    [Budget Supplement]
    [Creating Opportunity and Encouraging Responsibility]
    [9. Protecting the Environment]
    [From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

      ----------------------------------------------------------------------

      [P]rotecting our environment is a fundamental community value for all Americans, and it can't be sacrificed to
    balance the budget. Because we cherish our children, we want to be sure the water they drink and the food they
    eat won't make them sick. Because we honor our parents, we want the air they breathe to be clean so they can
    live long and healthy lives and not be housebound by smog. Because we believe that what God created, we must not
    destroy, each of us has a sacred obligation to pass on a clean planet to future generations.

                                          President Clinton
                                          November 1995

      ----------------------------------------------------------------------
      The modern era of environmental protection began over 25 years ago
    with passage of landmark legislation and creation of the Environmental
    Protection Agency (EPA). Thanks to a generation of bipartisan effort,
    the environment is a great American success story. The air is cleaner,
    the water safer, and the land less polluted with toxic chemicals.
      Despite these gains, we have much more to do. A third of Americans
    still live in areas that do not meet air quality standards, and too many
    communities have drinking water whose safety is threatened. While the
    solutions of 25 years ago are not necessarily the best suited for
    tomorrow's challenges, we should not discard the gains, or forget the
    lessons learned, by rolling back environmental safeguards that Americans
    find so important.
      Americans want a Government that helps protect the environment and our
    natural resources without burdening business, choking innovation, or
    wasting taxpayer dollars. To meet these objectives, the Administration
    has been reinventing the regulatory process to cut excessive regulation,
    and targeting investments in programs that will have the biggest impact
    on improving the environment, protecting public health, providing more
    opportunities for outdoor recreation, and enhancing natural resources.
      In his 1996 State of the Union address, the President's fifth
    challenge for the Nation was to leave our environment safe and clean for
    the next generation. This budget and ongoing Administration policies
    reflect the President's strong commitment to meet that challenge.

                              MEETING THE CHALLENGE

      The Administration has pioneered various ways to protect the
    environment and conserve natural resources that are cleaner, cheaper,
    and smarter.

      Regulatory Reinvention: The President has challenged businesses to
    take more initiative to protect the environment, and pledged to make it
    easier for them to do so. In this regard, the Administration's
    regulatory reinvention efforts have been broad and far-reaching. In
    March 1995, the President announced a comprehensive set of 25 high-
    priority actions to substantially improve the regulatory system and move
    significantly toward a new and better environmental management system
    for the 21st Century.
      One of the most fundamental reforms is Project XL (for excellence and
    leadership), a pilot program for 50 companies or communities. Under it,
    companies will get the opportunity to set aside EPA rules if they can
    design an alternative system that will be both cheaper for the company
    and cleaner for the environment.
      The Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act has been among
    the most successful, cost-effective laws ever enacted--under it, toxic
    releases of reported chemicals
    [[Page 84]]
    have fallen over 40 percent. The law
    succeeds because it recognizes that knowledge is power and that, often,
    the most effective way to achieve environmental protection is to give
    the power back to the community.
      To build on this success, the President strongly supports expanding
    the requirements for industry to disclose releases, because the public
    has a right to know that its air and water are safe. But, because the
    law is most effective when communities and citizen groups actively use
    the information, the President has challenged communities to take the
    initiative and work with business to cut pollution.
      The President is committed to cutting the paperwork tied to meeting
    environmental standards by 25 percent, which will save businesses and
    communities 20 million hours of work. For small businesses, the
    President has pledged to create centers to help them comply with
    environmental standards, and to give them a six-month grace period for
    correcting infractions before penalizing them when they act in good
    faith. In addition, EPA is eliminating over 1,400 pages of regulations.

