[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 56 (Thursday, April 22, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4144-S4145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE 29TH ANNUAL EARTH DAY

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, today marks the 29th annual Earth Day --a 
day to evaluate our environment--a day to celebrate. Along with all 
Americans, I too want to live in a clean environment, and like most 
Americans, I fully believe efforts are needed to ``protect the 
environment.'' However, I question how ``protecting the environment'' 
is defined and bureaucratically implemented, especially when it begins 
to truly hurt Americans.
  Mr. President, I hope my colleagues will look at each environmental 
policy--new and old--carefully, to make sure the benefits are both real 
and achievable. Congress should make sure the costs are tolerable and 
properly allocated, and Congress needs to ensure that the standards and 
time tables make sense. Most importantly, the Congress needs to make 
sure that the science is legitimate.
  There are some who advance an agenda under the guise of environmental 
concern. This is not only wrong, but harmful. There are some who do not 
provide accurate costs and who inflate benefits. This too is wrong. 
There are some who have no concern about those who will really be 
affected by the new policy. This is also very wrong--Congress should 
never lose sight of the constituents.
  Mr. President, the Senate needs to continue to ``protect the 
environment'' while ``protecting the people'' who live in that 
environment. The Senate must examine the costs inflicted upon our 
society, as it relates to the environmental protection, to make sure it 
is acceptable.
  This Earth Day anniversary is a good anniversary. There are many 
things of which to be proud, and many people and organizations which 
should be proud. Many can rightly take credit. Yes, the federal 
government stepped in. However, over the past three decades I've seen 
states and local governments also step up to the plate and act 
responsibly. After 30 years states should be given more responsibility, 
because of their effectiveness in environmental matters.
  Mr. President, this Earth Day anniversary is a good anniversary, 
because the corporate world has invested billions and billions of 
dollars more than thirty years to clean the environment--the air, the 
soil, and the water. Everyone has benefited. The initial federal rules 
worked, but over the past 30 years industry has learned how to take 
environmental action in a more effective way. The federal government, 
not known for its efficiency, should do a better job of asking for 
these environmental solutions, because the same results at lower costs 
are good for America. Industry wants to be a partner in this effort.
  Mr. President, today the new environmental enemy is urban sprawl. 
This is unfortunate because Congress does not need to find a new evil 
enemy to pursue to make environmental policy work. Suburbs, backyards, 
and shopping centers are not our enemy. Mr. President, the family 
living in the suburbs is not the enemy. I hope my colleagues will take 
a more balanced approach, and look for ways to legislate that avoid the 
adversarial approach. For thirty years industry was blamed for our 
environmental problems, now it's the family living in the suburbs. This 
is counter productive. This is a terribly destructive way to ``protect 
the environment.''
  Mr. President, nearly 30 years of Earth Days has heightened 
everyone's awareness--yours and mine. I truly believe everyone is now a 
better steward

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of our planet. Lets unleash America's entrepreneurial spirit and search 
for new approaches and new incentives to protect America's air, soil, 
and water. Happy Earth Day.

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