    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [November 13, 1995]
    [Page 1754]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Energy and Water Development Appropriations
    Act, 1996
    November 13, 1995

        Today I have signed into law H.R. 1905, the ``Energy and Water
    Development Appropriations Act, 1996.''
        I urge the Congress to complete action on the remaining regular FY
    1996 appropriations bills and to send them to me in an acceptable form.
    Last year, the Congress had sent--and I had signed--all 13
    appropriations bills by September 30th. Regrettably, this is only the
    third bill that I have been able to sign for this fiscal year.
        The Act provides $19.3 billion in budgetary resources for programs
    of the Department of Energy, portions of the Departments of Interior and
    Defense, the Army Corps of Engineers, and several smaller agencies.
    While the bill does not fully fund my budget requests in a number of
    programs, the bill provides important funding for many major programs in
    these agencies.
        The bill supports the Administration's proposal to reinvent the
    Department of Energy to improve the way it serves the American people.
    The bill provides $6.1 billion for a critical environmental mission to
    continue working cooperatively with States and all other interested
    stakeholders to clean up the Department's former weapons production
    facilities. The bill also fully funds my request for the Department of
    Energy's Stockpile Stewardship and Management program, assuring the
    safety and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear
    testing. In addition, the bill provides full funding for one of my key
    science initiatives to enhance the operation and availability of the
    Department of Energy's science facilities, giving more researchers
    access to these facilities to conduct more basic and applied research.
    This is a modest investment that will leverage a significant return from
    the scientific community.
        The enrolled bill provides $4.0 billion for water resources programs
    at the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation--98 percent of
    the amount I requested. At the same time, the Congress added 14
    unrequested Corps of Engineers new start construction projects that will
    require over $1.1 billion in total Federal funds to complete,
    potentially causing delays in ongoing projects. I look forward to
    maintaining a dialogue with the Congress to formulate a mutually
    acceptable reinvention strategy for the Corps of Engineers.
        I am particularly pleased that the Congress satisfactorily resolved
    sensitive language issues that the Administration was concerned about,
    including some cases in which language contained in earlier versions of
    the bill would have overridden environmental laws.
        Again, I urge the Congress to meet its responsibilities by sending
    me the remaining regular FY 1996 appropriations bills in acceptable
    form.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    November 13, 1995.

    Note: H.R. 1905, approved November 13, was assigned Public Law No. 104-
    46.