Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents 1993-01-18: Vol 29 Iss 2

33 Pages·7.4 MB·English

Weekly Compilation of
Presidential
Documents
Monday, January 18, 1993
Volume 29—Number 2
Pages 338-56
Contents
Addresses and Remarks Communications to Congress—Continued
Armed Forces salute to the President in Tourism Policy Council report, letter
Arlington, VA—44 transmitting—49
Disability community tribute to the
Communications to Federal Agencies
President—35
Forests for the Future initiative—46 Rubber thread imports, letter—51
National Security Medal, presentation Executive Orders
ceremony—37
Additional Measures With Respect to the
Points of Light celebration—42
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and
Presidential Medal of Freedom, presentation
Montenegro)—51
ceremony for Ronald Reagan—36
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
Iraq situation—46
establishment—33
Announcements Interviews With the News Media
Points of Light daily recognition program—52 Exchange with reporters on Iraq—37
Communications to Congress Proclamations
Commodity Credit Corporation report, letter Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday—33
transmitting—35 Statements by the President
Energy Department report, letter
Completion of the chemical weapons
transmitting—45
convention—39
Federal Advisory Committees report, letter
transmitting—34 Statements Other Than Presidential
National nutritional monitoring and related START II Treaty—47
research program plan, letter transmitting—
SupPpPl ementary ry Materials
National strategy on the environment, letter— Acts approved by the President—56
39 Checklist of White House press releases—56
Regulatory reform, letter—50 Digest of other White House
Science and technology policy, letter—49 announcements—53
START II Treaty, message transmitting—47 Nominations submitted to the Senate—56
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF regulations prescribed by the Administrative Committee of the
Federal Register, approved by the President (37 FR 23607;
1 CFR Part 10)
PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS
Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Docu-
ments, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.
Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Reg- The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents will be
ister, National Archives and Records Administration, Washing- furnished by mail to domestic subscribers for $58.00 per year
ton, DC 20408, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu- ($96.00 for mailing first class) and to foreign subscribers for
ments contains statements, messages, and other Presidential $68.75 per year, payable to the Superintendent of Documents,
materials released by the White House during the preceding Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The
week charge for a single copy is $2.00 ($2.50 for foreign mailing).
The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is pub- There are no restrictions on the republication of material
lished pursuant to the authority contained in the Federal Reg- appearing in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu-
ister Act (49 Stat. 500, as amended; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 15), under ments.
Week Ending Friday, January 15, 1993
Executive Order 12830— presented to such representatives of the de-
Establishing the Military ceased as may be deemed appropriate by the
Outstanding Volunteer Service Secretary of Defense or, in the case of a
Medal member of the Coast Guard when it is not
January 9, 1993 operating as a service in the Navy, the Sec-
retary of Transportation.
By the authority vested in me as President
George Bush
by the Constitution and the laws of the Unit-
ed States of America, and as Commander in The White House,
Chief of the Armed Forces, it is hereby or- January 9, 1993.
dered as follows:
Section 1. There is hereby established a [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register,
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service 2:11 p.m., January 11, 1993]
Medal, with accompanying ribbons and ap- Note: This Executive order was released by
purtenances, for award by the Secretary of the Office of the Press Secretary on January
Defense or, with respect to the Coast Guard 11, and it was published in the Federal Reg-
when it is not operating as a service in the ister on January 13.
Navy, the Secretary of Transportation. Mem-
bers of the Armed Forces of the United
States (including Reserve components) who
perform outstanding volunteer service to the
Proclamation 6524—Martin Luther
civilian community of a sustained, direct, and King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 1993
consequential nature are eligible for the
January 11, 1993
medal.
Sec. 2. The Military Outstanding Volun- By the President of the United States
teer Service Medal and ribbons and appur- of America
tenances thereto shall be of appropriate de-
sign approved by the Secretary of Defense. A Proclamation
The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe reg- By setting aside a day in honor of the late
ulations to govern the award and wear of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., our
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Nation reaffirms its commitment to the noble
Medal. The regulations shall place the Mili- goals for which he labored and eventually
tary Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal in gave his life: equal opportunity and justice
order of precedence immediately after the for all.
