[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.