    [From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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                                                      COASTAL ZONE  INFORMATION CENTER
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                                          BLUEPRINT FOR
                                      THE ENVIRONMENT

                                 Advice to the President-Elect from Americas
                                             Environmental Community

                                                      Defenders of Wildlife
                                                     Environmental Action
                                                  Environmental Policy Institute
                                                      Friends of the Earth
                                                   Global Tomorrow Coalition
                                                      Izaak Walton League
                                                    National Audubon Society
                                           National Parks and Conservation Association
                                                  National Wildlife Federation
                                              Natural Resources Council of America
                                               Natural Resources Defense Council
                                                        Renew America
                                                          Sierra Club
                                                      The Oceanic Society
                                                     The Wilderness Society
                                                        Trout Unlimited
    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA              Union of Concerned Scientists
    COASTAL SERVICES CENTER                            Population Growth
    2234 SOUTH HOBSON AVENUE
    CHARLESTON, SC 29405-2413				Kennedy P. Maize

                                                         Editor

                                               BLUEPRINT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
                                                    1400 16th Street, NW
                                                   Washington, D.C. 20036

                                                       NOVEMBER 1988

                                                        Property of CSC Library

                                          Blueprint For The Environment

                                              1400 16th Street, NW 9 Washington, D.C. 20036 * (202) 797-6650

                                                                                                November 1988

                                               Dear President-Elect Bush:
                                               Congratulations on your election by the American people to
                                           the nations highest office. You have attained the most important
                                           leadership position in the world, and have an opportunity to ac-
                                           complish enormous good.
                                               As President, you will be able to provide national and interna-
                                           tional leadership concerning the great issues of our time. We
                                           believe that environmental problems rank with the threat of
                                           nuclear war as the most serious of all the challenges we face. It is
                                           essential that we address and solve problems like global warming
                                           of the atmosphere, loss of tropical forests and the living species they
                                           contain, and the myriad of assaults on our nation's land, air, and
                                           water before they cause irreparable harm. This win happen only if
                                           you provide strong, sustained leadership.
                                               Recognizing this, America's environmental community came
                                           together a year ago to prepare for your consideration a "Blueprint
                                           for the Environment": comprehensive recommendations concern-
                                           ing the actions our federal government should take to address these
                                           problems. The Blueprint, consisting of over 700 specific recom-
                                           mendations, has already been delivered to your representatives.
                                           This report highlights our major themes.
                                               We urge you to give the most serious consideration to these
                                           carefully prepared suggestions. We are eager to meet with you and
                                           your representatives to discuss them. Our groups -with a total of
                                           more than 6,000,000 members -are ready to assist in their im-
                                           plementation.
                                               We ask you to provide leadership in meeting these challenges
                                           and fashioning a brighter tomorrow. The welfare of this and all fu-
                                           ture generations hangs in the balance.
                                               Sincerely,
                                               Tbomas B. Stoel, Jr.                         Clay E. Peters
                                               Chair                                        Executive Director

                                                              Contents

                                                              Foreword 4

                                                         Our Planet in Peril 6

                                                         Our Responsibility 7

                                         ACTIONS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT 8
                                              Global Warming and Ozone Destruction 9
                                                              Energy 12
                                                      Protection of the Oceans 15
                                            Environmentally Sustainable Development 17
                                         Conserving the Earth's Plant and Animal Species 19
                                                             Our Land 21
                                                             Pollution 24
                                                        Population Growth 27

                                      PREPARING OUR GOVERNMENTFOR ACTION                        29
                                                      Appoint the Best People 29
                                              Establish an Effective Presidential Staff 30
                                         Deliver an Environmental Message Early in 1989      30
                                         Propose a Fully Adequate Environmental Budget       30
                                                 Provide International Leadership 31
                                      Create a New Department of Environmental Protection 31
                                     Convene a White House Conference on the Environment 32
                                               Ensure Foresight in Federal Decisions 32

                                                            Conclusion 32

                                                                                 Foreword

                                                   Blueprintfor the Environment is a cooperative effort by America's en-
                                              vironmental community to develop comprehensive recommendations to
                                              be presented to the President-elect following the 1988 election concern-
                                              ing the actions our federal government should take to solve the environ-
                                              mental problems that confront the United States and the world. The par-
                                              ticipants include the organizations listed below, together with staff mem-
                                              bers from many other organizations and concerned individuals.
                                                   More than 700 detailed recommendations, assembled by cabinet
                                              department or agency, have already been delivered to representatives of
                                              the new administration. This report provides an overview of the major
                                              themes and broad recommendations. Most of the organizations which as-
                                              sembled the Blueprint do not deal with all the issues discussed in this
                                              report, and cannot endorse every recommendation. However, they all
                                              agreemith its overall thrust and the urgent need for additional federal ac-
                                              tions to address environmental problems.
                                                   We would like to acknowledge the following people and organizations
                                              for their contributions to the development of the Blueprint:

                                                                          STEERING COMMITTEE:

                                                       Thomas B. Stoel Jr., Chair, Natural Resources Defense Council; Jan Hartke,
                                                   Vice Chair, Global Tomorrow Coalition; William Howard, Vice Chair, National
                                                   Wildlife Federation; Tina Hobson, Personnel Chair, RenewAmelica; ElizabethRais-
                                                   beck, Development Chair, National Audubon Society-, Mike Clark, Environmental
                                                   Policy Institute; Cynthia Wilson, Ffiends of the Earth; Richard Ayres, National
                                                   Resources Defense Council; Ruth Caplan, EnvironnientalAction; Peter Coppelman,
                                                   The Wilderness Society; Clifton Curtis, Tite Oceanic Society; M. Rupert Cutler,
                                                   Defenders of Wildlife; Christopher Flavin, Worldwatch Institute; Robert L. Herbst,
                                                   Trout Unlimited; Jack Lorenz, Izaak Walton League; Michael McCloskey, Sierra
                                                   Club; Bob Pollard, Union of Concerned Scientists; Paul Pritchard, NationalParks and
                                                   Conservation Association; Susan Weber, Zero Population Growth; Andrea Yank,
                                                   Natural Resources Council ofAmefica.

                                                                                          4

                                                                                                                            5

                                                               TASK FORCE CHAIRPERSONS:

                                                 INTERNATIONAL: Thomas B. Stoel Jr., NRDC; AGRICULTURAL CONSERVA.
                                             TION: Justin Ward, NRDC; FOREST SERVICE: Barry Flamm, The Wilderness
                                             Society; GENE-nc ENGINEERING: Jane Rissler, PhD, ArWF; OCEANS AND COASTAL:
                                             Clifton E. Curtis, The Oceanic Society; DISARMAMENT: Shira Flay, Sierra Club; EN.
                                             VIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: S. Douglas Miller, PhD, NWF; ENERGY: Ruth Caplan,
                                             EA, Christopher Flavin, Worldwatch Institute; POPULATION: Patricia Baldi, Nation-
                                             alAudubon Society, Susan Weber, ZPG; BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT: Johan-
                                             na Wald, NRDC; LAND LAW: Durwood Zaelke, Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund;
                                             CRITICAL ECOSYSTEMS: William Lienesch, NPC,4; FISH AND WILDLIFE: William
                                             C. Reffalt, ne Wilderness Society, J. Scott Feierabend, NWF; MINERALS POLICY:
                                             Philip M. Hocker, MineralsPolicy Center; NATIONALPARK SERVICE: T. DestryJar-
                                             vis, NPC,4; WATER RESOURCES POLICY: David R. Conrad, FOE, Edward Osann,
                                             NWF; WILD AND SCENIC RivERs: Kevin Coyle,American Rivers; GRAZING POLICY:
                                             Maitland Sharpe, Izaak Walton League; TRANSPORTATION: David G. Burwell,
                                             Rails-To-Trails Conservancy; DEBT FOR CONSERVATION: Barbara J. Bramble,
                                             NWF; MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS: Stewart Hudson, NWF; CLEAN
                                             AIR: Richard Ayres, NRDC; CLEAN WATER: Robert Adler, NRDC;
                                             GRouNDwATER: Erik Olson, NWF; PESTICIDES: Maureen K. Hinkle, National
                                             Audubon Society, Janet S. Hathaway, NRDC; SOLID WASTE: Ruth Lampi, EA,
                                             Cynthia Pollock-Shea, Worldwatch Institute, Jeanne Wirka, EA; Toxics: Jacqueline
                                             M. Warren, NRDC; COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: Michael Mc-
                                             Closkey, Sierra Club; BUDGET: Brent Blackwelder, EPI; FoREsIGi-rr: Donald R.
                                             Lesh, Global Tomorrow Coalition; CONSERVATION ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS:
                                             Joel Thomas, NWF.