      Performance Partnerships: In last year's budget, EPA proposed to offer
    States and Tribes one or more Performance Partnership grants, to combine
    several categorical grants (e.g., grants that go specifically to address
    air, water, or hazardous waste). The partnership grants would
    consolidate funding streams, cut micromanagement, and focus programs on
    results. While the proposal awaits legislative action, State officials
    and others have praised it and the Administration is proposing it again
    this year.
      In May 1995, the Environmental Council of the States, consisting of
    the State environmental commissioners, adopted a resolution of support
    for the partnership grants, and agreed with EPA on a broader proposal to
    create a new partnership based on performance. This partnership system
    includes environmental performance agreements and less intensive EPA
    oversight of States with strong performance.
      In September 1995, the third report of Vice President Gore's National
    Performance Review1 proposed to give States more flexibility to
    move funds between the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving
    Funds. This initiative, which the budget proposes, would give States
    more flexibility to address high-priority water infrastructure issues.
      \1\Common Sense Government.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Ecosystem Management: The Administration has pioneered the use of
    ecosystem management--an approach to restore and maintain the health,
    sustainability, and biological diversity of marine and terrestrial
    ecosystems while supporting vital economies and communities.
      Everglades/South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative: The
              South Florida Ecosystem is a unique national treasure that
              includes the Everglades, Florida Bay, and other
              internationally-renowned natural resources. Its long-term
              viability and sustainability is critical for the tourism and
              fishing industries, as well as the water supply, economy, and
              quality of life for South Florida's entire population of over
              six million people.
              In the budget, the Administration is proposing legislation to
              establish an ``Everglades Restoration Fund'' to provide a
              steady source of funding, mainly for land acquisition, to
              maintain a sustainable ecosystem. The budget proposes $100
              million a year for four years to establish the Fund. In
              addition, the budget proposes a one-cent-per-pound marketing
              assessment on Florida sugar production to add about $35
              million a year to the Fund. This approach divides the costs of
              restoration between the public and the principal industry that
              has benefited from water projects altering the South Florida
              ecosystem.
              In addition, the budget would continue to strongly support the
              active programs of various Federal agencies involved in the
              Everglades and South Florida ecosystem restoration. The budget
              would increase funding for the initiative to $136 million,
              compared to $104 million in 1996.
      Northwest Forest Plan (Oregon, Washington, and Northern
              California): The President's Forest Plan is protecting natural
              resources and providing new economic
    [[Page 85]]
              opportunities for the
              people of the Pacific Northwest. It is a balanced, science-
              based blueprint to strengthen the economic and environmental
              health of the three-State area. It is also the first region-
              wide application of ecosystem management by Federal, State,
              and local agencies; Tribes; non-governmental organizations;
              and individuals.
              The Administration has begun refilling the timber pipeline
              with hundreds of millions of board feet of timber for the
              first time in years; restored thousands of acres of key
              habitat and watersheds while providing short-term employment
              opportunities to displaced timber workers; spurred small
              businesses through grants and job training; and strengthened
              local economies.
              In 1995, the region received over $350 million in grants,
              loans, and other resources through the coordinated efforts of
              12 Federal agencies. The Federal Government plans to spend
              just $318 million in 1996 (due to congressional cuts), but the
              budget proposes $391 million for 1997.
      The President also is seeking major changes in the timber provisions
    of the 1995 rescission law. He wants Congress to: repeal provisions that
    force the Government to award environmentally unsound contracts to cut
    ``old-growth'' timber; let the Government replace old-growth timber with
    other timber, or buy it back from contractors--before its harvesting
    causes environmental problems; and work with him to allow the private
    sector to harvest salvage timber in compliance with environmental laws.
      Salmon Recovery Plan: Salmon runs throughout the Pacific
              Northwest are a major part of the region's ecosystem and
              economy. For various reasons, salmon runs originating in the
              Columbia/Snake River Basin have declined so much that the
              National Marine Fisheries Service lists three runs as
              endangered or threatened.
              The Administration supports a regional, bipartisan effort to
              pay for recovery--including the preparation of a stable,
              multi-year salmon budget. The Administration, in October 1995,
              reached agreement with congressional and regional interests to
              establish a Federal contingency fund to try to hold salmon
              recovery costs to no more than $435 million for customers of
              the Bonneville Power Administration.

                 ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE INVESTMENTS

      The budget proposes to boost funding for high-priority environmental
    and natural resource programs by eight percent over the levels in place
    when the President took office (see Table 9-1).

