    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [December 1, 1994]
    [Page 2132]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders on Seismic Safety of Existing Federally
    Owned or Leased Buildings
    December 1, 1994

    Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. President:)
        Under Public Law 101-614 the President is to adopt, no later than
    December 1, 1994, ``standards for assessing and enhancing the seismic
    safety of existing buildings constructed for or leased by the Federal
    Government which were designed and constructed without adequate seismic
    design and construction standards.'' The statute gave the task of
    developing the standards to the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety
    in Construction (ICSSC), which is chaired by the National Institute of
    Standards and Technology.
        The ICSSC developed a set of ``Standards of Seismic Safety for
    Existing Federally Owned or Leased Buildings and Commentary''
    (Standards), and recommends that Federal departments and agencies adopt
    these Standards.
        The intent of the Standards is to identify common minimum evaluation
    and mitigation measures for all Federal departments and agencies, and to
    allow all Federal entities to have an agency-conceived and controlled
    seismic safety program for their existing owned or leased buildings. I
    have signed an Executive order adopting these Standards. A copy of that
    order is attached.
        The Executive order adopts the Standards as the minimum level of
    seismic safety for federally owned and leased buildings. It requires
    seismic evaluation and, if necessary, rehabilitation under certain
    conditions identified in the Standards. The order directs all Federal
    departments and agencies to develop an inventory of their owned and
    leased buildings within 4 years of signing, and to estimate the cost of
    mitigating unacceptable seismic risks in their buildings.
        Adoption of these Standards provides the critical first step for
    determining how these Standards can be applied to buildings that receive
    Federal financial assistance or are regulated by a Federal agency.
        Sincerely,

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: Identical letters were sent to Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the
    House of Representatives, and Albert Gore, Jr., President of the Senate.
    The Executive order is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.