Humanitarian Service Medal. Throughout his quest to end racial seg-
Sec. 3. No more than one award of the regation in the United States and to promote
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service understanding and respect among wt
Medal may be made to any one person, but Martin Luther King urged America to fulfill
for each subsequent act justifying such an its promise—and its potential—as a Nation
award, a suitable device may be awarded to dedicated to the belief “that all men are cre-
be worn with that medal as prescribed by ated equal, that they are endowed by their
appropriate regulations issued by the Sec- Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
retary of Defense. among these are Life, Liberty and the Pur-
Sec. 4. The Military Outstanding Volun- suit of Happiness.”
teer Service Medal may be awarded post- Always mindful of those words from our
humously, and when so awarded, may be Declaration of Independence, Dr. King
33
34 Jan. 11 / Administration of George Bush, 1993
viewed his work as a must-win struggle for ers. “Every man is somebody,” declared Dr.
the soul and future of the Nation. He knew King, “because he is a child of God.”
that efforts to promote far-reaching social A minister by vocation, Martin Luther
change, in a peaceful, nonviolent manner, King sought righteous hearts as well as just
would require patience, determination, and laws. He warned that humankind suffered
sacrifice. Yet, despite experiencing stubborn from “a poverty of the spirit which stands
opposition, imprisonment, and even threats in stark contrast to our scientific and techno-
to his life, he also believed that the civil rights logical abundance.” In this last decade of the
movement would prevail. “We will reach the 20th century, as we marvel at the historic
goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over achievements of the past 100 years and an-
the Nation,” he wrote to his followers from ticipate the many to come, let us enrich our
jail, “because the goal of America is freedom. children with a wealth of encouragement,
. our destiny is tied up with America’s hope, and moral guidance—and with living
destiny.” examples of racial comity and friendship.
With his inspired leadership and eloquent By Public Law 98-144, the third Monday
appeals to all who would listen, Martin Lu- in January of each year has been designated
ther King set in motion a ground swell of as a legal public holiday.
change in the United States. The Civil Rights Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, Presi-
Act of 1957, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, dent of the United States of America, by vir-
and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were criti- tue of the authority vested in me by the Con-
cal milestones in the fight for equality under stitution and laws of the United States, do
the law. Although Dr. King’s assassination in hereby proclaim Monday, January 18, 1993,
1968 at the age of 39 prevented his living as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holi-
to see the fulfillment of his dreams for Amer- day.
ica, his legacy has continued to challenge and In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set
inspire us. Over the years the United States my hand this eleventh day of January, in the
has continued to eliminate legal and attitu- year of our Lord nineteen hundred and nine-
dinal barriers that have, in the past, limited ty-three, and of the Independence of the
opportunities on the basis of race. We must United States of America the two hundred
go on striving to realize Dr. King’s vision of and seventeenth.
an America where individuals are “not
George Bush
judged by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character.”
While government plays a critical role in [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register,
the fight against discrimination through the 11:27 a.m., January 12, 1993]
enforcement of civil rights laws and its own
hiring practices, our efforts to promote racial
harmony and justice in the United States Note: This proclamation was published in
must begin at home. Martin Luther King de- the Federal Registero nJ anuary 13.
scribed the family as the “main educational
agency of mankind,” and it is within the fam-
ily that we must first teach lessons about love
and fairness, decency and kindness, and the Letter to Congressional Leaders
difference between right and wrong. We Transmitting the Report on Federal
honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Advisory Committees
when we show our children, by word and January 11, 1993
example, what it means to lead “a committed
life’—a life dedicated to excellence and to Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
the service of one’s fellowman. We equip our In accordance with the requirements of
children for such a life when we encourage section 6(c) of the Federal Advisory Commit-
them to recognize their own self-worth, as tee Act, as amended (Public Law 92-463; 5
well as the inherent rights and worth of oth- U.S.C. App. 2, sec. 6(c)), I hereby transmit
Administration of George Bush, 1993 / Jan. 12 35
the Twenty-first Annual Report on Federal agreeing with Tom Harkin on anything other
Advisory Committees for fiscal year 1992. than this—and he points that out to me in
Sincerely, the letter. [Laughter] I think it bespeaks the
breadth of the interest in the Americans with
George Bush
Disabilities Act, and I appreciate it very
much. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t
Note: Identical letters were sent to Thomas
single out Boyden Gray, who was working
S. Foley, Speaker of the House of Representa-
very hard; and she and Pat going steady for
tives, and Dan Quayle, President of the
Senate. a while as even she admitted. You talk about
the odd couple, that’s it. But nevertheless—
[laughter].
