    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [April 22, 2004]
    [Pages 653-655]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the President's Environmental Youth Awards Ceremony
    April 22, 2004

        The President. Thank you all for coming. Welcome. Please be seated.
    Welcome to the East Garden. We're glad you're here. This is a perfect
    place to honor some of America's finest young stewards of the
    environment. By working hard to preserve our natural surroundings,
    you've made important contributions to your communities and to our
    Nation. We're really glad you're here, and I appreciate the great
    example you're setting for others.
        Steve, thanks for being here. I'm
    honored that you've accepted the assignment of becoming the Deputy
    Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. That's a big job,
    and I'm glad you're going to do it.
        Stephen L. Johnson. Thank you, sir.
        The President. Thank you. I know that your wife, Debbie, and Matthew are with us
    here today too, and I'm glad they're here. Good to see you.
        I want to congratulate the award winners from 10 EPA regions from
    around the country. Thanks for what you're doing. I want to thank your
    family members who are here with you, your teachers who are here with
    you, your buddies who are here with you. Thanks for coming.
        I also want to thank the EPA Regional Administrators. I see a couple
    of recognizable faces here. I'm glad you all are here. I appreciate your
    hard work for the country.
        The award winners today span the entire country, from Barrackville,
    West Virginia, to Shakopee, Minnesota, to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
    You've cleaned parks. You've restored wetlands, and you've organized
    conservation projects. As volunteers, you've given your time and talents
    in many different ways, and together you're helping to achieve a great
    national goal, to protect and pass along the great natural beauty of our
    country.
        Showing concern for the environment is one way of showing your love
    for America. Americans are fortunate to be able to breathe clean air and
    enjoy the beautiful, diverse landscapes of our vast continent. By
    getting your hands dirty and helping to clean up your communities,
    you're putting your ideals into action, and you're making America a
    better place. I hope you know that.
        As each of you have learned, good stewardship can be a lot of fun.
    Working outdoors is a chance to clear your mind or to get exercise or to
    be with your family and your friends. That's one of the reasons I like
    to go down to Crawford. I like to get outdoors. I like to clear my mind.
    I like to be with my family and my friends. And I like to work on our
    ranch to restore native grasses and to make our hardwood trees flourish.
        I'm looking forward to going down to be with a family member
    tomorrow, as a matter of fact. See, my brother is
    the Governor of Florida--Jeb--and we're going down to clear out some
    nonnative plants from the Everglade area so that the wetlands can be
    more healthy and flourish more. I'm going to make sure he pulls his
    weight, too. [Laughter]
        The other thing you're doing is you're setting an important example
    of service. I don't know if you know this or not, but this week is
    called National Volunteer Week. It's a time to recognize millions of

    [[Page 654]]

    citizens who are working hard to improve the communities in which they
    live. After September the 11th, 2001, I called on our fellow citizens to
    dedicate 4,000 hours or 2 years over the course of their lives to
    volunteer work. That's what you're doing, and I appreciate that a lot.
        I started what's called the USA Freedom Corps to provide information
    about volunteer opportunities in communities. And if people are
    interested, they ought to go on the Internet at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.
    And you can find out how to help if you're interested in environmental
    projects; they'll be listed there. If you're interested in ways to feed
    the hungry, you can find that too.
        You've proven with your projects that many small acts taken together
    can add up to something big, improving the environment, while people who
    volunteer to love a neighbor just like they'd like to be loved
    themselves are part of doing small gestures, which makes America a
    better place. Your efforts are helping to ensure a cleaner world for
    future generations. I want to thank you for your hard work. I look
    forward to congratulating you as you come up to receive your awards.
        Those of us in Government must uphold our responsibilities as well.
    Today I went to Maine. I saw my mother, I might add. I announced a new
    goal for our country, and that is to expand the wetlands of America so
    that we have better habitat for wildlife, wetlands that are important to
    trap pollution and clean water and stabilize whole areas. For decades
    this country was losing wetlands, and yet, with sound policy here and
    fostering cooperation between landowners and conservationists, we've not
    only slowed the loss of wetlands; I know that over the next 5 years, we
    can increase the number of wetlands to 3 million, over a 5-year period.
        To meet this goal, we're going to have to make sure that Congress
    passes reasonable budgets. In my budget, I've proposed $349 million on
    two key wetland programs, which would be an increase of more than 50
    percent since 2001. As well the farm bill I passed had a major
    conservation title to it, which will encourage farmers to replenish the
    wetlands on their lands so that we can meet an important national goal.
        I'm really looking forward to saying hello to you and thanking you.
    I'm told this is an impressive group of young leaders. You should be
    proud of your achievements. You're setting a good example for your
    fellow citizens. It leads me to be confident about the future of the
    environment because you're contributing so mightily.
        So thanks for coming, and now it's my honor to welcome Steve
    Johnson to the podium to announce the
    awards.

    [At this point, Acting Deputy Administrator Johnson introduced the award
    recipients from each region, and the President congratulated them.]

        The President. Thank you, sir. Welcome. Glad you all are here.
    Thanks for coming. May God bless you, and may God bless your families,
    and may God continue to bless our great country. Thanks for being here.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:48 p.m. in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden
    at the White House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a
    Spanish language transcript of these remarks. The National Volunteer
    Week proclamation of April 16 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this
    volume.

    [[Page 655]]