    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [July 29, 2002]
    [Pages 1318-1319]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Proposed Legislation To Implement the Clear Skies
    Initiative
    July 29, 2002

        Today I am pleased to announce that Environmental Protection
    Administrator Whitman has submitted
    legislation to Congress to implement the Clear Skies Initiative I
    proposed in February. Since February, my administration has been working
    to develop legislation that meets our common commitment to cleaner air
    for all Americans. I also am pleased that Chairman Billy Tauzin and Chairman Joe Barton
    introduced this legislation in the House on Friday and that Senator Bob
    Smith will introduce it in the Senate today on
    behalf of the administration. Clear Skies will cut powerplant emissions
    by 70 percent--much further, faster, more certainly, and more cost-
    effectively than current law.
        America has made significant progress over the last 30 years in our
    quest for cleaner air, and we have learned a lot about

    [[Page 1319]]

    what approaches work best. Now is the time to put those lessons to use.
    Building upon the success of our most effective clean air program, we
    have crafted a new ``Clean Air Act'' for the 21st century, one that will
    do more to clean up emissions from powerplants than ever before. In the
    next decade alone, Clear Skies will eliminate 35 million more tons of
    pollution than the current Clean Air Act, bringing cleaner air to
    millions of Americans. Clear Skies will also help save our forests,
    lakes, streams, and coastal waters from acid rain and nitrogen and
    mercury deposition. And Clear Skies will do this through the use of a
    market-based system that guarantees results while keeping electricity
    prices affordable for the American people. Administrator Whitman and I
    look forward to working with Congress to deliver the health and
    environmental benefits promised by passage of Clear Skies legislation.