But I make this point because this cause
Letter to Congressional Leaders
or this legislation really moved across all bar-
Transmitting the Report of the
riers. Whether it’s liberal or conservative or
Commodity Credit Corporation
Democrat or Republican, it was wonderful
Janua ry 11, 1993 the way the people in this room and people
all across this country came together to do
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
something good.
In accordance with the provisions of sec-
And so I am very grateful to be over here.
tion 13, Public Law 806, 80th Congress (15
Doro is right; Barbara wanted to be here.
U.S.C. 714k), I transmit herewith the report
And I wish she were here, because the more
of the Commodity Credit Corporation for fis-
she packs boxes over there, the more irritable
cal year 1989.
she gets. [Laughter] But serious—no, Bar,
Sincerely,
if you're listening—[laughter]. I know her.
George Bush But the irony is that so many people here
today, because of their dedication and, yes,
Note: Identical letters were sent to Thomas their hard work that led to the passage of
S. Foley, Speaker of the House of Representa- the ADA, deserve to receive this honor. I
tives, and Dan Quayle, President of the really feel this way. Some of you have been
Senate. fighting for that act for year after year after
year. And on the eve of my departure from
the Office of Presidency, I am just delighted
Remarks at a Disability Community to have this opportunity to meet again with
Tribute to the President those who shared in one of its finest mo-
January 12, 1993 ments, this country’s finest moments: the
proposal, the as and the signing of the
Thank you all for this honor. You talk most comprehensive civil rights bill in the
about a sea of friendly faces. I’ll get in trouble history of this country and indeed the history
for singling some out and leaving out others, of the world, the Americans with Disabilities
but certainly Evan Kemp and Justin, Justin Act.
Dart; Dick and Ginny Thornburgh here;P at ADA runs deep in the vein of the Amer-
Wright; Judi Chamberlin; Tom McKeithan; ican tradition, and that is a belief in equal
Doro, my daughter; King Jordan, Dr. I. King; opportunity. We heard it over here from Ms.
and of course, Senator Bob Dole and other Chamberlin: devotion to individual rights,
Members of Congress here. I think of my the ethic really of inclusion. Resisting the ex-
receiving this, and I think of all Bob has done tremes of either negligence or patronization,
over the years. I pale by comparison, my ef- the act reflects a conservative way of helping
forts. I see Steny Hoyer over here, who’s people, one that helps others help them-
committed and has worked very hard as a selves.
Member of Congress; Tony Coelho, the same At the beginning of this century, one Afri-
thing, as a leader in the Congress; Norm Mi- can American bishop described his aspiration
neta here with us today; had a lovely letter for civil rights saying, we ask not that others
from Tom Harkin—I can’t remember ever bear our burdens, but don’t obstruct our
36 Jan. 12 / Administration of George Bush, 1993
pathway, and we’ll throw them off, throw off so many of you in this room have led with
those burdens as we run. In the same spirit, your lives.
the 43 millions with disabilities have asked, I’m not sure I know exactly what I'll be
to paraphrase President Kennedy, not what doing a few months from now, but I want
their country can do for them but only that to say this: I want to stay involved. I want
they be allowed to do for themselves, and to help. I'll be a private citizen, not sitting
thereby their country. I believe that the eco- at the head table, out of the Government
nomic challenges of the next century cannot, limelight, but I want to help. I want to stay
simply cannot, be met without the energy involved in this kind of important work.
