Bill Clinton as a president did barely anything to help the environment.

Working: Tues, wed, thurs, 5 to close. Debate: (1)First off, in 1993 alone, Clinton passed the following bills: April 21, 1993: President Clinton issued executive orders directing federal agencies to reduce their use of ozone-depleting materials, increase their use of alternative-fueled vehicles, and purchase energy efficient computers (Executive Order 12843, Executive Order 12844, Executive Order 12845). (clinton4.nara) Executive Order 12843 is a viable move towards improvements on the United States' impact on the environment by forcing the federal government to be responsible for their impact on the environment and setting a good example for other governments and (perhaps in a ‘trickle-down' effect) non-governmental companies. (http://www.nepa.gov...) Executive Order 12844 is a move for the government to find other viable sources of fuel for motor vehicles. As stated in the order, the hope is that, "Federal action can provide a significant market impetus for the development and manufacture of alternative fueled vehicles, and for the expansion of fueling infrastructure necessary to support large numbers of privately owned alternative fueled vehicles." (http://www.archives.gov...) June 29, 1993: President Clinton signed an executive order establishing the President's Council on Sustainable Development (Executive Order 12852). (clinton4.nara…) July 1, 1993: President Clinton signed the Forest Resources Conservation and Shortage Relief Amendments Act (H.R. 2343). (http://clinton4.nara.gov...) "States shall be prohibited to export unprocessed timber originating from public lands between 1 June 1993 and 31 December 1995. The Secretary of Commerce is also required, as soon as possible, to determine the species, grades and geographic origin of unprocessed timber to be prohibited from export in each State, and to issue necessary regulations. However, in lieu of such supervision by the Secretary of Commerce each state may submit a program for approval by the Secretary, which the state itself will then be responsible for administering." (http://faolex.fao.org...) Although this was a shorter bill, lasting only 2 years it offered an opportunity for ecoconservatism by, as mentioned, "determin[ing] the species, grades and geographic origin of unprocessed timber to be prohibited from export in each state". Recording biodiversity is important for several reasons: 1.It allows us to know (for certain) what species are in those forests, and the kind of biodiversity that exists within them. 2.Biodiversity is important for the ecological welfare of the earth, the greater the biodiversity, the greater chances of the overall species survival. 3.Biodiversity is ‘good for the soul'. The more monoculture there is; the more boring things are! Furthermore, the Forest Resources Conservation and Shortage Relief Amendments Act restricted the wholesale of softwood overseas. The timber market is one that constantly devastates our environment. (http://digital.library.unt.edu...) Further acts signed by Clinton in ‘93 increased wilderness protection othe Colorado wilderness act designated 612k acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System othe Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho (http://www.birdsofprey.blm.gov...) Many of Clinton's acts were on a federal level, another example of this (outside of the previously mentioned acts is one that even "required federal agencies to use recycles paper and other recycled products"! (Clinton4.nara.gov) Therefore, perhaps it is because it was so early in Clinton's career that it was forgotten what he did. (2)Without regard to further listing of Clinton's environmental policies and involvement with them, to speak of him as "dishonest" as a husband certainly doesn't speak to his ability as a president. Let us remember that although the position of president is one that is very public, it is still an office. People separate their private from public lives on a daily basis, it just so happens that Clinton's private life was made irrevocably public. It is a relatively recent phenomenon in the United States and around the world to publicize the private lives of not just our celebrities but also our politicians when often (excluding scandals that actually include their positions in office) their private lives are none of the public's business. (3)What Clinton did as a president while in office far outweighs the lying he did to his wife (and unfortunately) the rest of the country and world.