                                                                              S TAFF:

                                                 Clay E. Peters, Executive Director; Terry Kilpatrick, Assistant Director; T Allan
                                             Comp, PhD, Managing Editor, Edward J. Barks, Director ofCommunications; Kevin
                                             D. Kilpatrick, Project Assistant; Catherine 1. Connor, Project Assistant.

                                             Finally, the participants wish to express their deep appreciation for the
                                         encouragement and generous financial support of the following donors:
                                                 Beldon Fund; Janclia Foundation; Jesse Smith Noyes Foundation; Mr. John R.
                                             Harris IV; Ottinger Foundation; The Educational Foundation of America; The
                                             Schumann Foundation; The W. Alton Jones Foundation, Inc.

                                             Of course, these donors are in no way responsible for the content of
                                         this report.

                                       6

                                                              OUR PLANET IN PERIL

                                            Life in this vast, mysterious universe, science tells us, is rare, perhaps
                                       unique. The earth is a sparkling island of life in a dark, inanimate sea.
                                            Today, this fragile island that supports and sustains us is in peril,
                                       threatened by the very life it nurtures.
                                            Humankind, the most highly evolved species of life on earth, has the
                                       power to destroy the earth. Not just in a nuclear holocaust, but in less
                                       cataclysmic, but no less significant, ways. Our small, seemingly insignificant
                                       acts of everyday existence threaten to overwhelm the earth's fragile and
                                       finite life support systems.
                                            The world and our nation face environmental threats of unprece-
                                       dented proportions:
                                            * Global warming of the atmosphere threatens to devastate agricul-
                                       ture, forests, and coastlines around the world.
                                            * Depletion ofthestratosphetic ozone layerwill damage agriculture and
                                       marine life and cause an epidemic of skin cancer.
                                            * Oceanpollution is killing sea creatures and littering our coasts with
                                       filth.
                                            * Environmental degradation in developing nations threatens the
                                       economic welfare, the health, and the very survival of hundreds of millions
                                       of people and the functioning of ecosystems of worldwide importance.
                                            * Loss of tropicalforests and other wildlife habitats threatens to extin-
                                       guish forever one-fourth of all the animal and plant species on the earth
                                       by the end of the century.
                                            * Population growth is a major contributor to all these global environ-
                                       mental problems.
                                            * U.S. population pressures threaten the environment all across our
                                       nation.
                                            e Wasteful and environmentally hannful use of energy contributes to
                                       many other environmental problems, costs U.S. consumers more than a
                                       hundred billion dollars a year, and reduces our national security.
                                            * Acid rain and otherforms of airpollution are stunting our forests,
                                       sterilizing our lakes, killing our fish and assaulting our lungs.
                                            o Waterpollution makes drinking water unhealthful, harms aquatic
                                       life, and deprives us of major opportunities for recreation.
                                            * Uncontrolled toxic substances are poisoning our citizens and the en-
                                       vironment. Solid waste dumped in landfills contaminates groundwater and
                                       emits toxic substances when incinerated.

                                                                                                                         7

                                                   Soil loss degrades our land base, reducing productivity in agricul-
                                            ture, forestry, and grazing.
                                                * Inadequate management of federal lands causes not only environ-
                                            mental degradation but loss of precious recreational opportunities:
                                                Each of these problems represents a profound threat in its own right.
                                            Taken together, they constitute one of the greatest crises ever faced by our
                                            nation and all of humanity.

                                                                   OUR RESPONSIBILITY

                                                Our future is at stake. We face critically important choices: whether to
                                            take the actions necessary to ensure the livability of our planet or to stand
                                            by and watch the decline of the natural systems on which all life depends.
                                                Our nation is one of the wealthiest and most powerful on earth. We
                                            have the power - and the responsibilities - of a leader. If we fail to act,
                                            we can't expect others to do so.
                                                A special responsibility falls on our federal government. Many of the
                                            problems we face are global and national in scope. They require federal
                                            action and federal leadership.
                                                Our new President and his administration must act very quickly if our
                                            nation is to fulfill its responsibilities. We cannot afford to wait. Each week
                                            and month of inaction undercuts a future of comfort and harmony with the
                                            earth, and brings ever closer a future that jeopardizes life itself.
                                                Realizing this, America's envirorunental community came together a
                                            year ago in a coordinated effort to develop a "Blueprint for the Environ-
                                            ment": recommendations to the President-Elect and his top officials con-
                                            cerning the actions needed to address the full range of environmental
                                            problems we face. Those recommendations - more than 700 of them -
                                            have already been delivered to representatives of the new administration.
                                                Our recommendations are directed to our new President, not to the
                                            Congress, the states, or individual citizens. Obviously, all of us need to act
                                            if environmental problems are to be solved. But in many areas the miss-
                                            ing ingredient is Presidential leadership. Most, of the actions we recom-
                                            mend can be taken by the President without the need for new legislation.
                                            In others, we recommend that the President make proposals for new laws
                                            and work with the Congress to get them enacted.
                                                This is very much a mainstream document. Only two years ago, the Na-
                                            tional Governors Association unanimously adopted major policy positions
                                            concerning the global environment which are very similar to what we
                                            recommend here.

                                   8

                                      A central theme of our recommendations is the necessity of better
                                   stewardship. Our power to alter the environment is so great today that it
                                   can diminish the capacity of our planet to sustain life. This power carries
                                   with it a solemn obligation to safeguard the earth's natural systems and the
                                   life that depends on them.
                                      A corollary principle is that we must look ahead and take early actions
                                   to prevent environmental harm. We cannot rely, as we have too often in
                                   the past, on tardy efforts to clean up or mitigate damage that has already
                                   occurred. Prevention is wiser and less expensive than cure. Some kinds of
                                   harm - the loss of a whole species of life, for example - can never be
                                   cured. And every day that we postpone corrective actions increases the
                                   cost and difficulty of the actions we ultimately must take.
                                      The magnitude of the problems we face makes it plain that our nation
                                   has not fulfilled its obligation of responsible stewardship. 'Me central
                                   thrust of our recommendations is that our new President and his ad-
                                   ministration must make sure that we fulfill that obligation from now on.
                                      There is also an important role for education. Public knowledge, un-
                                   derstanding, and support are essential for progress in improving the quality
                                   of our environment. While the President and the Congress possess the per-
                                   suasive and legal powers to lead the nation, its citizens are not likely to fol-
                                   low willingly if they do not understand and support the directions of their
                                   leaders.

                                         ACTIONS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT

                                      One of the new administration's greatest challenges will be to protect
                                   the health of the global and domestic environment and ensure that
                                   economic development is environmentally sustainable. Not long ago we
                                   realized that our most serious environmental problems might have nation-
                                   al as well as local impacts.
                                      Now we confront problems that threaten not only our nation but the
                                   whole world. Warming of the world's climate and depletion of the stratos-
                                   pheric ozone layer are examples of new environmental problems that do
                                   not respect political, geographic, or cultural boundaries. Degradation of
                                   the land base, loss of biological diversity, and rapid population growth
                                   threaten nations in every part of the world, including our own.
                                      There is good news concerning these global issues. For the most part,
                                   workable solutions have been identified. The technologies that will be
                                   needed are available or in sight. The financial costs will not bankrupt the
                                   world or individual nations.

                                                                                                                       9

                                              Moreover, there is a growing spirit of international cooperation in
                                          response to these common threats. The 1987 Report of the World Com-
                                          mission on Environment and Development, headed by Norwegian Prime
                                          Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, indicates a remarkable degree of inter-
                                          national consensus on the problems and the urgent need to address them.
                                              These are encouraging developments. But the problems will not be
                                          solved without leadership from the United States. We are the acknow-
                                          ledged leader of the Western industrialized nations that control most of
                                          the world's wealth and technical know-how. If we sit on the sidelines, these
                                          issues will not be adequately addressed.