and the intelligence of, the industry of every I’m not sure how historians will record the
citizen. fact that the first George Bush Medal was
ADA broadens our economic mainstream given to George Bush. [Laughter] There
so that all Americans can share in the respon- seems something a little contradictory per-
sibilities and rewards of hard work worth haps on that. But you’ve made me very
doing. A few critics—Bob knows this well happy. And I admire you. I respect you. I
from his leadership role in the Congress— love you, and I wish you all well.
have complained about the costs of ADA as Thank you, and may God bless you all.
if some rights were simply too expensive. But
when you add together Federal, State, local, Note: The President spoke at 2:20 p.m. at
and private funds, it’s been costing almost the Capital Hilton. In his remarks, he re-
$200 billion annually to support our disabled ferred to Evan Kemp, Chairman, Equal Em-
in artificial isolation. And this legislation ployment Opportunity Commission; Justin
takes an economic inefficiency and reinvents Dart, Chairman, President’s Committee on
it then as opportunity and enterprise. Employment of People with Disabilities;
Indeed, I believe that the costs of forgot- former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh
ten citizens is greater than any that can be and his wife, Ginny; Patrisha Wright, gov-
factored into some Government budget. And ernment affairs director, Disability Rights
when we neglect the rights of some, we sim- Education and Defense Fund, Inc.; Judi
ply degrade the rights of all. The quest for Chamberlin, coordinating committee mem-
civil rights is not a zero sum game, as if there ber, National Association of Psychiatric Sur-
were only so many rights to go around. Our vivors; Thomas McKeithan II, Benjamin
founders thought of rights not as privileges Banneker High School student; and Dr. I.
granted by man but as self-evident truths or- King Jordan, president, Gallaudet University.
dained by God.
But just as our Constitution pledges equal-
ity under law, so we must strive for legal
equality, one that broadens opportunity, in- Remarks on Presenting the
creases access, and gives each citizen a fair Presidential Medal of Freedom to
shot at the American dream. And the beau- President Ronald Reagan
tiful thing is this legislation does just that,
January 13, 1993
not by setting up new institutions but by tear-
ing down old walls. And you see, I believe President Reagan, you can see from that
that in the end it will take more than better welcome how we all feel about your and Nan-
regulations and bigger bureaucracies to make cy’s return to this house that you graced.
this land the land of opportunity for all. We're delighted to welcome you back here.
Government can certainly make good laws; And of course, I want to send my special
it can’t make men good. It can ban unfair greetings to those who served in the Reagan
acts; it can’t banish unkind thoughts. And so Cabinet and to the Reagan family. And it’s
it’s up to us to reach out to those Americans a pleasure to welcome all of you back here
disabled by ignorance or handicapped by to the White House.
prejudice and teach them a better way. Each Being President has its privileges. And this
American shares a responsibility for a kinder, morning I have the privilege to present
gentler America, to follow the example that America’s highest civilian award, the Presi-
Administration of George Bush, 1993 / Jan. 13 37
dential Medal of Freedom, with distinction, He signed also the INF treaty, the first
to my predecessor, the 40th President of the agreement to eliminate a whole category of
United States. Today we honor the American nuclear weapons. And it was a treaty that lay
life of an American original. We all remem- the foundation then for START I and the
ber the movie in which he once said, “Win historic START II agreement that President
one for the Gipper.” Well, as President, Ron- Yeltsin and I signed 2 weeks ago.
ald Reagan helped win one for freedom, both Ronald Reagan sought a world where na-
at home and abroad. And I consider him my tions could talk, not die, over differences and
friend and mentor, and so he is. And he’s a world of prosperity, peaceful competition,
also a true American hero. and freedom without war. And he helped
Just think of the whistlestops that ring achieve it, helped end the cold war.
unsummoned, like a postcard from the past: When Ronald Reagan’s favorite President
Dixon, Tampico, Eureka College, WHO died in 1945, the New York Times wrote,
radio in Des Moines. Always Ronald Reagan “Men will thank God on their knees a hun-
embodied the heart of the American people. dred years from now that Franklin D. Roo-
And once he described it as “hopeful, big- sevelt was in the White House.” Well, Mr.