      EPA Operating Program: The budget proposes a nine percent increase
    over 1996, to $3.4 billion, for EPA's operating program, which includes
    most of EPA's research, regulatory, partnership grants (for States and
    Tribes), and enforcement programs. The program represents the backbone
    of the Nation's efforts to protect public health through standard
    setting, enforcement, and other means to ensure that our water is pure,
    our air clean, and our food safe.
      Chart 9-1 illustrates the Nation's progress in improving air quality
    but also pinpoints where we still need to go. Similarly, Chart 9-2
    illustrates the progress needed in improving wastewater treatment to
    help reach water quality goals.
      The budget stresses environmental enforcement to ensure that polluters
    find a cop on the environmental beat. It would fully fund the EPA's part
    of the Climate Change Action Plan to promote voluntary, innovative
    energy conservation programs to meet our international commitments to
    reduce greenhouse gases. In addition, the budget would fund the
    Environmental Technology Initiative to spur the development of new
    technologies to protect public health, cut costs, create new jobs, and
    increase exports. Finally, the budget continues to support a ``watershed
    approach'' for key water systems, such as the Great Lakes and Chesapeake
    Bay, in which the Government considers the system as a whole--rather
    than, separately, each individual threat to the environment and public
    health.
    [[Page 86]]

                                     Table 9-1.  ENVIRONMENTAL/NATURAL RESOURCE INVESTMENTS AND OTHER HIGH-PRIORITY PROGRAMS
                                       (Discretionary budget authority unless otherwise noted; dollar amounts in millions)
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                             Dollar  Percent
                                                                                                    1993     1995       1996        1997    Change:  Change:
                                                                                                   Actual   Actual   Estimate\1\  Proposed  1996 to  1996 to
                                                                                                                                              1997     1997
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
      Operating Program.........................................................................    2,767    2,853       3,113       3,403     +290      +9%

      State Revolving Funds (SRFs):
        Clean Water.............................................................................    1,928    1,236       1,365       1,350      -15      -1%
        Drinking Water..........................................................................  .......     -374         500         550      +50     +10%
      Superfund.................................................................................    1,589    1,354       1,313       1,394      +81      +6%
      Other.....................................................................................      639      900         386         330      -56     -15%
                                                                                                 -----------------------------------------------------------
        Subtotal, EPA...........................................................................    6,923    5,969       6,677       7,027     +350      +5%

     Department of the Interior (DOI):
      National Park Service Operating Program...................................................      984    1,078       1,158       1,173      +15      +1%
      Bureau of Land Management Operating Program...............................................      638      695         658         685      +27      +4%
      Fish & Wildlife Service Operating Program.................................................      531      511         498         540      +42      +8%
      Investment Non-Operating Program (Natural Resources Research and other)...................       11      192         182         290     +108     +59%
                                                                                                 -----------------------------------------------------------
        Subtotal, DOI (Select programs).........................................................    2,164    2,476       2,496       2,688     +192      +8%

    Department of Agriculture (USDA):
      Forest Service Operating Program..........................................................    1,319    1,338       1,256       1,292      +36      +3%
      Investment Non-Operating Program (NW Forest Plan, Infrastructure, and other)..............      276      234         172         199      +27     +16%
      Rural Water & Wastewater..................................................................      508      627         488         659     +171     +35%
      Wetlands..................................................................................      115      212         139         216      +77     +55%
      Wetlands Reserve Program (Mandatory)......................................................  .......       93          77         188     +111    +144%
      Conservation Reserve Program (Mandatory)..................................................    1,579    1,743       1,782       1,925     +143      +8%
                                                                                                 -----------------------------------------------------------
        Subtotal, USDA (Select programs)........................................................    3,797    4,247       3,914       4,479     +565     +14%

    Land Acquisition: LWCF (DOI/USDA) and Everglades Restoration Fund (DOI).....................      285      217         140         262     +122     +87%
    Other Everglades Restoration (DOI, Corps, USDA, NOAA, EPA)..................................       82      103         104         136      +32     +31%

    Department of Energy (DOE):
      Energy Conservation and Efficiency........................................................      592      715         613         715     +102     +17%
      Solar and Renewable Energy R&D............................................................      257      363         275         363      +88     +32%
      Federal Facilities Cleanup (Environmental Management Program).............................    6,396    5,804       6,084       6,059      -25       -*
                                                                                                 -----------------------------------------------------------
        Subtotal, DOE (Select programs).........................................................    7,245    6,882       6,972       7,137     +165      +2%