                                              Global Warming and Ozone Destruction
                                              A global problem of enormous dimensions is now upon us. Scientists
                                          have been warning for more than a decade that the burning of fossil fuels
                                          and other human activities are loading the atmosphere with gases that will
                                          warm the atmosphere around the world through the "greenhouse effect."
                                              In June 1988, Dr. James Hansen, director of the National Aeronautics
                                          and Space Administration's Institute for Space Studies, told the Senate
                                          Energy and Natural Resources Committee that there is now sufficient
                                          evidence to conclude that the greenhouse effect is already warming the
                                          earth. Even before this summer's heat and devastating midwest drought,
                                          the 1980s had included the four hottest summers of the past century.
                                              Few have been able to grasp the troubling truth that the heat and
                                          drought we experienced in 1988 are only the mildest example of what we
                                          will experience if the global warming trend continues. The National
                                          Academy of Sciences estimates the potential increase in global tempera-
                                          ture over the next 50 to 100 years to be between 2.7 and 8.1 degrees Fah-
                                          renheit. At the low end of this range, the increase would bring global
                                          average temperatures to a level not known in 6,000 years. At the high end,
                                          we would have to adjust, in less than a century, to average temperatures
                                          not seen since the age of the dinosaurs.
                                              Scientists tell us that the consequences of global warming are certain
                                          to include a significant sea-level rise as oceans expand and polar ice melts;
                                          extraordinary changes in weather and precipitation patterns; destruction
                                          of forests and plant life; and disruptions in current agricultural patterns.
                                          The question is not whether these effects will occur, but to what degree
                                          and how fast.
                                              The extent and magnitude of these changes are mind-boggling. With
                                          respect to the United States alone:

                                  10

                                       * A two-foot rise in sea level, within the range of current predictions,
                                  would destroy 80 percent of U.S. coastal wetlands, with their immense
                                  biological productivity; force salt water into coastal drinking water sys-
                                  tems; and cause massive changes in the shape and usability of shorelines.
                                       * The productivity of the midwestern grain belt could be drastically
                                  reduced due to increased temperatures and changes in rainfall, thus un-
                                  dermining world food security and U.S. agricultural exports.
                                       * Most of the United States could become unsuitable habitat for both
                                  the southern deciduous forests and the northern boreal forests. Grasslands
                                  would expand quickly into these areas. Continual climatic changes would
                                  prevent reestablishment of deciduous forests in more northern latitudes.

                                       Similar effects would occur all over the world. In many areas, the im-
                                  pacts would be even more devastating than in this country. Low-lying na-
                                  tions like Bangladesh would lose much of their territory as the seas rise.
                                  Mountainous countries would experience devastating soil erosion as
                                  forests die. Nations that can barely feed their people not only would lose
                                  their own harvests but no longer could depend on the United States and
                                  other traditional grain exporters to fill the gap.
                                       Despite growing scientific evidence that the greenhouse effect is real
                                  and pleas by leading scientists for governmental action, our government
                                  until recently has insisted that the only need is for further research. Yet
                                  science has identified many of the steps that are needed to hold global
                                  warming within tolerable limits. We must begin to take those actions now
                                  or pay a terrible price for delay.
                                       We should begin an all-out effort to minimize worldwide en-tissions of
                                  the most important greenhouse gas: carbon dioxide. It is -currently es-
                                  timated that three-fourths of human-caused C02 erriissions come from
                                  burning fossil fuels and the remaining one-fourth from deforestation,
                                  mostly in the tropics. We should act on both fronts.
                                       The actions needed to reduce U.S. fossil-fuel emissions are described
                                  in the section on Energy. But this is a worldwide problem; the United
                                  States alone accounts for about 25 percent of global emissions. While
                                  making changes to set a good example at home, we must promote inter-
                                  national actions as well. We should encourage development of an interna-
                                  tional convention limiting C02 emissions to tolerable levels, and also
                                  develop cooperative efforts with foreign nations.
                                       Deforestation is another contributor to the greenhouse effect, both
                                  from the burning of the forests and from the loss of the carbon dioxide-ab-
                                  sorbing capacity of the plant life. Preventing further loss of forests, espe-

                                           cially tropical forests, and world-wide planting of trees could make a major
                                           contribution to controlling global warming.
                                               The changes in the earth's atmosphere are also symptomatic of world
                                           population growth. In attempting to meet the basic human needs of bil-
                                           lions of people, we are producing many of the gases contributing to the
                                           greenhouse effect. While efficiency and other efforts can reduce these im-
                                           pacts, in the long ran our success in minimizing global warming is tied to
                                           whether and when we achieve global population stabilization.
                                               Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), man-made chemicals used for refrigera-
                                           tion and other industrial purposes, cause about one- sixth of the global
                                           warming effect. We must halt emissions of these gases as soon as possible.
                                               CFCs pose another global threat. Since 1974, scientists have predicted
                                           that CFCs and other man-made gases are depleting the thin stratospheric
                                           ozone layer that shields the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. In
                                           the last few years, atmospheric scientists have demonstrated that this
                                           depletion is actually occurring, and faster than they had expected. The in-
                                           creased radiation from the depletion of the ozone layer threatens not only
                                           a skin cancer epidemic but also severe harm to agriculture, and drastic dis-
                                           ruptions in the ecological balance of the ocean by harming the tiny or-
                                           ganisms that are at the bottom of the marine food chain.
                                               The United States and other nations have begun to act to eliminate
                                           harmful CFCs and other ozone-destroying chemicals. But we must take
                                           further steps and persuade other nations 'to take similar stringent
                                           measures.

                                               Recommended Presidential Actions:
                                               The President should announce in his Inaugural Address or in an En-
                                           vironmental Message that minimizing global warming will be a toppriority of
                                           his domestic andforeignpolicy. He should issue an executive order estab-
                                           lishing goals and defining the responsibilities of all relevant agencies. He
                                           should work with the Congress to develop and enact appropriate legisla-
                                           tion.
                                               The President should act to ensure that global warming is high on the
                                           agendas of both the 1989 Western Economic Summit and the Global En-
                                           vironmental Summit meetingthathe haspledgedto convene. These personal
                                           meetings of top leaders are an excellent way of building the international
                                           consensus and cooperation that are essential for effective global action.
                                               The President should direct the Secretary of State to make bilateral ap-
                                           proaches to key nations, including the Soviet Union and major developing
                                           countries like China and India, and to work with other nations to develop,

                                     12

                                     under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program, a global'
                                     treaty requiting that C02 emissions be reduced through increases in enerV
                                     efficiency and greater reliance on renewable energv sources. This problem
                                     can be solved only through international cooperation, and the United
                                     States can be a leader in bringing about that cooperation. We must set an
                                     example by acting to reduce our own C02 emissions in the ways suggested
                                     in the discussion on Energy below.
                                         The President should propose that other nations join us in a major
                                     program to halt tropical deforestation and to plant trees on a massive scale,
                                     in order to reduce the buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide. As part of
                                     that effort, the President should promote a major reforestation program
                                     for the United States.
                                         The United States government has recently been an international
                                     leader in efforts to halt ozone depletion. U.S. industry seems to be ahead
                                     in finding acceptable substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals. The Presi-
                                     dentshould instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to take all actions
                                     necessary to phase out U.S. use of chlorofluorocarbons in five to seven 'years.
                                     To ensure that CFC emissions from other countries are also stopped, the
                                     President should direct the State Department and EPA to work with the
                                     VnitedNationsEnvironmentProgram andother nations to achieve an equal-
                                     ly rapid worldwide phaseout by strengthening the international ozone deple-
                                     tion protocol signed in Montreal in September 1987

                                         Energy
                                         How we choose to produce and use energy will deeply affect the quality
                                     of our environment and the legacy we pass on to future generations. Heavy
                                     dependence on fossil fuels is responsible for air pollution in our cities, acid
                                     rain that is damaging our forests, and ecologically destructive oil drilling
                                     in Arctic and coastal regions. Fossil fuels are also responsible for about
                                     half the greenhouse gases that are warming the earth. The United States
                                     now adds over a billion tons of climate-altering carbon to the atmosphere
                                     each year.
                                         Unless U.S. energy trends are redirected in the next decade, a host of
                                     environmental problems will become increasingly unmanageable. Energy
                                     decisions in the next four years can continue our wasteful use of fossil fuels
                                     and nuclear power, or they can move the nation towards an environmen-
                                     tally attractive and sustainable economy that is based on improved ener-
                                     gy efficiency and clean renewable energy sources.
                                         The new administration has an extraordinary opportunity - to both
                                     strengthen the economy and improve the environment via least-cost ener-

                                                                                                                       13

                                         gy policy. Such a policy would ensure that goverranent programs and
                                         spending are allocated so that the most cost-effective means to supply
                                         energy services and reduce energy-related pollution are pursued first.
                                             By avoiding wasteful projects like synthetic fuels development and
                                         nuclear breeder reactors, the federal energy budget can actually be
                                         reduced while the national energy picture is substantially improved.
                                             Energy efficiency leads the list of least-cost energy sources, according
                                         to numerous recent studies. U.S. energy efficiencyhas improvedby 25 per-
                                         cent since the early 1970s, cutting the national energy bill by over $ 100 bil-
                                         lion. But this impressive performance was bettered by Japan and many
                                         European countries, and today, U.S. energy efficiency is again leveling off,
                                         at a point at which the U.S. still spends $200 billion more each year on
                                         energy supplies than it would have to at Japanese energy efficiency levels.
                                         U.S. automobiles, buildings, and factories could all be eventually made
                                         about twice as energy efficient as they are today.
                                             Investments in improved energy efficiency would be far more cost-ef-
                                         fective than investments in offshore oil or electricity from new power
                                         plants. This has been proven in California and the Pacific Northwest,
                                         where energy efficiency improvements have been faster than for the na-
                                         tion as a whole. But market and institutional barriers to improved energy
                                         efficiency forestall many of these investments. National energy policy must
                                         be directed to overcoming these barriers via new fuel taxes, utility and
                                         government loan programs, and mandatory standards for some tech-
                                         nologies.
                                             Energy efficiency must be recognized as a key part of any strategy to
                                         deal with urban air pollution, acid rain, and global warming. Such programs
                                         should allow utilities and state and local governments to meet required
                                         standards by improving energy efficiency as well as by adopting abatement
                                         technologies.
                                             Efforts to improve the fuel efficiency of automobiles and the entire
                                         transportation system need special emphasis. Fuel economy of new cars
                                         in the United States has now leveled off at 28 miles per gallon. New tech-
                                         nologies are already available that make 60-80 mile-per-gaflon cars pos-
                                         sible. A more efficient fleet of cars would lower the country's oil import
                                         bill, reduce urban air pollution, and slow global warming. Mass transit and
                                         passenger railroads are more energy- and cost-efficient and deserve
                                         greater support.
                                             The country will also need new sources of energy that are not
                                         depletable, do not pollute, and do not lead to global warming. The boom
                                         and bust approach to renewable energy during the past decade must be