hearted, idealistic, daring, decent, and fair.” President it will not take a hundred years;
Ronald Reagan didn’t just make the world millions thank God today that you were in
believe in America; he made Americans be- the White House.
lieve in themselves. And I remember Inau- You loved America, blessed America, and
guration Day in 1981 and how the clouds— with your leadership certainly helped make
maybe you remember it—of a gloomy morn- America that shining city on a hill. All this
ing gave way as he began his speech. He explains why today Ronald Reagan becomes
turned that winter of discontent into a only the third President to receive the Medal
springtime of possibility. of Freedom, the first to receive it in his own
President Reagan believed in the Amer- lifetime. He’s a man whose life embodies
ican people, so he helped the private sector freedom, who nurtured freedom as few
create 19 million new jobs. He knew that Presidents ever have.
Government was too big and spent too much, And so now, Mr. President, let me invite
and so he lowered taxes and spending, cut you, sir, to join me as Major Wissler reads
redtape, and began a peacetime boom, the the citation for the Medal of Freedom.
longest in American history. Please come up.
Some men reflect their times. Ronald
Reagan changed his times. And nowhere was Note: The President spoke at 10:20 a.m. in
that more true than abroad where he cham- the East Room at the White House. Maj. John
pioned the holy grail of liberty. Mr. Presi- Wissler, USMC, is Marine Corps Aide to the
dent, you helped make ours not only a safer President.
but far better world in which to live. And
you yourself said it best. In fact, you saw it
coming. We recall your stirring words to the
British Parliament. Here were the words: Remarks on Presenting the National
“The march of freedom and democracy will Security Medal to Admiral Jonathan
leave Marxist-Leninism on the ash heap of T. Howe and an Exchange With
history.” Reporters
Few people believe more in liberty’s inevi- January 13, 1993
table triumph than Ronald Reagan. None,
none was more a prophet in his time. Ronald The President. John, welcome. This is a
Reagan rebuilt our military; not only that, he surprise. [Laughter] [Inaudible|—are very
restored its morale. And when I became proud to award you the National Security
President, President Reagan passed on to me Medal. And I would ask Bill Sittmann to read
the most dedicated and best equipped fight- a very quick citation. We're sorry to blindside
ing force that the world has ever seen. you like this, but the only way we knew that
38 Jan. 13 / Administration of George Bush, 1993
you'd show up is if you didn’t know about Q. Did you have any reservations, sir,
it. [Laughter] doing it so close to the end of your term
in office?
[At this point, William F. Sittmann, Execu-
The President. No, absolutely not. I’m
tive Secretary, National Security Council,
President until the 20th, and I will run for-
read the citation, and the President presented
eign policy and conduct these—make these
the medal. |
kinds of decisions as long as I’m President.
The President. Well, that is the under- We will keep the new team fully informed.
statement of the year, but we are very, very And I believe they've been very generous and
proud of you. And it is well deserved, and gracious in saying that we have done that.
great, honorable service to your country. Par- General Scowcroft is in almost daily contact
ticularly, I want to thank you for all you’ve with the transition people from the national
done here. security field, and then I know Dick Che-
[Inaudible|—this, that goes with it. I ney’s had good visits with, as has Larry
thought you looked good sitting over there Eagleburger, with the people coming in. So
at that desk—[laughter]. I hardly got him out we'll just keep it closely informed. But I have
oft here, I'll tell you. [Laughter] no reservations at all. You’ve got to do what
you have to do. And there should be no ques-
Allied Action in Iraq
tion about that.
Now, you wanted to ask a question on the Q. Sir, was there any particular action by
military action. Let me simply say that once Saddam that triggered the strike?
again the American military, in coalition with The President. Just his failure to live up
strong allies, has performed in a superb fash- to the resolutions and then his moving
ion. Our planes are all accounted for. I’ve around of these missiles in a way that was
not yet seen a damage assessment or results unacceptable to the coalition of the United
of the strike. But they did the right thing, Nations.
