[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 45 (Monday, November 9, 1998)]
[Page 2204]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Council on Environmental Quality Chair Transition

October 30, 1998

    Today, with regret, I accept the resignation of Kathleen McGinty as 
Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.
    As my principal environmental policy adviser for nearly 6 years, 
Katie has led this administration's efforts to protect and restore our 
environment. From the forests of the Pacific Northwest to Florida's 
Everglades and the red-rock canyons of Utah, she has helped preserve 
America's natural legacy for all time. And from our air to our water to 
our climate, she has worked tirelessly to ensure our children and 
grandchildren an environment both healthy and safe.
    In all these endeavors, Katie has been guided by the firm belief 
that the environment truly is a common ground. She has strived to 
promote collaboration over conflict and to demonstrate that a healthy 
economy and a healthy environment not only are compatible but are 
inextricably linked. Indeed, today we enjoy the strongest economy and 
cleanest environment in a generation. I am deeply grateful for Katie's 
vision, dedication, and hard work.
    I am pleased to announce that beginning November 7, upon Katie's 
departure, George T. Frampton, Jr., will become acting Chair of CEQ. I 
will formally announce my intent to nominate Mr. Frampton as Chair, and 
will submit nomination papers to the Senate, at the appropriate time.
    Mr. Frampton comes to his position at CEQ with a wealth of 
experience in environmental matters. He served as Assistant Secretary of 
Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks from 1993 to 1997, and prior to 
that was president of the Wilderness Society. In addition, he has served 
as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, Deputy Director 
of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's inquiry into the nuclear accident 
at Three Mile Island, and a visiting lecturer in constitutional law at 
Duke University Law School.

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