                                    14

                                    replaced by a true national commitment to gradual and steady progress.
                                    Biofuels, wind energy, geothermal energy, and solar energy all have enor-
                                    mous potential to contribute to the country's energy future. If there were
                                    alevel playingfield inwhich renewable energy sources could compete fair-
                                    ly with conventional sources, the use of renewables would grow steadily.
                                       Solar photovoltaics that produce electricity directly from sunlight
                                    deserve special emphasis since they have the potential to supply power to
                                    homes and industries across the nation. Photovoltaic costs are now falling
                                    rapidly, but the once dominant U.S. industry is now being challenged by
                                    rivals in Europe and Japan that get more generous government support.
                                    If U.S. support of photovoltaics is not strengthened, not only may we be
                                    slow in using this essential technology, but we may lose the leadership in
                                    a key strategic industry.
                                       Nuclear power, on the other hand, does not currently pass the least-
                                    cost test for meeting the nation's energy needs or solving related environ-
                                    mental problems such as global warming. Despite billions of dollars of past
                                    government subsidies, it is now one of the most expensive energy sources
                                    and brings with it serious environmental problems, most notably the safe
                                    disposal of nuclear waste. Nuclear power should find its financial support
                                    in the marketplace so that scarce federal funds can be applied to. emerg-
                                    ing technologies with less environmental impact. Federal funding should
                                    be directed to the problems of nuclear safety, reactor decommissioning,
                                    and nuclear waste transportation and disposal.
                                       A sound least-cost national energy policy is key to the country's ener-
                                    gy future. It can pave the way for the development of cost-effective and
                                    cleaner energy sources such as efficiency and renewable sources. The
                                    longer we avoid this choice, the more our nation's competitiveness will fal-
                                    ter and the worse our environmental problems will become.

                                       Recommended Presidential Actions:
                                       The President should direct the Secretary of Energy to take imme&ate
                                    steps to develop a National Least-Cost EnerSy Plan that allows all energy
                                    investments to compete on a fair economic basis, while taking into account
                                    the environmental costs associated with fossil fuel use. The plan would en-
                                    sure that energy needs are met in the most cost-effective way and allow
                                    energy efficiency and renewable energy resources to compete with coh-
                                    ventional. resources on a level playing field.
                                       The President should make the slowing of the global warming a central
                                    goal of U.S. enerSy policy. Steps should be taken to establish national tar-
                                    gets for overall efficiency and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

                                                                                                                     15

                                            The President should take immediate steps to increasefederal support of
                                        research, development, and commercialization of energy efficiency and
                                        renewable energy sources, each of which has been neglected in recent years.
                                            The President should propose legislation that will help increase the fuel
                                        economy of new automobiles and light trucks to 45 miles per gallon and 35
                                        miles per gallon, respectively, by the year 2000. Attainment of these targets
                                        should be supported by an increased "gas guzzler" tax applied at higher
                                        efficiency levels, a "gas sipper" rebate for efficient vehicles, and a gasoline
                                        tax to encourage increasing the efficiency of all vehicles.

                                            Protection of the Oceans

                                            Life was born in the sea and emerged from the sea to populate the
                                        earth. Covering seventy percent of the earth's surface, the oceans are an
                                        environment of tempest and tranquility, a source of wonder and awe.
                                            The oceans are also our planet's primary life support system. They
                                        generate most of our oxygen, precipitation, and weather patterns. They
                                        feed and provide a livelihood for a large proportion of humanity. They are
                                        also threatened.
                                            Widespread overdevelopment and pollution jeopardizes oceans and
                                        coastal areas worldwide. More than a third of our nation's shellfish-
                                        producing areas are closed or face harvest restrictions because of pollu-
                                        tion. Pollution has damaged and degraded every major harbor, bay, and
                                        estuary in the continental United States.
                                            Overdevelopment is straining our coastal barrier islands and destroy-
                                        ing critical wetlands habitat. We dump dredged material in our crucial es-
                                        tuaries and coastal waters. Trash and plastic debris kills hundreds of
                                        thousands of marine mammals and countless seabirds. Offshore oil and
                                        gas development degrades air quality, brings the threat of oil spills, and
                                        pours toxic contaminants into our coastal waters.
                                            The stress on the ocean and coastal environment is predictable. Most
                                        Americans live and work within an afternoon's drive of the sea. Most of
                                        our largest metropolitan areas are found near the coast. Many of our fastest
                                        growing communities are concentrated in the nation's coastal states. As a
                                        result, sensitive coastal areas are being destroyed and coastal waters pol-
                                        luted.
                                            Most troubling, the situation is deteriorating faster and faster. The
                                        degradation is particularly intense in nearer coastal waters where marine
                                        life is most abundant. Much less is known about the deeper ocean.
                                        Ominously, there are strong signs of damage there, as well.

                                      16

                                          We can and we must deal with this threat to our priceless oceans and
                                      coasts. Our planet depends on healthy oceans for its survival. And our
                                      economic health depends to a significant extent on the ecological health
                                      of our oceans.
                                          A top priority must be law enforcement. Hundreds of cities and in-
                                      dustrial facilities do not comply with the requirements of the Clean Water
                                      Act. Compliance will be expensive, but without compliance, our coastal
                                      waters and estuaries will continue on their downward spiral. Building
                                      treatment facilities is a vital investment. The nation, the states, and
                                      localities must take more aggressive action to prohibit coastal contamina-
                                      tion from pipeline discharges and urban and agricultural runoff.
                                          Development along the coasts must be managed so that it does not
                                      overwhelm the capacity of coastal areas to absorb wastes and accom-
                                      modate the impacts of development. We must stop dumping our sewage
                                      sludge and industrial wastes at sea.
                                          Americans also must stop shipping wastes on ocean barges to develop-
                                      ing countries. The practice is dangerous and insulting and sends exactly
                                      the wrong message to the world. We must learn to work together to solve
                                      environmental problems. We should not do to other nations what we are
                                      unwilling to do to ourselves.
                                          For decades, commercial fishing interests and others have debated
                                      how to ensure that overfishing does not deplete fish populations or harm
                                      the ecosystems that support them. Many ocean fisheries are multination-
                                      al; the debate often becomes distorted by the politics of short-term greed
                                      and nationalism.
                                          In international fisheries debates, the United States should promote
                                      long-term, sustainable, resource conservation and welcome broad public
                                      participation. There is no substitute for a President who will back up our
                                      ocean resource managers when the international politics get hot.

                                          Recommended Presidential Actions:
                                          The President should direct the Environmental Protection'Agency, the
                                      National Oceanic andAtmosphericAdministration, and the Coast Guard to
                                      use all existing authorities toprohibit release of toxic and other contaminated
                                      wastes into the marine environment. These actions should include prohibi-
                                      tions on ocean dumping of sewage sludge, industrial wastes and con-
                                      taminated dredge spoils, pipeline discharges frommunicipal sewage plants
                                      and industrial treatment facilities, and runoff from cities, agriculture, and
                                      other sources. The President should also encourage the states to use all
                                      their powers to the same ends.

                                                                                                                   17

                                          ne President should instruct EPA, the Interior Department, and NOAA
                                      to increase special protective measures to protect matine resources. These
                                      should include expansion of the marine sanctuaries system, protection of
                                      tidal and non-tidal wetlands, and undeveloped barrier islands through
                                      elimination of federal subsidies and other means, ecosystem management
                                      of fisheries, and revision of the five-year offshore oil and gas leasing
                                      program to exclude environmentally sensitive areas from leasing.
                                          The President should take initiatives to ensure that the United States will
                                      support andpromote domestic and internationalpolicies that give greater at-
                                      tention toprotection and wise use of the marine environment. As part of this
                                      effort, the President should proclaim "Coastweeks" in the fall of 1989 and
                                      designate 1990 the "Year of the Coast." The President should strengthen
                                      the Coastal Zone Management Program to address issues such as sea level
                                      rise and coastal hazards.
                                          The President should callfor U. S. ratification of the 1982 Law of the Sea
                                      Convention and instruct U.S. officials involved in global treaties such as
                                      the London Dumping Convention and regional agreements such as those
                                      dealing with the Caribbean, South Pacific, and Great Lakes to exercise en-
                                      vironmentally sensitive leadership.

