Earth Day 2000: CEQ Earth Day 2000 Report

 

President Clinton and Vice President Gore:

A Healthy Environment for the 21st Century 

 

Introduction

Preserving America's Natural Treasures

Clean Air, Safe Water, Healthy Communities

Meeting the Challenge of Global Warming

Protecting Our Precious Wildlife

Building Sustainable Communities

Safeguarding Our Oceans and Coasts

Protecting the Global Environment

Growing Green Business

Greening the Government

Enforcing Our Nation's Environmental Laws

The Challenges Ahead

Ten Communities: Profiles in Environmental Progress

Environmental Actions by President Clinton and Vice President Gore

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Earth Day 2000: CEQ Earth Day 2000 Report

Whole Document (9.2 Mb)

State by State: How the Administration's Initiatives Are Helping (260 Kb)

Over the past seven years, President Clinton and Vice President Gore have significantly strengthened 

protections for the environment and public health, and won new resources to help states and 

communities protect their water, land and coasts. Please view the report PDF file to see some of the 

benefits that each state has received. Non-pdf files for each state will be posted here on April 14.

Earth Day Letter CEQ Earth Day 2000 Report 

Presidential Budget Initiatives State by State 

Earth Day Activities Earth Links EPA Kids Explorers' Club 

Earth Day 2000 Home Page 

To comment on this service, 

send feedback to the Web Development Team. 

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Earth Day 2000: History of Earth Day

 

APRIL 2000 

In 1970, many of America’s rivers and lakes were dying. Our city skylines were disappearing 

behind a shroud of smog. Toxic waste threatened countless communities. And our cherished 

national symbol — the bald eagle — seemed destined for extinction. A handful of citizens decided 

it was time to fight back. They called the very first Earth Day, and millions across America turned 

out. The battle for our environment had begun. 

Thirty years later, the first Earth Day of a new millennium will dawn on a nation transformed. Twice 

as many of our rivers and lakes are now safe for fishing and swimming. Millions more Americans 

enjoy clean air and safe drinking water. Many of our worst toxic dumps have been cleaned up. 

Nearly 100 million more acres are permanently protected as wilderness. And the bald eagle thrives 

once again. 

Under the leadership of President Clinton and Vice President Gore, America is doing more than 

ever to ensure a safe, healthy environment for our families, and for future generations. Over the 

past seven years, the Clinton-Gore Administration has built an unparalleled record of 

environmental and public health protection. The Administration has: 

● adopted the strongest air quality protections ever, cleaned up three times as many 

Superfund sites as the two previous Administrations combined, and strengthened drinking 

water protections for millions of Americans; 

● preserved and restored natural treasures from the Florida Everglades to the California 

redwoods, putting the Administration on track to protecting more land in the lower 48 states 

than any Administration since the time of Theodore Roosevelt; 

● made record investments in public transit, helped hundreds of communities clean up and 

redevelop brownfields, and launched new efforts to help communities fight sprawl, and; 

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Earth Day 2000: History of Earth Day

● led the international community in the fight against global warming, the most profound 

environmental challenge we face. 

Above all, this Administration has worked hard to forge sensible new approaches to environmental 

stewardship. Beginning with the successful effort to break the long stalemate over the forests of 

the Pacific Northwest, the Administration has promoted collaboration over conflict — helping to 

make our environment a common ground, not a battleground. In its use of market-based strategies 

like emissions trading, the Administration has sought to achieve the greatest environmental 

protection at the least possible cost. And in its innovative approaches to endangered species 

protection and land conservation, the Administration has forged new partnerships with farmers, 

other landowners, and city, county and state governments. 

At the same time, the President and Vice President have vigorously defended America’s hard-won 

environmental gains against repeated assaults in Congress. In 1995, the new majority in Congress 

tried to repeal key provisions of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts, and 

enact sweeping legislation that would have gutted an entire generation of public health protections. 

In 1996, it was only after two government shutdowns that they abandoned efforts to slash funding 

for safe drinking water, environmental enforcement, and toxic cleanups. Each of the past three 

years they have resorted to legislative "riders" in their continuing efforts to sacrifice public lands to 

private interests. Time and again, the President and Vice President have stood firm and stopped 

them. 

The successes of the past seven years have proven beyond doubt that the American people are 

fully and firmly committed to protecting our environment. They have proven as well that this goal 

need hardly come at the expense of our economy. Indeed, it is clearer than ever that a healthy 

environment and a healthy economy go hand in hand. For today we at once enjoy the cleanest air 

and water in a generation, and the longest economic expansion in our nation’s history. 

On the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, Americans can look back with pride and gratitude for all we 

have accomplished as a nation. And as we venture into the 21st century, we can look forward 

knowing that America is better prepared than ever to meet the environmental challenges ahead. 