    Department of Defense (DOD):
      Cleanup...................................................................................    1,604    2,086       2,093       2,108      +15      +1%
      Environmental Compliance/Pollution Prevention/Conservation................................    2,227    2,504       2,654       2,406     -248      -9%
      Environmental Technology..................................................................      393      281         223         204      -19      -9%
                                                                                                 -----------------------------------------------------------
        Subtotal, DOD (Select programs).........................................................    4,224    4,871       4,970       4,718     -252      -5%

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
      Fisheries and Protected Species...........................................................      232      269         282         306      +24      +9%
      Ocean and Coastal Management..............................................................      121      130         119         132      +13     +11%
      Ocean and Atmospheric Research............................................................      138      160         156         160       +4      +3%
                                                                                                 -----------------------------------------------------------
        Subtotal, NOAA (Select programs)........................................................      491      559         557         598      +41      +7%

    Pacific Northwest Forest Plan (USDA, DOI, EPA, DOC, DOL)....................................  .......      359         318         391      +73     +23%
    Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program (wetlands).......................................       86      102         101         112      +11     +11%
    Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (DOE, DOC, NSF, EPA, DOT)......................  .......      223         241         288      +47     +20%
    U.S. Global Change Research (NASA, DOE, NSF, DOC, others)...................................    1,319    1,785       1,712       1,852     +140      +8%
    Climate Change Action Plan (EPA, DOE, USDA, Corps)..........................................  .......      218         224         305      +81     +36%
    GLOBE--Global Environmental Education (NOAA, NASA, EPA, NSF)................................  .......       15          14          15       +1      +7%
    Montreal Protocol (State/EPA)...............................................................       25       38          34          47      +13     +38%
    Global Environment Facility (Treasury)......................................................  .......       90          35         100      +65    +186%
    Multilateral & Bilateral Assistance (Funds Appropriated to the President/AID)...............      272      355         310         343      +33     +11%
    Border Environmental Activities (State/Treasury)............................................       30       81          81          87       +6      +7%
                                                                                                 ===========================================================
          Total\2\..............................................................................   25,190   25,803      26,204      27,309   +1,105      +4%
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    *Less than $500 thousand or 0.5 percent.
    \1\Includes Administration's proposed adjustments to 1996 continuing resolution levels.
    \2\Total adjusted to eliminate double counts and mandatory spending.
    [[Page 87]]

      Natural Resource Protection: The budget continues the President's
    commitment to protect the national parks and forests, wildlife refuges,
    other public lands, and marine sanctuaries. While offering natural
    beauty, historical significance, and other pleasures for today's and
    future generations, these areas play an important role in maintaining
    ecosystem stability and protecting species that are threatened or
    endangered.
      The budget proposes $1.2 billion for operations in national parks, an
    increase of $15 million from 1996, to protect the Nation's important
    natural and cultural resources and provide a level of visitor services
    that the public rightly expects. The Administration will continue to
    promote entrepreneurial land management by seeking legislation to give
    the National Park Service more authority to collect user fees. The
    proposal would return 80 percent of new fee receipts of the National
    Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service for each
    of them to use on visitor services. In addition, the budget proposes
    about $111 million in up-front funding (to be spent over several years)
    to restore the Elwha River watershed and fisheries in and around the
    Olympic National Park, in the State of Washington. Chart 9-3 illustrates
    the growing demand for recreational services in parks, forests, refuges,
    and public lands.

      Endangered Species Act: The Administration is committed to the goals
    of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Congress, however, has voted to
    severely limit the ability of the Interior and Commerce Departments to
    carry out the ESA by placing unwarranted moratoria on listing actions
    and eliminating funding for listing new species.
      Last year, the Administration unveiled a 10-point plan to better
    implement the ESA. The plan shows that the Government can administer the
    ESA to protect species and improve recovery rates in ways that minimize
    [[Page 88]]
    impacts on land owners and give greater authority to State and local
    governments. The budget contains full funding to implement the
    Administration's plan.

