[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 16, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               EARTH DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARTIN OLAV SABO

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 16, 1997

  Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 27th annual 
Earth Day, which occurs next Tuesday, April 22.
  Mr. Speaker, it is easy for us to be complacent today about the state 
of our environment. After a century of severe pollution, we have 
rallied over nearly three decades to accomplish major successes in 
environmental protection and restoration. Among them are the Clean 
Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Air Act. These 
laws have left our air and water cleaner than it has been in 
generations, and they have restored healthy populations of many plant 
and animal species that were on the brink of extinction.
  Perhaps more important than laws, however, is the unprecedented shift 
in public attitudes and practices that has occurred over the past 25 
years. It is becoming commonplace, for instance, to see recycling bins 
alongside every trash bin; schoolchildren are taught about preservation 
of resources; and volunteer groups can regularly been seen cleaning up 
our riverbanks, parks, and open spaces.
  After so many years of successfully struggling to improve our 
environment, it can be easy to lose perspective on why this struggle is 
important, and why we must remain ever vigilant. Earth Day exists so 
that we can pause and remember why we began working to protect the 
environment in the first place.
  In debates over whether to preserve a particular species or ban a 
certain pollutant, we tend to forget why these things are important to 
us. Simply put, our planet is our home. By polluting it, abusing its 
natural resources, and reducing the diversity of its species, we make 
it a more difficult and less healthy place in which to live. Very often 
we hear people invoke ``our children and grandchildren'' when talking 
about the environment. This is not idle sentimentality. A child born 
today is breathing cleaner air, and can swim in cleaner lakes and 
rivers than a child born 10 years ago. Environmental protection is 
about quality of life and survival. It is precisely for this reason 
that we cannot rest on our laurels.
  Americans are clearly living in a healthier environment than we were 
a generation ago. But there are still many old problems that have not 
been resolved, and many new challenges that we must face. This is not 
the time to be satisfied with our accomplishments and begin to roll 
back our environmental protections. Rather, it is time to examine what 
we have done and look for ways to do better.
  The debate over clean air presents a good example. There are many 
opinions about the best way to reduce pollution in our atmosphere. 
While this debate continues, we must not overlook an important way that 
individuals and government can ease air pollution--mass transit and 
environmentally friendly transportation. As a member of the 
Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and now as its ranking 
member, I have been proud to advocate more investment in mass transit 
for our cities, and for further development of alternative modes of 
transportation like bicycling. By making it easier for people to ride 
their bikes, the bus, or the train to work every day, we can take an 
important step toward reducing both pollution and our heavy use of 
gasoline and other limited fossil fuels.
  This is just one example of the many ways that environmental 
protection is important in our daily lives. It shows us that protecting 
our environment is not an abstract goal that we pursue simply for its 
own sake. The laws that we enact and the habits we form affect the way 
we live our lives, and help determine whether future generations will 
be able to live happy, healthy, and productive lives. This is what I 
urge all of my colleagues, and all Americans, to think about this Earth 
Day.

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