[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 22 (Monday, June 7, 1999)]
[Pages 1003-1004]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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The President's Radio Address

May 29, 1999

    Good morning. This holiday weekend, when millions of Americans are 
taking to beaches and lakes and trails, I want to talk to you about new 
ways we can work together to protect the natural treasures we all share.
    Today I'm speaking to you from the banks of the St. Mary's River in 
northern Florida, near the Georgia border, in one of the most impressive 
nature preserves Hillary and I have ever seen. Our visit here reminds us 
once again what a gift it is to spend time outdoors, to walk among tall 
trees, to see wild animals and rare birds, to watch the Sun set and the 
stars come out over a beautiful river. It also makes us appreciate the 
generations of Americans who fought to preserve the parklands and the 
beaches we all enjoy today.
    For the past 6 years, Vice President Gore and I have worked hard to 
advance the ethic of environmental stewardship. We've protected more 
than a million acres in the spectacular red rock canyonlands of Utah, in 
priceless stands of ancient redwoods in California. We've reduced toxic 
air pollution from chemical plants by 90 percent and cleaned up more 
toxic waste sites than were cleaned up in the previous 12 years. We 
saved Yellowstone Park from the threat of nearby gold mining, and we've 
taken major steps to protect our water resources, from the precious 
Florida Everglades to the tap water our children drink.
    Today I'm proud to announce three new executive actions to improve 
the quality of our water and the health of our families. First, I'm 
directing the National Park Service and other agencies to expand public 
health protections on the thousands of miles of stunning beaches managed 
by the Federal Government, including Cape Cod, Cape Hatteras, and 
California's Point Reyes. And I challenge the States to improve their 
water quality standards. Second, I'm directing the EPA to develop 
stronger measures to prevent sewage spills, the major cause of beach 
closures. Third, I'm directing all Federal agencies to adopt a 
comprehensive strategy to better safeguard rivers and other bodies of 
water on Federal lands.
    Of course, there are other important environmental and public health 
challenges we must address. The balanced budget I submitted to Congress 
earlier this year contains historic investments to improve the quality 
of life, save more land, and deal with the challenge of climate change 
by helping communities protect farmlands, parklands and other green 
spaces, rewarding consumers who buy cars and houses that reduce 
greenhouse gas pollution, controlling polluted runoff to lakes and 
streams, and improving the quality of air we breathe.
    Unfortunately, even as we work to raise the level of environmental 
stewardship for the 21st century, some in Congress are intent on rolling 
back many of the gains we've already make in this century. With little 
fanfare, the leadership in the House and the Senate just released 
spending guidelines that would impose drastic cuts in environmental 
protection and public health. These cuts could stall toxic waste 
cleanups and undermine our efforts to ensure safe drinking water, to 
improve air quality, and to combat the threat of global warming. They 
could even force us to shut down some of our national parks.
    What's more, we've already seen troubling signs that Congress again 
will try to gut environmental protections by tacking provisions called 
riders on to their budget bills. I urge Congress to end these sneak 
attacks on our environment once and for all.
    We often speak of building a country where our children have an 
opportunity to do even better than we've done. In part, of course, we 
refer to the economy, the opportunities we create for our children to 
secure a good education, a good job, and raise a

[[Page 1004]]

family in a safe neighborhood with good schools, but we also refer to 
our natural world. We know our children cannot do better tomorrow if 
we're willing to squander precious environmental resources today.
    More than ever, the American people recognize the inherent value of 
pristine peaks, unspoiled beaches, clear and safe water. They believe in 
the value of environmental stewardship. I think all of us believe in the 
value of that stewardship.
    Now is the time, on the edge of a new century, for us to unite as 
Americans and chart that course of stewardship. We must work together to 
leave our land, in the words of Theodore Roosevelt, ``an even better 
land for our descendants than it is for us.''
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 2:34 p.m. on May 28 at the White Oak 
Plantation in Yulee, FL, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on May 29. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
May 28 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.