[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 234 (Tuesday, December 7, 2010)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 75847-75848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30809]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 234 / Tuesday, December 7, 2010 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 75847]]


                Proclamation 8611 of December 2, 2010

                
40th Anniversary of the Environmental Protection 
                Agency

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                From the air we breathe to the water we drink, the 
                quality of our environment has a profound effect on our 
                public health, the well-being of future generations, 
                and the vitality of our economy. Just four decades ago, 
                smog choked communities across America, pollution 
                clotted numerous waterways, and our Nation watched in 
                shock as Cleveland's Cuyahoga River ignited from a 
                tragic accumulation of industrial waste and sewage. 
                Americans realized that we must work together to 
                preserve the beauty and utility of our planet, and we 
                have come to expect clean air and drinking water.

                The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
                was created in 1970 to protect Americans' health and 
                our natural resources from pollution. Since its 
                formation, EPA has responded to our Nation's most 
                urgent environmental challenges, including industrial 
                waste polluting our waters, acid rain poisoning our 
                forests and lakes, the thinning of the ozone layer that 
                shields the Earth, and safe handling of electronic 
                waste. Throughout its history, EPA has been a champion 
                for healthy families by reducing the environmental 
                risks that affect children, fostering cleaner 
                communities, and building a stronger America.

                Looking to the future, we must safeguard the rich 
                resources that have supported centuries of American 
                growth and economic expansion, while also protecting 
                the clean air and water that has helped keep our 
                families healthy. To carry out these obligations, EPA 
                will continue to make clean air, safe water, and 
                unpolluted land a priority, and encourage America to be 
                a leader in environmental protection through pollution 
                prevention and the development of clean-energy 
                alternatives to fossil fuels. The advances we make 
                today will build a sustainable future for our country, 
                creating new clean-energy jobs and laying the 
                foundation for our long-term economic security.

                Four decades after its creation, EPA is building on its 
                legacy of responsible stewardship and advancing 
                environmental quality in the face of new challenges. As 
                we strive to protect the integrity of our planet in the 
                21st century, EPA continues to lead on critical global 
                issues like reducing mercury pollution, fighting for 
                environmental justice in overburdened communities, and 
                confronting global climate change. The work of EPA 
                benefits every American by making our environment safer 
                and healthier while securing the path to a better 
                future for our children and grandchildren.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim December 2, 2010, as 
                the 40th Anniversary of the United States Environmental 
                Protection Agency. I call upon all Americans to observe 
                this anniversary with appropriate programs, ceremonies, 
                and activities that honor EPA's history, 
                accomplishments, and contributions to our environment.

[[Page 75848]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                second day of December, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2010-30809
Filed 12-6-10; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W1-P