    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [August 14, 1999]
    [Pages 1443-1444]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1443]]

    The President's Radio Address
    August 14, 1999

        Good morning. Throughout our history, American families have spent
    the summer enjoying the natural beauty of our Nation's waterways. Today,
    more Americans than ever are spending their vacations by our beaches,
    our lakes, our rivers. And it's important to ensure that the water our
    families swim and fish in is as clean and safe as we can possibly make
    it.
        Clean water is the most simple necessity of our lives, and we almost
    take it for granted. But 25 years ago, many of our waterways were so
    dirty they actually posed a serious threat to public health. Then
    Congress passed the Clean Water Act, and we began the long process of
    reclaiming our waterways and preserving them for the future.
        For more than 6\1/2\ years now, Vice President Gore and I have
    worked to continue that legacy. We've strengthened the Safe Drinking
    Water Act, helping communities upgrade water treatment plants. We
    demanded more industries publicly disclose the chemicals they release
    into the air and water. We required water systems across the country to
    give customers regular reports on the safety of the water flowing from
    their taps. We strengthened protections for vital wetlands. And last
    year we launched a new clean water action plan to help finish the job
    the Clean Water Act started 25 years ago. We can all be proud of the
    progress we've made so far, but when 40 percent of our Nation's surveyed
    waterways are still too polluted for swimming or fishing, we know we
    have to do more.
        Like many Americans, I was shocked to learn that several young
    children became gravely ill last week after swimming in a lake that may
    have been contaminated with E. coli bacteria. That is simply
    unacceptable. Parents have a right to expect that our recreational
    waters are safe for their children to swim in. All Americans have a
    right to expect we're doing all we can to clean up our waterways.
        So today I'm pleased to announce that we're taking new action to
    ensure that every river, lake, and bay in America is clean and safe. The
    EPA will work in partnership with States to assess the state of all our
    waterways, to identify the most polluted waters, and to develop strong,
    enforceable plans to restore them to health. These steps will chart a
    course to clean up 20,000 waterways and ensure that they remain safe for
    generations to come. But just as we're taking new action to preserve our
    environment for future generations, the Republican leadership in
    Congress is laying plans to roll back more than a quarter century of
    bipartisan progress in public health and environmental protection.
        Without explanation or excuse, the Republicans' spending bills slash
    important environmental initiatives, like our lands legacy program to
    preserve natural treasures, farms, urban parks, wetlands, and other
    green spaces. They shortchange vital research and development programs
    that address the threat of global warming, that help us to develop
    alternative fuels in vehicles that pollute less and to make the maximum
    use of available energy conservation technologies. And their spending
    bills are also loaded with unrelated provisions that would sacrifice
    crucial environmental protections for the sake of special interests. I
    vetoed bills before because they contain such antienvironmental riders,
    and if necessary, I'm prepared to do it again.
        The budget of the Republican leadership isn't simply turning back
    the clock on environmental protection. It's also turning its back on 6
    years of fiscal responsibility and prudent investment, a policy that's
    produced the strongest economy in a generation, the longest peacetime
    expansion in our history, the largest surplus in our history.
        Their budget plan, because it contains such a large tax cut, would
    actually threaten our environment because it would require big cuts in
    environmental enforcement, letting toxic waste dumps fester, even
    shutting down national parks. In addition to that, we'd have across-the-
    board cuts in everything from education to medical research to defense,
    and they wouldn't add a day to the life of the Social Security or
    Medicare Trust Fund, nor would they pay off the debt.
        Our budget continues to invest in the environment and education and
    medical research and defense. It pays off the debt in 15 years for the
    first time since 1835, and it lengthens the life of the Social Security
    and Medicare Trust

    [[Page 1444]]

    Funds. It's a good budget, and it also provides for a modest tax cut.
        We have proved time and again that we don't have to choose between
    growing our economy or preserving our environment. We can do both with
    discipline. So again I ask Congress, let's put politics aside and
    continue the commonsense course that is already leading us toward a
    cleaner environment, a stronger economy, and a stronger America for the
    21st century. Let's work together to give our children the gift of a
    better, healthier world.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 5:04 p.m. on August 12 in the Oval
    Office at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on August 14. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    August 13 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.