[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 39 (Monday, October 4, 1999)]
[Page 1859]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing the Energy and Water Development Appropriations 
Act, 2000

September 30, 1999

    I have signed into law H.R. 2605, the ``Energy and Water Development 
Appropriations Act, 2000,'' which provides $21.4 billion in 
discretionary budget authority for the programs of the Department of 
Energy, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation, the Army 
Corps of Engineers, and several smaller agencies.
    The Act provides necessary funding to maintain my Administration's 
commitment to ensuring the safety and reliability of our Nation's 
nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing. The Act also provides 
funding to develop and protect the Nation's water resources.
    I am disappointed that the Congress has not included full funding 
for my request for the Spallation Neutron Source, for additional 
safeguards and security reforms at the Department of Energy 
laboratories, or for research and development of renewable energy 
sources. I am also disappointed that the Congress has provided no 
funding for the Next Generation Internet and Information Technology 
Initiatives. Also, I note that the bill contains language that prohibits 
the Army Corps of Engineers from studying the full range of options for 
salmon recovery in the Pacific Northwest. I will continue to work with 
the Congress on this important national priority. Finally, I am 
disappointed that the Congress has not enacted my Harbor Services Fund 
proposal, which would provide a stable source of funding for port and 
harbor activities and free up funds for other priority projects and 
programs. My Administration will work with the Congress on options for 
financing and increasing support for these initiatives in the future.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
September 29, 1999.

Note: H.R. 2605, approved September 29, was assigned Public Law No. 106-
60. This statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
September 30.