jointly.

Nov. 4, 1978 [S. 1816J

Native Latex Commercialization and Economic Development Act of 1978. 7 USC 178 note. 7 USC 178.

Definitions. 7 USC 178a.

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