    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [October 30, 1999]
    [Pages 1934-1935]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    October 30, 1999

        Good morning. Two weeks ago I reaffirmed our Nation's commitment to
    environmental protection and announced our plan to protect more than 40
    million acres of roadless area in our national forests. Today I'm
    announcing new actions we're taking to protect our air, our water, and
    some of our most precious lands.
        One of the simplest but most potent tools in our fight against
    pollution is public information. By requiring industries to tell
    communities how much they pollute the air and water, we empower citizens
    to fight back and create a powerful incentive for industry to pollute
    less. Remarkably, in the decades since the public's right-to-know about
    chemical releases became the law of the land, industry's toxic pollution
    has fallen nearly 50 percent.
        Today, my administration is again expanding the public's right-to-
    know. We're acting to protect families against some of the most
    dangerous chemicals ever known, including mercury, dioxin, and PCB's.
    These chemicals are troubling for two reasons. First, they don't break
    down easily; instead, they build up in the environment and in our
    bodies. Second, many of them heighten the risk of cancer or other
    illness, even at very low doses.
        Right now companies are required to disclose their uses of these
    chemicals only if they handle huge quantities. Beginning January 1st,
    we'll require companies to inform the public even if they're using much
    smaller quantities, in some cases just 10 pounds a year. In the case of
    dioxin, a chemical that can cause harm even in minute quantities,
    companies must report if they produce as little as a tenth of a gram.
        By posting this information for all to see, we can speed the day
    when families no longer need worry about hidden dangers in the air they
    breathe and the water they drink.
        As we step up our fight against pollution, we must work as well to
    preserve lands across America that are still pristine. Today I'm
    announcing a new effort to protect the incomparable California desert so
    future generations can enjoy it in all its splendor. Five years ago I
    signed the California Desert Act, preserving millions of acres of stark
    but fragile landscape, rich with history and precious wildlife.
        Today, to mark the anniversary, the nonprofit Wildlands Conservancy
    is donating to the Federal Government an additional 14,000 acres within
    the Joshua Tree National Park, lands that

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    otherwise might be developed. It's through partnerships like this that
    we can protect vital pieces of our national endowment.
        We have also just completed our agreement to preserve New Mexico's
    spectacular Baca Ranch, home to one of the largest herds of wild elk
    anywhere in the world. I'm working closely with Congress to secure the
    funding to complete this purchase so that we can preserve this
    extraordinary land for all time.
        In my balanced budget for this year, I proposed a $1 billion lands
    legacy initiative to preserve other natural treasures and to help
    communities protect local green spaces. Regrettably, Congress has failed
    to provide even half the necessary funding.
        And even more troubling, the Interior bill that Congress has
    produced once again is laden with provisions that would benefit special
    interests at the expense of our public interest and our environment. One
    of these provisions would allow excessive logging on our national
    forests. Another would let mining companies dump more toxic wastes on
    public lands. A third would grant a windfall to major companies that
    produce oil on Federal lands.
        This makes no sense. Today, while I'm taking action to protect
    communities against toxic chemicals, Congress is giving special
    interests license to pollute our public lands. While I'm taking action
    to save some of our most treasured places, Congress is putting other
    precious lands at greater risk.
        So let me be clear: If Congress sends me this Interior bill, I'll
    veto it. Again, I urge Congress to work with me on a better bill that is
    unburdened by these antienvironmental provisions and that has adequate
    funding to protect our natural landscape through the lands legacy
    initiative.
        All though this century, since Theodore Roosevelt set us on the path
    of conservation, Americans have worked together across party lines to
    protect public health and restore and protect our environment. As we
    begin the new millennium, let our gift to the future be a new effort,
    together across party lines, to clean our air, to ensure safe water, and
    to preserve healthy, thriving lands.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 6:59 p.m. on October 29 at a private
    residence in Atlanta, GA, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on October 30. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    October 29 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.