                                          Environmentally Sustainable Development

                                          Three-quarters of the world's people live in developing countries. A
                                      large proportion of them live on the edge of malnutrition and in abject
                                      poverty. Their efforts to eke out a living puts severe stress on their environ-
                                      ment in the form of overgrazing, erosion, and denuding of the land for
                                      firewood. Population growth causes these pressures to multiply.
                                          Commercial exploitation puts additional stress on the environment.
                                      Timber companies often cut forests for export without concern for unique
                                      wildlife habitats or for reforestation. Commercial agriculture features
                                      overuse of pesticides. Many factories operate without pollution controls.
                                          Soil erosion, deforestation, loss of water supplies, and pollution
                                      threaten the economic welfare, the health, and the very survival of
                                      hundreds of millions of people. Forty thousand people a day are dying of
                                      preventable, waterborne diseases. The recent drought in Africa caused
                                      tens of millions to leave their homes in search of food.
                                          Faced with severe economic pressures, the governments of these na-
                                      tions may have higher priorities than environmental protection. When
                                      they are committed to protect the environment, they often lack trained
                                      people and other essential resources.

                                       18

                                           The debt crisis and other international economic policies make it even
                                       more difficult to deal with these problems. It is absurd to think that
                                       developing nations can meet the needs of growing populations in an en-
                                       vironmentally sustainable manner when the United States and other in-
                                       dustrialized nations are extracting billions of dollars in capital from them
                                       each year on net balance, instead of investing in them. In many nations,
                                       per capita income has actually declined during the 1980s. Yet the United
                                       States has refused to even consider significant reductions in the 1 trillion
                                       dollars in debt now owed by developing nations, even though much of it
                                       can never be repaid.
                                           These enormous, interrelated problems obviously will not be solved
                                       overnight. However, we cannot afford to lose time. These problems have
                                       already festered too long. The fate of much of humanity, most of the earth's
                                       tropical forests, and other precious resources hangs in the balance. If these
                                       problems are not solved, the resulting political and economic instabilities
                                       will pose threats to the whole world. And it may prove impossible to ad-
                                       dress global warming and other issues requiring worldwide cooperation.
                                           Most developing nations are incapable of solving these problems
                                       without external assistance. Properly focused foreign aid can do much to
                                       help them ensure that their development is environmentally sustainable.
                                       The U.S. bilateral aid program has had some successes in this regard, but
                                       has lacked a clear focus and has not been a Presidential priority-
                                           The World Bank and the other multilateral development banks are the
                                       world's largest development aid agencies. They must stop financing en-
                                       vironmental disasters and becorne a strong force for development that is
                                       environmentally sensitive and sustainable. The World Bank has recently
                                       made some progress toward incorporating environmental concerns into
                                       its lending practices, but it and the other multilateral development banks
                                       have a long way to go.
                                           The United States is not only one of the world's wealthiest nation but
                                       is also the leader of the industrialized nations that command most of the
                                       world's wealth and technical knowledge. In addition to ensuring that
                                       development in our own nation is environmentally sustainable, we must
                                       help developing countries get on to a sustainable course and persuade
                                       others to join with us.

                                           Recommended Presidential Actions:
                                           The President should announce that solving environmentalproblems in
                                       developing nations will be a central focus of U.S. foreign policy. He should
                                       emphasize that the future of the world depends on the fate of the vast

                                                                                                                    19

                                        majority who live in developing nations, and that we must work with them
                                        to ensure a sound world environment. He should direct the State Depart-
                                        ment, the National Security Council, and our ambassadors abroad to treat
                                        these issues as priorities.
                                             The Presidentshould direct that our bilateralforeign assistance befocused
                                        on helping nations achieve sustainable development by:
                                             * Enhancing their agricultural resource base and promoting environ-
                                        mentally sound food production.
                                             * Meeting their energy needs in ways that are environmentally sus-
                                        tainable, with an emphasis on energy assistance designed to meet human
                                        needs while minimizing global warming.
                                             � Conserving tropical forests and biological diversity.
                                             � Stabilizing population.,
                                             We should target much of our family planning, agricultural, and
                                        forestry aid on sub-Saharan Africa, the region of the world closest to en-
                                        vironmental disaster. In Central America, U.S. assistance should be
                                        redirected toward activities that support sustainable development. Our aid
                                        should feature small- scale, local projects designed to help people help
                                        themselves. These projects should be selected with an eye toward replicat-
                                        ing them on a wide scale if they prove successful. We should use our in-
                                        fluence with other aid-giving nations to get them to focus their aid on
                                        similar objectives.
                                             The President should direct the Secretary of the Treasury to step up
                                        U.S. pressures on the World Bank and the other multilateral development
                                        banks to improve their environmental performance, and to enlist other na-
                                        tions to join with us in influencing the banks. The President should exert
                                        strong leadership to solve the international debt crisis. The United States
                                        should make constructive proposals, including forgiveness of debts owed.
                                        our government by the poorest nations, and present them at next year's
                                        Western Economic Summit and other appropriate fora. Urge-scale
                                        "debt-for-nature swaps," in which developing nations agree to protect
                                        their forests and other environmental resources in return for debt relief,
                                        should be part of the solution.

                                             Conserving the Earth's Plant and Animal Species
                                             In the next decade, a quarter of all of the earth's plant and animal
                                        species may vanish forever due to human actions. We face a wave of ex-
                                        tinctions comparable to that which destroyed the dinosaurs and many
                                        other species of life 65 million years ago. But it will happen much faster,
                                        as a result of the actions of the human species.

                                   20

                                       It is difficult to overstate the importance of preserving endangered
                                   forms of life. The rosy periwinkle, an endangered tropical plant, was the
                                   source of a leading anti-leukemia drug. A quarter of the prescription drugs
                                   in the United States have originated from tropical plants or animals. Our
                                   corn and other major agricultural crops require infusions of wild strains in
                                   order to resist pests and diseases.
                                       Most of the impending extinctions will occur in the tropics, due to
                                   human destruction of plant and animal habitats, especially in tropical
                                   forests which are reservoirs of enormous biological diversity. To halt the
                                   wave of extinctions, we must protect key habitat areas while meeting the
                                   basic needs of hundreds of millions of rural poor and stabilizing human
                                   populations.
                                       Development assistance agencies can help developing nations con-
                                   serve habitats and species. The U.S. Agency for International Develop-
                                   ment has made a start, but the world's other aid agencies are doing little.
                                   A treaty is badly needed to provide a framework for international coopera-
                                   tion, especially in habitat protection.
                                       In the United States, entire species have vanished at our hand, and
                                   others have been reduced to small, threatened territories. Our domestic
                                   endangered species programs have enjoyed some major successes. But in
                                   recent years, the program has foundered terribly.

                                       Recommended Presidential Actions:

                                       The President should take actions to ensure that conservation of the
                                   earth's plant and animal species is a major intemational and domestic
                                   priority of his adrninistration.
                                       The President should place species conservation on the agenda of the
                                   Global Environmental Summit meeting that he has pledged to convene.
                                       The President should direct theAgencyfor International Development to
                                   greatly strengthen its program to assiyt developing countries in conserving
                                   species and habitats. The President's fiscal 1990 budget should request at
                                   least $10 million for this program, rising to $20 million in fiscal 1991. AID
                                   should convene a meeting of bilateral and multilateral aid donors to devise
                                   methods for increasing their support for species conservation in develop-
                                   ing nations. The President should direct the other federal agencies of the
                                   executive branch with relevant expertise, such as the Interior Department,
                                   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Science
                                   Foundation, to make conservation of biological diversity a high priority.

                                                                                                                    21

                                            7he President and Secretary of State should give strong support to efforts
                                        to develop and negotiate an international convention to identify andprotect
                                        valuable plant and animal habitats on a worldwide basis. The convention
                                        should establish a fund to assist poor nations in conserving habitats. The
                                        United States should pledge at least $50 million annually.
                                            In addition, the President should direct that the United States begin im-
                                        mediately to develop systematic programs of cooperation with nations that
                                        possess species-rich, threatened habitats, such as Brazil, Madagascar, In-
                                        donesia, and the Andean nations of South America
                                            The President should instruct the Secretary of the Interior to implement
                                        vigorously and fully the U.S. Endangered Species Act, reauthorized in the
                                        100th Congress. He should instruct the Secretary to give special attention
                                        to expediting the listing of species, development of recovery plans, and ac-
                                        quisition of habitat.