      Healthy Coasts: Over half of Americans live in coastal areas--areas
    that provide unique and critical habitat for a wide range of species.
    The budget proposes to increase funds for programs that are instrumental
    in sustaining healthy coasts to $132 million in 1997, a $13 million
    increase over 1996, in the budget of the National Oceanic and
    Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Among these vital efforts, NOAA is
    working to raise participation in the Coastal Zone Management Program,
    which promotes integrated coastal stewardship, from 29 to 34 states. In
    addition, NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries Program will complete a
    management plan for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
      Water Quality Infrastructure: EPA provides capitalization grants to
    Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs), which make low-interest loans
    to municipalities to improve compliance with the Clean Water Act. The
    budget proposes $1.35 billion for this program, which would help reduce
    beach closures and keep our waterways safe and clean. In addition, the
    budget proposes targeted wastewater funds for areas facing unique
    circumstances, such as high needs or an inability to pay--including $100
    million for Boston Harbor, $150 million for U.S.-Mexico border projects,
    and $15 million for Alaskan Native villages.
      The President also is proposing $550 million in Federal capitalization
    grants for new Drinking Water SRFs to help municipalities comply with
    the Safe Drinking Water Act. Such compliance will help ensure that our
    citizens have a safe, clean supply of drinking water--our first line of
    defense in protecting public health.

      Department of Agriculture (USDA) ``Water 2000'': USDA has launched an
    effort
    [[Page 89]]
     to bring safe drinking water to the remaining rural Americans in
    very remote areas who live without running water. The budget would fund
    the initiative, ``Water 2000,'' as part of the $1.4 billion in loan and
    grant authority that it proposes for rural water and wastewater loans
    and grants, a 75 percent increase over 1996. In 1995, ``Water 2000''
    funded 217 new water-treatment systems; the Administration expects to
    fund 150 new systems in 1996 and 225 in 1997.
      Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP): Historically, developers obtained a
    fourth of U.S. cropland, or over 100 million acres, by clearing and
    draining wetlands. The WRP is a voluntary program in which willing
    sellers receive the fair market value to retire wetland acres from
    agricultural production. The WRP has been so popular with farmers that
    the Government has only had the funds to buy a fifth of the acres that
    landowners have offered. The budget proposes to purchase long-term and
    perpetual conservation easements on 226,000 acres in 1997, which--along
    with the ``Swampbuster'' provisions of Federal law that restrict
    farmers' use of wetlands--would allow continued progress toward reaching
    the President's goal of a net gain in national wetland acres (see Chart
    9-4).
      The retirement of cropland through the WRP will directly benefit the
    recovery of threatened or endangered species--though wetlands account
    for just five percent of land in the lower 48 States, almost 35 percent
    of threatened or endangered species live in, or depend on, wetlands.
    Also, because of other benefits of wetlands--floodwater retention and
    surface water storage--the budget assumes at least $5 million for the
    Emergency Wetlands Reserve Program (EWRP) in 1997 (depending on the
    nature of natural disasters that year).

      Conservation Reserve Program (CRP): The CRP pays farmers to
    temporarily retire environmentally sensitive (mostly erosion-
    [[Page 90]]
    prone) lands from production. Producers receive rental payments for 10 years,
    after which they can bring the lands back into production. The CRP has
    36.4 million acres enrolled, with the remaining 1.6 million acres
    proposed in the budget for sign-up in 1997, in order to reach the legal
    target of 38 million acres. In December 1994, the Administration also
    proposed that farmers have the option of extending expiring contracts.
    Contracts for around 15 million acres expire in 1996.
      The CRP's benefits include less erosion and better water quality. In
    addition, the CRP's wildlife benefits have been overwhelming: wild duck
    populations fell between 35 and 50 percent in the 1970s and 1980s, but
    these populations bounced back with a 38 percent increase from the 1980s
    to the mid-1990s largely due to the CRP (see Chart 9-5).

      Superfund: EPA's Superfund program cleaned up another 68 sites in
    1995, exceeding its 1995 target of 65 and bringing to 346 the total
    number cleaned up through 1995 (see Chart 9-6). In the past four years,
    the program has, on average, cleaned up more sites each year than in its
    entire first decade. By the end of 1995, construction was completed or
    initiated at nearly 800 National Priority List (NPL) sites, well over
    half the sites on the list. With funding at the President's requested
    level, EPA would remain on course to achieve its target of 650
    construction completions by the year 2000.

      Nevertheless, Superfund has been criticized for costing too much and
    accomplishing too little. The Administration has worked to develop and
    propose legislative reforms to fundamentally change the way Superfund
    operates. While awaiting Congressional action on Superfund
    reauthorization, EPA has redirected the program in the past two years
    with ``common sense'' administrative reforms to increase fairness, cut
    cleanup and transaction costs, and encourage economic
    [[Page 91]]
    redevelopment. The budget includes $1.4 billion,
    an $81 million increase over 1996, to
    continue progress in Superfund.