and the coalition did the right thing. I have Q. Are you prepared to order additional
said before that we are determined that Sad- sites to be—[inaudible]
dam Hussein will abide by the United Na- The President. | will conduct myself until
tions resolutions, and we're very serious the 20th just as I have in the almost 4 years
about that. gone by, and that is, I don’t say what we
I can say with confidence here, and I think might or might not do. But I would think
it’s important, that I’m confident Governor that soon Saddam Hussein would understand
Clinton, the President-elect of the United that we mean what we say and that we back
States, feels that way too. I have talked to it up. And I have no intention of changing
him before these strikes hit, and he as much that approach to life in the last 6 or 7 days
as told me that, and then I’ve heard state- of my Presidency.
ments out of Little Rock. But I think that’s Thank you very much. I should say I’m
a very important message to go not just to very proud of the pilots and those who sup-
our coalition forces, that we have every inten- ported the pilots. Once again, we see what
tion of working together in the future as we superb training we have and what dedicated
have in the past, but to Saddam Hussein who young people are out there. I must say I wor-
has violated the resolutions. ried when I heard premature stories of this
Q. Do you think it will work? because I hesitate ever—I would never put
The President. Well, I don’t know what a young flyer in harm’s way because of leaked
“work” means, but I am confident that when information. Fortunately the leaks that oc-
I—I will continue to insist that he abide by curred on this did not result in the loss of
these resolutions. We've taken action, and I life for any of our pilots. But I will always—
hope that will convince him he must do that. I would just urge everybody in whatever ad-
And I’m as confident that President Clinton ministration is here, now or in the future.
will do this and feel the same way after the Q. Did they encounter any kind of resist-
20th. ance?
Administration of George Bush, 1993 / Jan. 13 39
The President. We'll have more to say onstrates global international endorsement of
about that when we do a fuller briefing on the convention and the new norm of inter-
the mission itself. But any time you divulge national conduct that it establishes. However,
plans when somebody’s life is at stake, it is we must not cease our efforts until the norm
not a good thing to do. I just never under- becomes truly universal, with all countries
stood it. I don’t like it. I saw it happen today. becoming not only signatories but also parties
But that’s history now. But we ought to have to the convention.
more responsibility when you risk the life of Much work remains to make the conven-
a single U.S. pilot. tion fully effective. The United States will
Thank you all very much. cooperate closely with other countries to
bring the convention into force as soon as
Note: The President spoke at 4:05 p.m. in possible and to ensure that it is faithfully im-
the Oval Office at the White House. plemented. Only then will we be able to say
that the risk of chemical warfare is no longer
a threat to people anywhere in the world.
Statement on Completion of the
Chemical Weapons Convention
January 13, 1993 Letter to Congressional Leaders on
the National Strategy on the
For more than 20 years the United States Environment
and many other countries have labored to
January 13, 1993
achieve a ban on chemical weapons. The
long-awaited Chemical Weapons Convention Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
is now completed and open for signature. During the past 4 years, the world has wit-
I have had a deep and abiding personal nessed major changes in the political profile
interest in the success of the effort to ban of nations. The Earth Summit, sponsored by
these terrible weapons. As Vice President, I the United Nations in Brazil in June 1992,
had the honor on two occasions to address signaled the next era in world history—one
the Conference on Disarmament and to characterized by the recognition that envi-
present United States proposals to give impe- ronmental protection, economic develop-
tus to the negotiations. As President, I di- ment, and public participation in decision-
rected the United States to take new initia- making are interrelated and crucial to our
tives to advance and conclude the negotia- future quality ofl ife.
tions. The United States is profoundly grati- In these last 4 years, the United States
fied that these talks have now been success- charted an ambitious agenda to remain in the
fully concluded. vanguard of environmental protection by
The countries that participated in the ne- harnessing the energy of capitalism in service
gotiations at the conference on disarmament of the environment. Those who said that we
deserve special congratulations. The Chemi- posed a false choice between a strong econ-
cal Weapons Convention is uniquely impor- omy and a healthy environment disregarded
tant in the field of arms control agreements. our words and our deeds. We worked to
It will improve the security of all nations by achieve both while sacrificing neither—as
eliminating a class of weapons of mass de- must all nations in the coming century.