                                            Our Land
                                            Americans have always been deeply attached to the land. It supplies
                                        us with the material needs for our daily lives. Our association with it nur-
                                        tures our spirit, our emotions, and our dreams.
                                            When Europeans arrived on the shores of the continent centuries ago,
                                        the land was an untamed wilderness of seemingly unbounded wealth. As
                                        our population has grown and spread, we have altered the land. The one-
                                        time sea of wilderness has been transformed to occasional remnant islands
                                        of wilderness, set within a sea of civilization. We have entirely extirpated
                                        many species of native wildlife, and greatly reduced many others.
                                            This process is still ongoing. But we are beginning to regret the losses
                                        of species and natural beauty. More and more, communities across
                                        America are questioning and often fighting the relentless pressure of
                                        growth and development which, once it arrives, seems to stay and trans-
                                        form forever.
                                            As we experience this transformation of our land and resources, it is
                                        important to recognize that over one-quarter of the nation's land is owned
                                        and controlled by the federal government. Because the federal lands are
                                        so vast, an opportunity exists to set a tone, establish leadership, and exert
                                        influence concerning the protection of natural ecosystems and the plant
                                        and animal species which comprise them. Yet differing and uncoordinated
                                        approaches by various federal agencies and programs currently work
                                        against this opportunity and need.
                                            Our political process, demonstrating considerable foresight, has
                                        developed a marvelous series of federal resource systems in the forms of

                                     22

                                     parks, forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness, rivers, trails and public domain
                                     lands. Yet the integrated, ecological management of these systems remains
                                     unfulfilled. Many unit boundaries, established in earlier times, were drawn
                                     to correspond to convenient political jurisdictions or survey lines, rather
                                     than the needs of the ecosystem involved. Management of identical resour-
                                     ces on either side of a boundary line by different agencies with divergent
                                     objectives often creates conflict and environmental harm. More integra-
                                     tion is needed across boundaries, based on ecological principles. There is
                                     a pressing need to develop integrated regional resource management
                                     plans.
                                         Many of our federally owned renewable resources are not being
                                     managed in a manner which will ensure their availability in perpetuity. We
                                     often exploit resources and divest of them too hastily at prices that do not
                                     provide a proper monetary return,
                                         A number of needs and opportunities related to the management of
                                     federal lands, resources, and programs stand out. We need forceful efforts
                                     to better protect our national park, wildlife refuge, and wilderness systems
                                     from the adverse impacts of cilization encroaching upon them, and from
                                     public overuse within them. We need to expand our National Park System
                                     to embrace new additions and to reconfigure the boundaries of some park
                                     units to better protect ecosystem values.
                                         We should stimulate state and local efforts to establish public green-
                                     ways and scenic byways, as recommended by the President's Commission
                                     on Americans Outdoors in 1986. We must provide for more outdoor
                                     recreation opportunities in or near cities - close to where people live. We
                                     need to expand the proven programs of state and local youth conservation
                                     corps, where our young people can contribute to, and be stimulated by, the
                                     values of our great American outdoors.
                                         We need to develop and adopt an organic act for our National Wildlife
                                     Refuge System. We should ensure permanent funding for the Fish and
                                     Wildlife Conservation Act to conserve non-game (watchable wildlife)
                                     species. We must achieve a goal of no net loss of wetlands throughout the
                                     nation.
                                         We must increase the emphasis on ecological management of our na-
                                     tional forests. We should reduce timber sales on the national forests to sus-
                                     tainable levels, and eliminate the sale of timber below cost. A moratorium
                                     should immediately be placed on the cutting of old growth timber on
                                     Pacific Northwest forests.
                                         We need to increase the emphasis on ecological management and
                                     resource protection on public domain lands managed by the Bureau of

                                                                                                               23

                                    Land Management, and provide better controls over the exploitation of
                                    timber, minerals and forage. We should pursue vigorously the rounding
                                    out of our National Wilderness Preservation System, with particular em-
                                    phasis on wildemess designations on BLM lands.
                                       We need to expand greatly the protection of the remaining free-flow-
                                    ing stretches of our nation's rivers, as parts of our Wild and Scenic Rivers
                                    systen-4 and intensify our efforts to work with and encourage state and local
                                    governments to take complementary actions, We must establish minimum
                                    flows from impoundments to allow stable fish populations, and provide for
                                    anadromous fish passage at all impoundments.
                                       We must exert better control over mineral extraction on and off the
                                    public lands by revising the obsolete 1872 mining law and by better im-
                                    plementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.
                                    Reforms related to on-shore oil and gas leasing activities also are needed.
                                       We need to implement vigorously the conservation title of the Food
                                    Security Act of 1985 to achieve better protection of the nation's soil, water,
                                    wetlands 'and prime farmland. We should build upon the Food Security
                                    Act's accomplishments with further reforms to protect ground water,
                                    reduce non-point source pollution of streams and lakes, promote low-
                                    chemical farming alternatives, and generally improve environmental
                                    quality in rural America.
                                       We need essentially to declare an end to the construction of major
                                    water impoundment and channelization projects and focus our attention
                                    on the more effective use and conservation of the nation's water resour-
                                    ces. Federal subsidies for water development and distribution should be
                                    phased out.
                                       Building on our past record, we need to mount a modem day
                                    equivalent to the conservation leadership of President Teddy Roosevelt
                                    - anew national conservation strategy of leadership and action as a model
                                    for the entire world.

                                       Recommended Presidential Actions

                                       The President should declare by executive order, and reinforce by other
                                    means, that federal lands and resources will be managed under a mandate
                                    ofconservation stewardship. These lands and resources should be managed
                                    as environmental exemplars for the world.
                                       The President should take steps to ensure that when public resources are
                                    sold or leased, such sale or lease should never occur at less than fair market
                                    value.

                                          24

                                             The President should propose increased junding for protection and
                                          management offederally-owned lands, and in particular should support the
                                          creation of an American Heritage Trust to more adequately secure and
                                          safeguard the natural and historic heritage of the nation.
                                             The President should affirm his commitment to natural resourcesprotec-
                                          tion in U.S. agficulture. He should, at a minimum, announce his firm com-
                                          mitment to the non-degradation of cropland and soil productivity, the
                                          protection of prime farmland from non-agricultural conversion, the
                                          protection and restoration of natural wetlands, and expanded research and
                                          development of low-input farming systems.

                                             Pollution

                                             In 1969, globs of crude oil began washing up on the beaches of Santa
                                          Barbara, California, and the modem environmental movement was bom.
                                          In the early 1970s, we found many cases of gross pollution: the Cuyahoga
                                          River on fire, Lake Erie dying, Los Angeles choked in smog, Our nation
                                          enacted a series of laws - the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the
                                          Safe Drinking Water Act, and others - and we began to curb pollution.
                                             In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a new wave of pollution problems in-
                                          undated America. This time the symbols were the skull and crossbones
                                          signifying poison: Love Canal, Times Beach, and many others. Again, we
                                          enacted a series of laws - the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Resource
                                          Conservation and Recovery Act, Superfund - and began to implement
                                          them.
                                             Some progress has been made. But the tide of pollution has not been
                                          stemmed. We are falling behind, and our environment and our health are
                                          at serious risk. We must realize the direct connection between the health
                                          of the planet and the health of the person.
                                             The most important statement that can be made with respect to our
                                          massively escalating pollution problems is that we must immediately get
                                          into a mode of prevention rather than cure. We must also recognize that
                                          there really is no more "away" where we can throw things.
                                             We have done much to remove conventional pollutants from our air.
                                          But the eyes of urban residents still smart from high ozone levels all across
                                          the country. Many areas still are far from reaching standards for healthy
                                          air set almost two decades ago. Acid rain continues to drench U.S. and
                                          Canadian lakes and forests with sulfur and nitrogen compounds We have
                                          hardly begun to control other toxic substances that contaminate the air we
                                          breathe.

