[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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