[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 53 (Thursday, April 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4244-S4245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EARTH DAY
Mr. BURNS. Madam President, I thank my friend from Nevada and my good
friend from Vermont. Today is Earth Day. Of course, most of us who are
involved in agriculture, we don't set aside one specific day. Every day
is Earth Day for those of us who use the Earth to produce the wealth of
the country.
Anyway, every year about this time they always release the index of
leading environmental indicators, which gives us an overall measuring
stick on how good or how bad we are doing in dealing with the
environment. This press release came out of San Francisco. It is
released by a group that is a think tank in Bozeman, MT. They brought
out some information that we tend to forget when we talk about the
environment. Steven Hayward wrote the press release. Of course we are
doing better than a lot of people think we are doing.
Environmental quality is improving steadily, in some cases
dramatically, in key areas with which we try to deal. Vehicle emissions
are dropping about 10 percent per year as the fleet turns over to
inherently cleaner vehicles, including SUVs. We are making progress.
Ninety-four percent of the population is served by water systems that
have reported no violation of any health-based standards.
We are getting better in trying to provide clean water for our
citizens. There has been a 55-percent decline in toxic releases since
1988 even while total output of industries covered by this measurement
has increased 40 percent. We are making progress. That is dramatic
progress as far as quality is concerned.
Despite most popular assumptions, U.S. air quality tends to be found
at least equal, if not slightly better, than in Europe. It seems we
have a lot of people who distract and criticize us for our
environmental policies.
This year's index includes a list of the media's best environmental
reporting on that, which includes the Boston Globe, the Washington
Post, the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times,
the New Republic, and the Wall Street Journal.
In other words, all of these folks have earned their spurs, so to
speak, in keeping the public informed on such matters.
There have also been notable improvements in our Government reporting
with the EPA's first ever composite on national trends and State-based
initiatives to improve water quality reporting and monitoring.
Private conservation efforts, such as Ducks Unlimited, and private
water trusts have been highly successful as reported this year.
The index reports one of the few areas to show a decline in the
quality is that of public lands. While funding and land allotments have
increased, quality has deteriorated by the most significant measures.
The root of the problem is excess of political management, and the
answer can be found in innovative solutions such as land trusts and
resource leases.
This year's index includes a special section comparing quality
between the U.S. and Europe. We are winning that also.
[[Page S4245]]
The other ways:
Doomsaying and know-nothingism gets better headlines and
work well for direct-mail fundraising . . . but a serious
look at the data helps us to appreciate how far we've come,
and helps us set priorities for the next generation of
environmental activism.
Whenever we hear a lot of doomsaying that we are doing very badly,
the scorecard reports to us overall a different kind of story. The only
place we are not making any improvements at all is on the lands the
Federal Government manages, not the land that is managed in the private
sector.
I ask unanimous consent the entire text of the press release be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Earth Day Is Cause for Celebration: Environmental Trends Mostly
Positive
(By Steven Hayward, with Michael De Alessi, Holly L. Fretwell, Brent
Haglund, Joel Schwartz, Ryan Stowers, and Sam Thernstrom)
San Francisco.--The ninth annual Index of Leading
Environmental Indicators, released today by the Pacific
Research Institute and the American Enterprise Institute,
shows that the environment continues to be America's single
greatest policy success. Environmental quality has improved
so much, in fact, that it is nearly impossible to paint a
grim, gloom-and-doom picture anymore.
Environmental quality is improving steadily and in some
cases dramatically in key areas: Average vehicle emissions
are dropping about 10 percent per year as the fleet turns
over to inherently cleaner vehicles, including modern SUVs;
ninety-four percent of the population is served by water
systems that have reported no violations of any health-based
standards; there has been a 55-percent decline in toxic
releases since 1988, even while total output of the
industries covered by this measurement has increased 40
percent; and despite most popular assumptions, U.S. air
quality trends are found to be at least equal, if not
slightly better, than in Europe.
This year's Index includes a list of the media's best
environmental reporting. Featured outlets include Boston
Globe, Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, Los
Angeles Times, The New Republic, and Wall Street Journal.
There have also been notable improvements in government
reporting, with the EPA's first-ever composite on national
trends and state-based initiatives to improve water-quality
monitoring.
Private conservation efforts, such as Ducks Unlimited and
the Peregrine Fund, and private water trusts have been highly
successful.
And recent findings in climate-change science also give
reason for hope. Because the climate models have been based
on flawed economic assumptions, there is even greater
uncertainty now in the range of CO2 emissions projections.
This means the prognosis is probably not as grim as
conventional wisdom would have us believe.
The Index shows that one of the few areas to show a decline
in quality is that of public lands. While funding and land
allotments have increased, quality has deteriorated by most
significant measures. The root of the problem is an excess of
political management, and the answer can be found in
innovative solutions such as land trusts and resource leases.
This year's Index also includes a special section comparing
air quality in the U.S. and Europe.
``Doomsaying and know-nothingism get better headlines and
work well for direct-mail fundraising,'' said lead author
Steven Hayward, ``but a serious look at the data helps us
appreciate how far we've come, and helps set priorities for
the next generation of environmental activism.''
Mr. BURNS. Madam President, I yield the floor. I thank the Senator
from Vermont.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
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