                                                                                                                25

                                       While the vast majority of large sewage treatment plants have met
                                   deadlines for installing advanced treatment facilities, some major popula-
                                   tion centers and most smaller facilities have lagged behind. Industrial
                                   plants continue to spew toxic pollutants into our lakes and streams. Dis-
                                   charge permits must be tightened as increased flows of residual pollutants
                                   threaten our rivers and lakes. We have made virtually no progress in reduc-
                                   ing run-off of sediment, fertilizers, pesticides, and other toxic materials
                                   from farms, construction sites, suburban areas, and city streets. As a result,
                                   at least a quarter of our rivers and lakes are unsafe for fishing and swim-
                                   ming. This runoff also threatens groundwater in many areas of the United
                                   States.
                                       The federal government has been far too slow in testing pesticides and
                                   other toxic chemicals to determine whether they are causing undue harm
                                   to health and the environment. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
                                   Rodenticide Act is an anachronistic and cumbersome mechanism for
                                   regulating pesticides. We must devise a better law that identifies problem
                                   chemicals early, prevents groundwater contamination, and protects the
                                   health and safety of agricultural workers.
                                       The Superfund cleanup of toxic dumps is foundering. The government
                                   has created a cumbersome, bureaucratic process that slows cleanup and
                                   often results in temporary, not permanent, remedies. Only a handful of
                                   sites have been cleaned up. Thousands remain as chemical time bombs.
                                       The United States is being inundated by a growing mountain of solid
                                   waste. Landfills all across the country are filling up far faster than planned:
                                   45 percent of all municipal solid waste landfills will close by 1991. Many
                                   are leaching poisonous waste water into local streams and aquifers. While
                                   localities talk of increased recycling, many municipalities are turning to in-
                                   cineration as a way to reduce the volume of waste. When they test ash from
                                   incinerators and discover that it is toxic, they receive no guidance from the
                                   federal goverrunent on how to dispose of it.
                                       The Environmental Protection Agency, the lead federal pollution con-
                                   trol agency, has been decimated by budget cuts and incompetent political
                                   appointees. In 1988 EPA's workload was twice that of 1981, yet its
                                   budgetary purchasing power was the same as in 1975. Programs directed
                                   toward compliance with pollution control laws, research, standard setting,
                                   and regulation have deteriorated as a result of Executive Order 12291
                                   (which gives the Office of Management and Budget virtual veto power
                                   over EPA regulations), widespread budget cuts, and inadequate Presiden-
                                   tial leadership.
                                       The federal government's record on controlling toxic wastes from its

                                         26

                                         own facilities is shameful. Some of the most dangerous contamination in
                                         the country has been caused by the Defense Department and the Energy
                                         Department, especially at nuclear weapons production facilities. It has
                                         been estimated that cleanup of these sites will cost more than one hundred
                                         billion dollars.
                                             To succeed in curbing pollution, we must deal with the root cause: the
                                         generation of waste. Americans must do more to reduce the amount of
                                         waste we generate, and increase the amount of material that we recycle
                                         and reuse. The benefits of producing less waste would be felt everywhere:
                                         in the air, on the land, and in groundwater, rivers, and oceans. The new ad-
                                         ministration should make waste reduction and recycling a national impera-
                                         tive. Reduction and recycling can be done cost-effectively, and are ab-
                                         solutely essential on a national basis.
                                             Recommended Presidential Actions:
                                             The President should support and work vigorously for reauthorization of
                                         the Clean AirAct, including acid rain controls that will eliminate at least
                                         twelve million tons of sulphur dioxide and four million tons of nitrogen
                                         oxides by the year 1998, rigorous standards for toxic air emissions, and
                                         deadlines that will bring all areas of the country rapidly into compliance
                                         with standards for healthy air. Factions in the Congress and an uncoopera-
                                         tive President have delayed reauthorization of this key statute for too many
                                         years. Strong Presidential leadership is essential to protect our health and
                                         the environment.
                                             The President should direct EPA and the Ag7iculture Department to
                                         make control of non-point sources of waterpollution, including storm run-
                                         off, a high priority. EPA should require states to control runoff pollution.
                                         State non-point source programs must be fully funded. The Department
                                         should use its subsidy mechanisms and technical assistance programs to
                                         encourage better farming practices, including the planting of buffer strips
                                         to prevent erosion and run-off.
                                             The President should make waste reduction and recycling a national
                                         priority for both hazardous and solid wastes, through economic incentives
                                         to reduce wastes and technical assistance to help state and local govern-
                                         ments establish effective waste reduction and recycling programs. EPA
                                         should evaluate all regulatory programs for waste reduction opportunities.
                                             The President's fiscal year 1990 budget should request at least a 20per-
                                         cent increase in EPA's resources.
                                             The President should order the Secretaries of Defense and Energ to
                                         develop plans to implement strategies to clean up hazardous waste atfederal

                                                                                                                   27

                                      facilities, especially those facilities that pose the greatest risk to health and
                                      the environment.
                                         Population Growth
                                         There are getting to be too many of us. There are already many places
                                      where human concentrations, have overwhelmed the ability of the environ-
                                      ment to support them at a quality of life that is humane and acceptable.
                                      Unless measures are implemented to constrain population growth, more
                                      and more parts of the planet will become overcrowded and unable to sup-
                                      port life on a sustainable basis.
                                         Great inequities now exist among the peoples of the world in terms of
                                      standards of living. As a consequence, per capita impact on the earth's
                                      resource base varies dramatically. Americans, constituting five percent of
                                      the earth's population, consume approximately 25 percent of the earth's
                                      resources. The impact of each American on the earth's resources is many
                                      times that of a person in a less developed society. Yet the earth's resour-
                                      ces are insufficient to bring all of its current human inhabitants up to the
                                      living standard of Americans.
                                         The dilemma we face - an ever increasing population on a finite
                                      resource base - is readily apparent. Application of technology can help
                                      greatly, but is not a panacea. If we are to assure a sustainable future with
                                      an acceptable quality of life for all people, constraints on human popula-
                                      tion growth are urgently needed.
                                         It took the human species more than a million years to reach a global
                                      population of one billion. That event occurred around 1830. But it took
                                      only 100 years more for world population to double to two billion. By 1950,
                                      world population hit two and a half billion and ecologists starting talking
                                      about the "population explosion."
                                         Explosive it has been. By 1987, world population reached five billion.
                                      It will take only eleven more years for an additional one billion people to
                                      be added to the global population - by the year 1998. World population
                                      will have tripled during the lifetime of most Americans.
                                         We have begun to strain the limits of the global life support systems -
                                      our oceans, farmlands, forests, and wetlands. Ever more of us are consum-
                                      ing ever more of the earth's resources, dooming hundreds of millions of
                                      the earth's inhabitants to a life described by philosopher Thomas Hobbes
                                      as,"poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
                                         The most rapid population growth is occurring in developing nations,
                                      primarily in rural areas. InmanyThird World cities, populationis doubling
                                      every decade. Throughout much of the Third World, population growth is

                                        28

                                        outstripping economic growth, leading to a decline in income per person.
                                            A vicious circle is at work. Countries are unable to create engines for
                                        economic growth because their populations are growing too fast. But they
                                        are unable to get their population growth under control without the capi-
                                        tal that a sound economy generates.
                                            The United States, with the fastest growing population in the in-
                                        dustrialized world, also experiences population pressures. The population
                                        of Florida is growing faster than that of Kenya, the world's fastest growing
                                        nation. As a result, Florida's drinking water supply is in dangerous shape.
                                        The population around the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest and most
                                        valuable estuary, increased 50 percent between 1950 and 1980. The result
                                        has been increased pollution run-off that has smothered oyster and clam
                                        beds, commercial fishing pressure that has almost wiped out the striped
                                        bass, and a decline in the quality of the water in the Bay. There are ex-
                                        amples all over the nation of population pressures destroying once produc-
                                        tive natural environments. From a global perspective, U.S. population
                                        growth has far-reaching effects. Every year, for example, U.S. population
                                        growth causes the loss of enough farmland to provide millions of people
                                        with a minimum diet.
                                            Population growth is another example of an environmental problem
                                        which requires both local and global action. In the United States, we ur-
                                        gently need to establish a clear population policy. We must assure that
                                        federal policies and programs promote a balance between population,
                                        resources, and environmental quality. We must also strengthen our
                                        capacity to plan urban environments to make them more liveable and sus-
                                        tainable.
                                            The United States also must share its growing knowledge and its abun-
                                        dant technological resources with the world. We must help developing na-
                                        tions stabilize their populations, and at the same time, help them eliminate
                                        the crushing burdens of poverty. It is in our own best interest to do so.
                                            Halting population growth is fundamental to our efforts to improve the
                                        quality of life on earth. Family planning education must be expanded. Ef-
                                        fective contraceptives should be universally available, The leaders of the
                                        world should seek to overcome cultural barriers that promote unsus-
                                        tainable population growth. This must be done voluntarily, without coer-
                                        cion. Otherwise, it will fail.
                                            Achieving and sustaining a high quality of life for humanity is not at-
                                        tainable without major and immediate actions by all nations of the world
                                        to stabilize world population. The United States must play a major role in
                                        both example and leadership.

                                                                                                              29

                                       Recommended Presidential Actions:

                                       The President should establish an officialpopulationpolicyforthe United
                                   States, and encourage all other nations to do the swne. The overall objec-
                                   tive should be stopping population growth worldwide.
                                       The Presidentshouldreassert thefederalgovernment's support ofpopula-
                                   tion andfamilyplanning assistance. This should include restoring financial
                                   support for multilateral organizations such as the United Nations Popula-
                                   tion Fund and the International Planned Parenthood Federation;
                                   strengthening the incorporation of population components in economic
                                   assistance programs administered by the Agency for International
                                   Development; and encouraging the World Bank, the Inter-American
                                   Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, and other such funding in-
                                   stitutions to incorporate population concerns in their economic assistance
                                   programs.

