[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 16 (Monday, April 25, 2005)]
[Pages 652-653]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Presenting the President's Environmental Youth Awards

April 21, 2005

    The President. Thank you all. Please be seated. Welcome to the White 
House. I'm sorry we're not out in the gardens today but a pretty good 
place to have a visit, anyway, isn't it, the East Room? We're glad 
you're here. I want to welcome you as we honor some fine young stewards 
of our environment and to recognize their achievements.
    All of you have given your time and energy to preserving our natural 
spaces. You're setting such a fine example, and we appreciate the 
example. And today is our chance to tell you how proud we are of your 
good work.
    I want to thank Steve Johnson, who is the Acting Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency. I put this good man's nomination in 
front of the United States Senate for a reason, because he's plenty 
capable of doing the job, and now is the time for the United States 
Senate to confirm him. I'm proud that his wife, Debbie, is here, and 
Matt.
    I want to thank my friend Congressman Vito Fossella, who has joined 
us. Congressman, thank you for being here.
    We welcome all the EPA Regional Administrators, particularly those 
Administrators from the great State of Texas. [Laughter]
    This week is National Volunteer Week, and we honor the 64 million 
Americans who volunteer and encourage others to join them. Since taking 
office, I have asked Americans to take an active role in serving their 
communities by dedicating 4,000 hours, or 2 years, over the course of 
their lives to helping others. In order to encourage people to help, I 
started the USA Freedom Corps, and that's a web site that match 
potential volunteers with opportunities to volunteer at the local level. 
And if you want to find out more about the web site, the USA Freedom 
Corps web site, go to www.usafreedomcorps.gov.
    The 30 young men and women we honor here today in the White House 
answered the call to service. They know they have a responsibility to be 
citizens, not spectators, and that by serving a cause larger than 
themselves, communities grow stronger. One of

[[Page 653]]

the greatest responsibilities in a free society is responsible 
stewardship of our natural environment. All of you have taken that duty 
seriously. You have set a clear and strong example, and you're inspiring 
others to do their part.
    Tomorrow I'm going to Tennessee, in honor of Earth Day, to help 
volunteers restore the trails at Cades Cove. I'm looking forward to 
getting my hands dirty--[laughter]--looking forward to getting outside 
of Washington. [Laughter]
    As volunteers, you've put your talents to good use. In Cairo, 
Georgia, you set up a science camp to promote recycling. In St. Paul, 
Virginia, you helped restore a newly named wetland and made it an 
outdoor classroom. In Oklahoma and California, you cleaned up debris 
around local creeks. You built nesting boxes to protect local birds in 
Staten Island, New York. You improved trout habitats in Hyrum, Utah. You 
started a project for the Fender's blue butterfly in Salem, Oregon. You 
spearheaded a public education program to protect a stream near 
Cleveland, Ohio. You planted a beech tree at an elementary school in 
Middletown, Rhode Island. And you taught schoolchildren about 
groundwaters in Lincoln, Nebraska.
    Each of these acts touched a community, and together they are 
improving our Nation. All of you are meeting your responsibility to our 
country's natural spaces, and our Government is doing the same. 
America's air and water are cleaner today than they were in 2001. My 
budget for the coming year fulfills my commitment in 2001 to spend $4.9 
billion over 5 years to improve our national parks and to make our parks 
more inviting and accessible to all Americans.
    We're implementing the Clear Skies rule to cut powerplant emissions 
by 70 percent. Under the farm bill I signed in 2002, we will provide $40 
billion over 10 years to help our farmers and ranchers protect wetlands, 
water quality, and wildlife habitats. I've pledged to restore, improve, 
and protect 3 million acres of wetlands over the next 5 years. To 
safeguard our forests and woodlands against fire damage, I've signed the 
Healthy Forest Restoration Act. And since I took office, the Departments 
of Interior and Agriculture have removed hazardous fuels from more than 
10 million acres of Federal land.
    Across America, we're working with State and local governments to 
accelerate the cleanup and redevelopment of old industrial sites. We're 
working hard to improve our environment, and so are you. Each of you 
here today has worked hard. You've been idealistic in the right way, and 
you've been dedicated. I know your parents are proud of you. Your 
communities are proud of you, and so is your President.
    So it is now my great honor to welcome the 2005 winners of the 
President's Environmental Youth Awards. The Acting Administrator will do 
the duties.

[At this point, Acting Administrator Stephen L. Johnson introduced the 
award recipients from each region, and the President congratulated 
them.]

    The President. Listen, thank you all for coming. We're proud to have 
you here in the White House. I want to welcome and congratulate our 
students again. I really want to welcome your parents too. You've done a 
good job. And I want to thank your teachers. Teaching is a noble 
profession. We hope you enjoy the White House as much as Laura and I do.
    God bless you all. Welcome.

Note: The President spoke at 3:27 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Deborah Johnson, wife of Acting 
Administrator Johnson of the Environmental Protection Agency, and their 
son, Matthew Johnson.