[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 9 (Monday, March 7, 2005)]
[Pages 358-359]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Nomination of Stephen L. Johnson To Be Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency

March 4, 2005

    The President. Good morning. I am pleased to announce my nomination 
of Stephen Johnson to be the Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency.
    Steve Johnson is a talented scientist and skilled manager with a 
lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship. He has 24 years of 
experience at the EPA, spanning all four decades of the Agency's 
history. Since late January, he has served as Acting Administrator. He 
knows the EPA from the ground up and has a passion for its mission, to 
protect the health of our citizens and to guarantee the quality of our 
air, water, and land for generations to come. I've come to know Steve as 
an innovative problemsolver with good judgment and complete integrity. 
I'm proud to ask him to become the first career EPA employee to hold the 
office of Administrator, and I'm glad he's agreed to do so.
    When confirmed by the Senate, Steve will also become the first 
professional scientist to lead the EPA. He will use that background to 
set clear, rational standards for environmental quality and to place 
sound scientific analysis at the heart of all major decisions. Steve 
shares my conviction that we can improve the Earth while maintaining a 
vibrant and competitive economy. He will work cooperatively with leaders 
in government, industry, and environmental advocacy to continue using 
our resources wisely. He will listen to those living closest to the 
land, because they know our environmental needs best.
    For the last 4 years, Steve has served at the side of EPA 
Administrators Mike Leavitt and Christie Todd Whitman, and he shares in 
their record of achievement. Today, America's air and water are cleaner 
than in 2001. The clean diesel rule we finalized will cut emissions from 
heavy-duty vehicles by more than 90 percent over the next 10 years. Our 
brownfields initiative has helped restore

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more than a thousand abandoned industrial sites to productive use in 
their community. We've taken landmark steps toward improving water 
quality in one of our Nation's most treasured natural resources, the 
Great Lakes.
    All Americans are benefiting from the EPA's practical approach and 
emphasis on results, and Steve will build on that progress. His 
immediate task is to work with Congress to pass my Clear Skies 
Initiative. This innovative legislation will reduce powerplant pollution 
by 70 percent without disrupting the economy or raising electricity 
prices. The bill will give Governors the flexibility they need to meet 
strict new air quality standards, improve public health, and protect 
vulnerable ecosystems from acid rain. Clear Skies is a commonsense, pro-
environment, pro-jobs piece of legislation, and Congress needs to get it 
to my desk this year.
    Steve will also bring valuable experience that will help us improve 
our homeland security. As an expert on pesticides, he helped design new 
regulations to improve food safety. In his new role, Steve will lead 
Federal efforts to ensure the security of our drinking water supply. My 
budget includes a new program to better monitor urban water systems, so 
we can detect contamination as quickly as possible. EPA personnel are 
playing an important role in the war on terror, so my budget increases 
support for EPA homeland security programs by more than 70 percent this 
year.
    As he embarks on all these duties, Steve has the trust and 
admiration of his longtime colleagues, the thousands of hard-working EPA 
employees across the country. He is also fortunate to count on the love 
and support of his wife, Debbie, and their children and grandchildren, 
who are with us here today--and his mother- and father-in-law. 
[Laughter]
    I ask the Senate to confirm this nomination promptly. I look forward 
to welcoming Steve Johnson to my Cabinet as America's 11th Administrator 
of the Environmental Protection Agency.
    Congratulations, Steve. Appreciate you.

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

    The President. Good job, sir.
    Administrator-Designate Johnson. Thank you.
    The President. You bet.
    Administrator-Designate Johnson. Thank you very much, sir.
    The President. Smile--smile for the camera. [Laughter]

Note: The President spoke at 8:45 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to Debbie Johnson, wife of 
Administrator-Designate Johnson. The transcript released by the Office 
of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Administrator-
Designate Johnson.