[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 22, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               EARTH DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 1998

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Earth Day 1998, I 
challenge Congress to join with me in better protecting our children's 
health and leaving our children a legacy of protected natural 
resources.
  Over the last 25 years, this country has made enormous progress on 
environmental protection. The health of American children has improved 
because (1) We have made significant progress in cleaning up the air 
our children breathe; (2) We have made significant progress in cleaning 
up our lakes and rivers in which our children swim, boat and fish; and 
(3) We have made significant progress on cleaning up the toxic waste 
sites around which millions of our children live. However, we still 
have a long way to go in order to protect and preserve our nation's 
natural resources so that your children and mine can enjoy its beauty 
and benefits tomorrow. Thus, I believe we need to recognize that it is 
not a question of whether we can afford to protect the environment, 
rather it is a question of whether we can afford not to.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that this 
year's budget provides funding to Restore clean water to our 
communities; Accelerate and make polluters pay for toxic waste clean 
up; and protect our national parks, wildlife refuges, and national 
forests.

                          ____________________