      Brownfields: The current Superfund law, which extends liability to
    both past and prospective owners of contaminated sites, can depress the
    market value of older industrial sites and diminish the attractiveness
    of investing in these ``brownfield'' areas. The President proposes to
    offer new purchasers and other businesses a targeted tax incentive to
    recover the cost of a brownfield cleanup in distressed communities over
    a shorter time period. This initiative would spur the private sector to
    create jobs, return land to productive use, and clean up the environment
    in our communities.
      In addition, the budget proposes $25 million to expand and complement
    EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative. Of that, EPA would
    use $5 million to award another 25 brownfield pilot projects to
    stimulate environmental cleanup through economic redevelopment, bringing
    the total number of pilots to 75. In addition, the budget includes $20
    million for grants to brownfields pilot communities to help finance such
    cleanups and to work with States to develop their capability to address
    brownfield cleanup and redevelopment.

      Federal Facilities Cleanup and Compliance: The Federal Government
    faces an enormous challenge in cleaning up Federal facilities
    contaminated with radioactive or hazardous waste. The Energy Department
    (DOE) faces the most complex and costly problems, the result of over
    four decades of research, production, and testing of nuclear weapons.
    The Defense Department's (DOD) environmental problems include hazardous
    wastes similar to those at industrial sites and unexploded ordnance at
    test ranges.
      In 1997, DOE will continue to stress risk reduction, management and
    stabilization of nuclear materials, aggressive site cleanup,
    [[Page 92]]
    and investment in new cleanup technologies.
    The budget proposes $5.9 billion
    for DOE's Office of Environmental Management program--a figure that
    reflects sizable savings from administrative and contracting reforms and
    that would support the completion of cleanup of 260 release sites and
    facilities. The budget also proposes $182 million to fund projects to
    privatize the treatment of certain types of nuclear waste.
      DOD continues to make significant progress in cleanup, compliance/
    pollution prevention, conservation, and environmental technology. The
    budget provides $4.7 billion for these activities. To date, 760 military
    installations and over 2,200 formerly-used defense properties have
    nearly 15,000 sites where a study or cleanup is underway, while DOD has
    determined that 9,900 sites require no further cleanup.

      Energy Conservation and Efficiency: The budget proposes $715 million
    for DOE energy conservation and efficiency programs, 17 percent above
    1996. It provides for continued implementation of the Climate Change
    Action Plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and continues the
    Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles to triple fuel economy by
    early next century. The Administration is committed to improving the
    energy efficiency of federally-owned or operated buildings. DOD, DOE,
    the Veterans Affairs Department, and the General Services Administration
    have made significant progress in cutting energy consumption and saving
    taxpayer money, and the budget proposes $289 million to continue the
    progress.
      Solar and Renewable Energy: The budget funds DOE solar and renewable
    energy activities at $363 million, 32 percent above 1996. This funding
    continues the Administration's strong support for research and
    development to reduce manufacturing costs in photovoltaics and solar
    thermal technologies, promote wind power, and spur a wider use of
    biofuels.
    [[Page 93]]
      Multilateral and Bilateral Environmental Assistance: The budget
    proposes a $33 million increase over 1996, to $343 million, for
    bilateral and multilateral environmental assistance. Bilateral
    assistance includes U.S. Agency for International Development (AID)
    activities to address climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable
    agriculture in developing countries. Multilateral assistance funds U.S.
    voluntary contributions to the U.N. environmental system and other
    international organizations to address various international
    environmental activities.
      Global Environment Facility: U.S. participation in the Global
    Environment Facility (GEF) is a cornerstone of U.S. foreign and
    environmental policy. The GEF has become the world's leading institution
    for protecting the global environment and avoiding economic disruption
    from climate change, massive extinction of valuable species, and
    dramatic collapse of the ocean's fish population. The $100 million
    budget request meets the Nation's annual pledge to the four-year (1995-
    1998) funding program for the GEF--the United States pledged 20 percent
    ($400 million) of the GEF's resources, a lower proportion than in most
    multilateral fora. Meeting this commitment is vital to maintaining U.S.
    leadership of the program.