                                         PREPARING OUR GOVERNMENT FOR ACTION

                                       Most of this report discusses the steps that are needed to solve specific
                                   problems. But there are overarching actions that must be taken, beginning
                                   right now, to show that the new administration is strongly committed to
                                   environmental protection and to ensure that our government is capable of
                                   acting in the right way.

                                       Appoint the Best People
                                       The new administration's environmental performance will be deter-
                                   mined to a great extent by the character and qualifications of the people
                                   appointed to fill key positions. The Administrator of the Environmental
                                   Protection Agency (who we suggest should become secretary of a new
                                   cabinet department), the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Interior,
                                   the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Administrator
                                   of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - each of these
                                   people has the power to do much good or harm to the environment of this
                                   nation and the earth. The President must choose these appointees with the
                                   greatest care.
                                       In the early 1980s, the names of Interior Secretary James Watt and
                                   EPA Administrator Ann Gorsuch Burford became synonymous with en-
                                   vironmental neglect and mismanagement. This nation and the world can-
                                   not afford any more appointees like these. We have submitted to the Presi-

                                          30

                                          dent-Elect lists of people whose experience and commitment to environ-
                                          mental protection make thernhighly qualified candidates forkeypositions.

                                              Establish an Effective Presidential Staff

                                              Effective Presidential leadership will depend on the staff that serves
                                          the President. We recommend that the President reorganize the Council
                                          on Environmental Quality to turn it into a Presidential staff on the environ-
                                          ment, headed by a single -director who is highly qualified and trusted by
                                          the President. The National Security Council, the domestic policy staff in
                                          the White House, and the Office of Management and Budget each must
                                          include people highly qualified to deal with environmental issues.
                                              We further recommend that the President establish high-level inter-
                                          agency groups to ensure action on broad issues - such as global warming,
                                          sustainable development in developing countries, and population
                                          stabilization - that cuts across agency lines. Members of the Presidential
                                          staff should be assigned to ensure that the work of these groups does not
                                          bog down in interagency disputes.

                                              Deliver an Environmental Message Early in 1989
                                              It is essential that the President himself show, by his words and actions,
                                          that he truly cares about the environment. President Nixon began, and
                                          other Presidents have followed, the tradition of delivering an annual En-
                                          vironmental Message to the Congress and the nation. This proved to be
                                          an effective way of underscoring the importance of environmental
                                          problems and focusing attention on Presidential proposals for needed ac-
                                          tions. Because of the range and scope of the environmental initiatives that
                                          are needed at this time, we recommend that the President resume this
                                          tradition and deliver, in the early months of his administration, a message
                                          that lays out his environmental program.

                                              Propose a Fully Adequate Environmental Budget
                                              Many vitally important federal responsibilities are being neglected due
                                          to lack of staff and other resources. Some budget increases are essential if
                                          we are to prevent environmental degradation and the necessity of much
                                          greater expenditures later on. Mindful of the federal budget deficit, we do
                                          not recommend vast new expenditures. Many needed actions can be
                                          funded by redirecting federal spending. But it is absolutely essential that
                                          the budget submitted next February or March - a budget that will prevail

                                                                                                              31

                                  until October 1991 - reflect careful analysis of environmental needs and
                                  include adequate resources to meet them.
                                      The increases we recommend include: EPA, which has been shame-
                                  fully neglected; the Land and Water Conservation Fund, essential to
                                  preserve our natural and cultural heritage; a variety of actions to prevent
                                  global warming of the atmosphere and prevent mass extinctions of plant
                                  and animal species; assistance to help developing countries solve urgent
                                  problems of population growth and environmental degradation; and
                                  financial contributions to key international organizations like the United
                                  Nations Environment Program.
                                      The formidable challenges posed by global climate change, destruc-
                                  tion of tropical forests, elimination of biological diversity, and the ex-
                                  plosion of world population require major new funding commitments on
                                  the order of several billion dollars if we hope to resolve them.
                                      To obtain the essential funding to address these global issues, we seek
                                  to curtail environmentally destructive tax subsidies for irrigating surplus
                                  crops, for uranium enrichment services, for porkbarrel waterprojects, and
                                  for below-cost timber sales. Cutting tax loopholes, imposing certain user
                                  fees, and increasing the gasoline tax can raise $17 billion. Just a one- cent-
                                  per-gallon increase in the gasoline tax will raise one billion dollars. The
                                  public will support such initiatives if the money is to be used to solve these
                                  urgent environmental problems.

                                      Provide International Leadership
                                      Global environmental problems cast a shadow over humanity's future.
                                  These problems can be solved only through international cooperation.
                                  This requires leadership by the President.

                                      ne President should act as rapidly as possible to fulfill his campaign
                                  pledge to call for a Global Environmental Summit meeting of world
                                  leaders. The President should ensure that environmental issues are dis-
                                  cussed at other major international meetings, such as the 1989 Western
                                  Economic Summit and any U.S.-Soviet summits. He should stress the im-
                                  portance of these issues in all his meetings with foreign leaders and instruct
                                  his ambassadors to do the same.

                                      Create a New Department of Environmental Protection
                                      ne environmental problems we face are of the greatest importance
                                  to this nation and the world. Those with principal responsibility for deal-

                                            32

                                            ing with them must sit in the highest councils of government. Therefore,
                                            we recommend that the President propose to the Congress the creation of
                                            a new, cabinet-level Department of Environmental Protection to replace
                                            the present Environmental Protection Agency.

                                                Convene a White House Conference on the Environment
                                                Public understanding and the broadest possible consensus are essen-
                                            tial if we are to meet the environmental challenges we face. Therefore, we
                                            suggest that the President convene, late in 1989, a White House Con-
                                            ference on the Environment, resuming a tradition begun by Theodore
                                            Roosevelt with the 1908 Governors' Conference on Natural Resources.
                                            The participants should include governors, mayors, Members of Congress,
                                            scientists, educators, enviromnentalists, and representatives of business,
                                            labor, and religious, women7s, minority, and other groups. The purpose
                                            should be to foster understanding of the problems we face and to formu-
                                            late and adopt action plans to address our environmental problems.

                                                Ensure Foresight in Federal Decisions
                                                The environmental issues we face are long-term and affect many
                                            aspects of our national life. We must be sure that executive branch
                                            decisions do not inadvertently make these problems worse, and that the
                                            solutions we pursue are the best we can devise. Therefore, we recommend
                                            that the President issue an executive order establishing a new, govern-
                                            ment-wide process designed to ensure that all the consequences of
                                            proposed decisions including long-term, international, and cross-cutting
                                            effects are taken into account. This "foresight" process should apply espe-
                                            cially to Presidential decisions. It should be coordinated by an official very
                                            close to the President, such as the White House Chief of Staff.

                                                                          CONCLUSION

                                                We face an unprecedented environmental crisis. The policies and ac-
                                            tions of our new President and his administration will do much to deter-
                                            mine whether the earth we love will remain a habitable place. Adoption
                                            of the recommendations presented in this report would do much to set our
                                            country and the world on a course that will sustain life now and forever.
                                                We and our organizations will do all we can to ensure that these recom-
                                            mendations are implemented as soon as possible. We ask other elected of-
                                            ficials and our fellow citizens to join with us in this vitally important effort.

                                              AVAILABLE JANUARY 1989

                                         Blueprint for the Environment
                     4             The environmental community's recommendations
                                      to President-elect George Bush, in book form
                                               $13.95, 300 pages, paperback
                                  Contains about 300 of the keypolicy recommendations firom the
                                Blueprint report, which covers the spectrum of environmental issues.
                              Purchase copies in bookstores, from many of Blueprint's participating
                                          organizations, or directly from the publisher:

                                                     HOWE BROTHERS
                                                     Post Office Box 6394
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                                  The entire Blueprint report is also available on computer disk
                                                   from Hughes Productions
                                                       Post Office Box 31
                                                   Silver City, Nevada 89428
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                                                        formats include:
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                                                allow four to six weeksfor delivery

                                                Advice to the President-Elect
                                                         from America's
                                                  Environmental Community

                                                          Defenders of Wildlife
                                   14
                                  .4                      Environmental Action
                                                      Environmental Policy Institute
                                                           Friends of the Earth
                                                       Global Tomorrow Coalition
                                                          Izaak Walton League
                                                        National Audubon Society
                                               National Parks and Conservation Association
                                                       National Wildlife Federation
                                                  Natural Resources Council of America
                                                    Natural Resources Defense Council
                                                             Renew America
                                                                                                  A*,
                                                               Sierra Club
                                                           The Oceanic Society
                                                         The Wilderness Society
                                                            Trout Unlimited
                                                      Union of Concerned Scientists
                                                         Zero Population Growth

                                                 BLUEPRINT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
                                                           1400 16th Street, ArW
                                                          Washington, D.C. 20036

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