[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[October 7, 1998]
[Page 1755]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Signing the Energy and Water Development Appropriations 
Act, 1999
October 7, 1998

    Today I have signed into law H.R. 4060, the ``Energy and Water 
Development Appropriations Act, 1999,'' which provides $20.8 billion in 
discretionary budget authority for the programs of the Department of 
Energy (DOE), the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation, 
the Army Corps of Engineers, and several smaller agencies.
    The Act provides necessary funding to maintain my Administration's 
commitment to ensuring the safety and reliability of our Nation's 
nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing. It also supports 
DOE's basic science programs, including funding for the Spallation 
Neutron Source Program. The Act also provides funding to develop and 
protect the Nation's water resources.
    I am pleased that the Act includes authority to transfer funds to 
support the operation of the D.C. Courts.
    However, I am disappointed that the Congress did not include my 
funding request for valuable research and development investments in 
renewable energy sources, and I will work with the Congress to explore 
options for funding these important investments. I am also disappointed 
that the Congress provided no funding for the Next Generation Internet 
and for discretionary programs of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and 
inadequate funding for the Clean Water Initiative, including the 
Initiative's Everglades restoration activities and Columbia River salmon 
recovery efforts. I look forward to working with the Congress on options 
for financing and increasing support for these initiatives in the 
future.
    Only 4 of the 13 FY 1999 appropriations bills have been sent to the 
White House. These 13 bills must be passed to fund the operation of the 
Government for the fiscal year that began on October 1. Time is growing 
short, and I urge the Congress not to delay, but to complete its work on 
the remaining bills by the end of this week, and to send them to me in 
an acceptable form.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,

October 7, 1998.

Note: H.R. 4060, approved October 7, was assigned Public Law No. 105-
245.