    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [May 23, 2005]
    [Pages 856-857]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Swearing-In Ceremony for Stephen L. Johnson as Administrator of the Environmental Protection
    Agency
    May 23, 2005

        The President. Good afternoon. I'm proud to visit the headquarters
    of the Environmental Protection Agency. I am honored to be here to
    congratulate Steve Johnson on becoming America's 11th EPA Administrator.
    Congratulations. It is good to be up here with Debbie, your wonderful family, as well as your dad,
    Bill.

        I'm sorry that Laura couldn't join us, but
    today she's been touring the Egyptian desert. [Laughter] She tells me
    that if you take away the pyramids, it just looks like west Texas.
    [Laughter]
        I want to thank Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta for joining us. I want to thank the former EPA
    Administrator, the former Governor of New Jersey, Christie Todd
    Whitman, for coming today.
        I thank Congressman Charlie Taylor
    of North Carolina for joining us today. Congressman, I'm proud you're
    here. He happens to be the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee
    on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Welcome.
        My administration is fulfilling our responsibility to be good
    stewards of the Earth. Today, America's air, land, and water are cleaner
    than they were in 2001. We've reduced air pollution by more than 10
    percent. We put in place clean diesel rules that will cut emissions from
    heavy-duty vehicles by more than 90 percent over 10 years. We've
    restored nearly 1,200 abandoned industrial sites to productive use. We
    worked to pass the Healthy Forests Restoration Act to protect forests
    and wildlife and homeowners against catastrophic fires. We've
    substantially increased funding to improve water quality in the Great
    Lakes.
        Our policies are protecting the environment while also promoting
    economic growth. And I want to thank each employee of this Agency for
    helping make this progress possible.
        Steve Johnson is the right man to build on this progress. He has 24
    years of experience here at the EPA. He is the first career EPA employee
    to hold the office of Administrator. Steve is also the first
    professional scientist to lead the agency. With this background, Steve
    will help us continue to place sound scientific analysis at the heart of
    all major environmental decisions.
        The EPA recently finalized a rule that places the first-ever
    national cap on mercury emissions from powerplants, which will result in
    a nearly 70-percent decrease in these emissions. And we issued the Clean
    Air Interstate Rule to reduce air pollution from powerplants by 70
    percent. These rules are a good start, but they are not a substitute for
    effective legislation. So one of Steve's first tasks--and I look forward
    to joining you on this task--to further reduce air pollution is to work
    with Congress to pass the Clear Skies legislation.

    [[Page 857]]

    Clear Skies is a commonsense, pro-environment, pro-jobs initiative. And
    Congress needs to pass the bill this year.
        Steve will also build on EPA's work to improve the quality and
    security of our drinking water. We're enforcing strict standards to
    bring cleaner water to communities across our country. The budget I
    submitted this year to Congress includes a $44 million pilot program to
    develop tools to better monitor urban water systems, so we can detect
    contamination as quickly as possible. The budget also increases support
    for EPA homeland security programs by more than 70 percent next year.
    Under Steve's leadership, we will work to ensure that every American
    community continues to have a water supply that is clean and is safe.
        We must build on our progress in the conservation and protection of
    our wetlands, soil, and wildlife habitats. On Earth Day last year, I
    announced a new goal to restore, improve, and protect at least 3 million
    acres of wetlands by 2009. After 1 year, we've already enhanced over
    800,000 acres of wetlands. And that puts us on a pace to meet our goal.
        And finally, we will continue our enforcement strategy, which
    focuses on achieving real environmental improvements that benefit
    everyone. Since 2001, the EPA has increased compliance inspections by 19
    percent and civil investigations by 24 percent. And last year, the
    Agency provided compliance assistance to over 730,000 individuals and
    businesses.
        Our strategy is working. Last year we obtained commitments to reduce
    future pollution by an estimated one billion pounds, an increase of 50
    percent over the 2001 level. And I want to thank all the EPA employees
    who work in the field to work on this collaborative effort.
        As Steve leads the EPA, he will maintain our commonsense approach of
    collaborating with leaders and volunteers at the local level to find the
    best solutions to meet our national goals. We'll continue to vigorously
    enforce our environmental laws. We'll encourage good stewardship of
    natural resources, and we will focus on results. We'll continue to
    protect the health of our citizens and help guarantee the quality of our
    air, water, and land for generations to come.
        I'm looking forward to working with this good man as he leads this
    important Agency. Steve, congratulations. God bless.

    [At this point, Administrator Johnson made brief remarks.]

        The President. Congratulations.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:48 p.m. in the Rachel Carson Room at the
    Environmental Protection Agency's Ariel Rios Building. In his remarks,
    he referred to Administrator Johnson's wife, Deborah Johnson, and his
    father, William Johnson. The transcript released by the Office of the
    Press Secretary also included the remarks of Administrator Johnson.