Earth Day Letter CEQ Earth Day 2000 Report 

Presidential Budget Initiatives State by State 

Earth Day Activities Earth Links EPA Kids Explorers' Club 

Earth Day 2000 Home Page 

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Earth Day 2000: History of Earth Day

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 1 - Preserving America's Natural Treasures

Preserving America's Natural Treasures 

"Working together, we can ensure that not only our 

generation, but each generation to come, will have the 

resources to leave an even better land for those who 

follow"

President Bill Clinton 

March 4, 1999

Photo: Grand Canyon, Arizona, January 2000 

At the beginning of the 20th century, President 

Theodore Roosevelt dedicated our Nation to "the 

great central task of leaving this land even a better 

land for our descendants than it is for us." 

At the dawn of a new century, President Clinton and 

Vice President Gore are fulfilling this vision, and 

ensuring that future generations of Americans have 

the resources to carry on this legacy in the years 

ahead. Under their leadership, the Administration 

has strengthened protection for millions of acres of 

federal lands; saved and restored natural treasures 

from Florida’s Everglades to California’s ancient 

redwoods; helped hundreds of communities across 

the country protect parks, farms, and other local 

green spaces; and forged partnerships with 

landowners to restore and preserve the natural 

values of America’s private lands. 

With new initiatives now underway, including the 

President’s plan to protect roadless areas within our 

national forests, the Administration is on track to 

protecting more land in the continental United 

States than any Administration since the time of 

Teddy Roosevelt. 

Creating Monuments for All Time 

One of the tools that can be used to preserve 

America’s natural heritage is the Antiquities Act, 

which authorizes the President to create national monuments on federal land to protect "objects of 

historic and scientific interest." The Act was first used by President Theodore Roosevelt, who 

created the Grand Canyon National Monument — the core of what later became Grand Canyon 

National Park. President Clinton has employed the Antiquities Act to protect more land in the lower 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 1 - Preserving America's Natural Treasures

48 states than any President in history, creating or expanding five national monuments: 

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah — 1.7 million acres of 

some of the most remote country in the continental United States, with spectacular 

red rock canyons, stone arches, brilliantly colored cliffs, and the remnants of three 

major prehistoric cultures. 

Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in Arizona — Just over 1 million 

acres of deep canyons, mountains, and buttes on the north rim of the Grand Canyon 

containing ancient artifacts and diverse wildlife, including rare species such as the 

California condor and desert tortoise. 

Agua Fria National Monument in Arizona — A 71,100-acre site featuring some of 

the most extensive prehistoric ruins in the American Southwest, including spectacular 

petroglyphs, terraced agricultural areas, and rock pueblos once inhabited by 

communities of several thousand. 

California Coastal National Monument — A biological treasure encompassing 

thousands of islands, rocks and reefs off the California coast that provide critical 

feeding and nesting grounds for marine mammals and seabirds, including the 

threatened brown pelican and southern sea otter. 

Pinnacles National Monument in California — A 7,900-acre expansion of the 

Pinnacles Monument to help preserve its unique geologic formations, its watershed, 

and important habitat for species including golden eagles, prairie falcons, and redtailed hawks. 

Defending the World’s First National Park 

Photo: Glacier National Park, September 1997 

Yellowstone National Park, created in 1872, is 

known around the world for its spectacular 

wildlife and geysers. But a massive gold mine 

proposed not far from the park threatened 

Yellowstone with toxic runoff and other 

environmental harm. In 1996, President Clinton 

announced a $65 million agreement with Crown 

Butte Mines that halted the proposed New 

World Mine, ending the threat to Yellowstone. 

Last year, the President announced another 

major step to protect the greater Yellowstone 

ecosystem: acquisition of the 9,300-acre Royal 

Teton Ranch adjoining Yellowstone. Protection 

of these lands preserves critical winter range for 

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the park’s bison and protects underground geothermal resources that feed the park’s worldfamous geysers. 

Restoring Balance to Our National Forests 

Source: U.S. Forest Service 

Source: U.S. Forest Service Annual Report 

In 1994, the Clinton-Gore Administration broke the 

long stalemate over the Northern Spotted Owl with the 

Pacific Northwest Forest Plan, striking a balance 

between the preservation of old-growth stands and 

the economic needs of timber-dependent 

communities. Building on that success, the 

Administration has worked to improve management of 

all our national forests with a new science-based 

agenda that strengthens protections for water quality, 

wildlife and recreation while reforming logging 

practices to ensure steady, sustainable supplies of 

timber and jobs. 

In a major step to preserve some of America’s last 

wild lands, President Clinton directed the Forest 

Service in October, 1999 to develop a rule to protect 

more than 40 million acres of pristine "roadless" areas 

within the national forests. Final action is expected in 

late 2000. In addition, the Forest Service has 

proposed: 

● A new roads policy to better manage existing 

roads within the national forests system, 

making them safer, more responsive to public 

needs, and less environmentally damaging. 

● A comprehensive planning rule to guide the national forests as they periodically update their 

management plans to ensure sound stewardship for future generations. 