struction that exists in all quarters of the Economic development and _ environ-
world and that has been used in recent con- mental protection go hand in hand. Eco-
flicts. It is a truly stabilizing and nondiscrim- nomic growth supplies the financial and tech-
inatory agreement. nological resources necessary for environ-
The United States strongly supports the mental enhancement; while its opposite, the
Chemical Weapons Convention and is proud struggle for bare survival, places strains on
to be an original signatory. We are encour- natural protection. We have seen this phe-
aged that so many other states have also de- nomenon in America as our economy grew
cided to take this step. This clearly dem- in the 1980s and waters and skies became
40 Jan. 13 / Administration of George Bush, 1993
cleaner, just as we have seen it in the de- EPA 33/50 program, more than 900 compa-
graded forests and rivers of Eastern Europe nies have reduced releases and transfers of
and in the faces of Africa’s starving children. toxic chemicals by 347 million pounds—25
The challenge for leaders in all parts of the percent below the 1988 baseline, with enor-
world is to ensure both economic growth and mous savings in operating costs.
environmental progress at the same time. Enforcement: We broke new ground and
old records, filing more cases, collecting
A Strategy That Produced Results
more penalties, and putting more polluters
The pioneer American conservationist, behind bars than every previous administra-
Gifford Pinchot, once remarked, “There are tion in history combined.
just two things on this material earth—peo- Public Lands: We helped make America’s
ple and natural resources.” Human beings great outdoors even greater by investing over
are not intruders in nature but an essential a billion dollars to acquire wetlands, improve
species with a responsibility to sustain other campgrounds, and add half a million acres
species. to our national parks and 1,200 miles to our
The Bush Administration combined an un- Wild and Scenic Rivers System. We created
derstanding of human nature with an ideal- 57 new wildlife refuges—more than any ad-
ism about Mother Nature in developing a ministration in history. We adopted a philos-
National Strategy for Environmental Quality, ophy of ecosystem management and ended
based on six goals: clear-cutting as a standard practice on Fed-
e Harnessing the power of the market- eral land. The America the Beautiful initia-
place; tive got off to a good start with the planting
e Managing natural resources as respon- of more than 225 million new trees in rural
sible stewards; and urban areas across the Nation.
Promoting creative partnerships; Coasts and Oceans: To ensure that Ameri-
Developing cooperative international ca’s seas always will shine, we ended the
solutions; ocean dumping of sewage sludge. We pro-
Preventing pollution before it starts; posed and won passage of the Oil Pollution
Enforcing environmental laws firmly Act of 1990, a vigorous antipollution meas-
and fairly. ure. To protect our ecologically sensitive
And the strategy worked. In just 4 years, coastal areas, we imposed a 10-year morato-
consider what has been accomplished: rium on oil and gas leasing and added six
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990: We national marine sanctuaries, including the
broke 10 years of congressional gridlock to Monterey Bay sanctuary off California—
enact the world’s most protective and cost- which is second only to Australia’s Great Bar-
effective clean air legislation. At its heart is rier Reef as the largest marine protected area
an innovative, market-based, emission-allow- in the world.
ance trading system. During the past 2 years, Energy: We launched a new generation of
we proposed and finalized rules that promise clean energy technologies, not only by in-
to achieve 85 percent of the anticipated pol- creasing funding for research and develop-
lution reductions. ment but also by increasing incentives for the
Budgets: By shifting Federal funds from application of new technologies. We pro-
other programs to environmental programs, posed and won passage of comprehensive na-
we were able to increase the operating budg- tional energy legislation with the Energy Pol-
et of the Environmental Protection Agency icy Act of 1992, an act that will guide the
by more than 50 percent and increase fund- United States into the next century.
ing for clean energy research and develop- Federal Leadership: We tripled funding
ment by 66 percent. for Federal facility cleanups, especially at nu-
Pollution Prevention: Market-driven pollu- clear weapons manufacturing sites, and se-
tion prevention efforts by the private sector cured more than 100 enforceable cleanup
are reshaping American industries, making agreements at Federal facilities. Executive
us leaner and more efficient. For example, orders spurred the Federal Government to
under just one Administration initiative, the speed improvements in energy efficiency, re-