    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [December 18, 1995]
    [Pages 1899-1900]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the House of Representatives Returning Without Approval the
    Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996
    December 18, 1995

    To the House of Representatives:
        I am returning herewith without my approval H.R. 1977, the
    ``Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
    1996.''
        This bill is unacceptable because it would unduly restrict our
    ability to protect America's natural resources and cultural heritage,
    promote the technology we need for long-term energy conservation and
    economic growth, and provide

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    adequate health, educational, and other services to Native Americans.
        First, the bill makes wrong-headed choices with regard to the
    management and preservation of some of our most precious assets. In the
    Tongass National Forest in Alaska, it would allow harmful clear-cutting,
    require the sale of timber at unsustainable levels, and dictate the use
    of an outdated forest plan for the next 2 fiscal years.
        In the Columbia River basin in the Pacific Northwest, the bill would
    impede implementation of our comprehensive plan for managing public
    lands--the Columbia River Basin Ecosystem Management Project. It would
    do this by prohibiting publication of a final Environmental Impact
    Statement or Record of Decision and requiring the exclusion of
    information on fisheries and watersheds. The result: a potential return
    to legal gridlock on timber harvesting, grazing, mining, and other
    economically important activities.
        And in the California desert, the bill undermines our designation of
    the Mojave National Preserve by cutting funding for the Preserve and
    shifting responsibility for its management from the National Park
    Service to the Bureau of Land Management. The Mojave is our newest
    national park and part of the 1994 California Desert Protection Act--the
    largest addition to our park system in the lower 48 States. It deserves
    our support.
        Moreover, the bill would impose a misguided moratorium on future
    listings and critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species
    Act. And in the case of one endangered species, the marbled murrelet, it
    would eliminate the normal flexibility for both the Departments of the
    Interior and Agriculture to use new scientific information in managing
    our forests.
        Second, the bill slashes funding for the Department of Energy's
    energy conservation programs. This is short-sighted and unwise.
    Investment in the technology of energy conservation is important for our
    Nation's long-term economic strength and environmental health. We should
    be doing all we can to maintain and sharpen our competitive edge, not
    back off.
        Third, this bill fails to honor our historic obligations toward
    Native Americans. It provides inadequate funding for the Indian Health
    Service and our Indian Education programs. And the cuts targeted at key
    programs in the Bureau of Indian Affairs are crippling--including
    programs that support child welfare; adult vocational training; law
    enforcement and detention services; community fire protection; and
    general assistance to low-income Indian individuals and families.
    Moreover, the bill would unfairly single out certain self-governance
    tribes in Washington State for punitive treatment. Specifically, it
    would penalize these tribes financially for using legal remedies in
    disputes with non-tribal owners of land within reservations.
        Finally, the bill represents a dramatic departure from our
    commitment to support for the arts and the humanities. It cuts funding
    of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities so deeply as to
    jeopardize their capacity to keep providing the cultural, educational,
    and artistic programs that enrich America's communities large and small.
        For these reasons and others my Administration has conveyed to the
    Congress in earlier communications, I cannot accept this bill. It does
    not reflect my priorities or the values of the American people. I urge
    the Congress to send me a bill that truly serves the interests of our
    Nation and our citizens.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    December 18, 1995.