Saving California’s Ancient Redwoods 

When a family-owned timber company in Northern California was taken over, and the new owners 

accelerated the logging, the world’s largest unprotected stand of old-growth redwoods was 

suddenly threatened. The Clinton-Gore Administration forged an agreement, and secured $250 

million in federal funds, to preserve the 7,500-acre Headwaters Forest — saving trees up to 2,000 

years old and critical habitat for threatened and endangered species. The agreement also 

provided for a comprehensive plan to protect wildlife habitat and ensure sustainable logging on the 

company’s surrounding timberlands. 

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Restoring the Florida Everglades 

In 1996, Vice President Gore launched a long-term strategy to restore an extraordinary but 

endangered natural treasure — the Florida Everglades. In close partnership with the state of 

Florida and other stakeholders, the Administration has worked to acquire and protect critical lands, 

improve water quality, 

Photo: Florida Everglades, December, 1997 

restore endangered species, accelerate scientific 

research, and increase fresh water flows to 

Everglades National Park. The effort represents the 

most ambitious environmental restoration project ever 

attempted. 

Last year, the Administration and the state of Florida 

proposed a major undertaking critical to the project’s 

success — a $7.8 billion plan to rebuild the region’s 

water system to more closely mimic nature’s design. 

The plan would nearly double the amount of fresh 

water available in South Florida, ensuring clean, plentiful flows for the Everglades and adequate 

supplies for cities and farms. 

Restoring the San Francisco Bay-Delta 

In 1995, the Administration reached a landmark agreement with the state of California that is 

laying the groundwork for a lasting solution to the state’s perennial water conflicts. Under the 

CALFED agreement, the federal and state governments are undertaking interim measures to 

restore San Francisco Bay and the adjoining Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, while ensuring 

adequate water supplies for cities and farmers. Since 1997, the Administration has secured $190 

million in federal funds for environmental restoration through the Bay-Delta program. CALFED’s 

proposal for a long-term plan to balance environmental, urban, and agricultural needs is due later 

this year. 

Protecting and Restoring Our National Parks 

America’s national parks are drawing record numbers of visitors, and the Administration is 

undertaking new initiatives to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy them in all their 

splendor. 

On Earth Day 1999, Vice President Gore announced a long-term strategy to restore pristine skies 

and unspoiled views to national parks and wilderness areas by reducing pollution from power 

plants, cars, and factories hundreds, even thousands of miles away. In several major parks, new 

transportation plans emphasizing the use of public transit and clean fuels are helping to reduce 

congestion and pollution. A clean-fueled shuttle bus system at Acadia National Park carried over 

140,000 passengers in its first summer of operation, and similar shuttles will soon be introduced at 

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Zion National Park. 

In Yosemite Valley, a new master plan will ease crowding and restore developed areas to natural 

conditions. At the Grand Canyon, new rules for sight-seeing flights will help restore the natural 

quiet, and a planned light rail system will ease congestion. Throughout the park system, entrance 

and recreation fees are now being reinvested directly in the parks to help meet critical 

maintenance needs and put our national parks on firmer financial footing. 

Protecting the California Desert 

The California Desert Protection Act, signed by President Clinton in 1994, provided new or 

enhanced protection for 6.6 million acres of spectacular landscapes in the Mojave and Colorado 

Deserts of Southern California. The new law created the 1.4 million-acre Mojave National 

Preserve; expanded Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Monuments, and redesignated them 

as national parks; and provided wilderness protection for 3.6 million acres of Bureau of Land 

Management lands. 

Stemming the Loss of Precious Wetlands 

Wetlands play a vital role in sustaining wildlife, filtering pollutants from our water, and protecting 

communities from flooding. Yet more than half the historic wetlands in the continental United 

States have been lost. 

To help reverse this loss, the Administration has undertaken major reforms of wetlands regulation. 

New "nationwide permits" adopted this year by the Army Corps of Engineers require rigorous 

review of any project affecting more than half an acre of wetlands. Apart from protecting wetlands, 

the new permits will substantially decrease development within floodplains, preventing serious 

threats to life and property. 

In addition, the President’s Clean Water Action Plan sets a nationwide goal of a net increase of 

100,000 acres of wetlands a year beginning in 2005. 

National Park Service Operating Budget 

(in millions of dollars)

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 

Estimated

2001 

Proposed

984 1,094 1,082 1,081 1,155 1,246 1,284 1,364 1,454

Forging Conservation Partnerships with Farmers 

Most of the land in the United States is in private hands, and the nation’s economic and 

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environmental well-being rests in part on keeping these lands healthy. Through a range of 

initiatives, the Administration has forged innovative partnerships with farmers and other 

landowners to encourage voluntary conservation efforts and strengthen rural economies. 

The Wetlands Reserve Program provides technical and financial assistance to property owners 

who enter into permanent or long-term agreements to restore and maintain wetlands. The 

Conservation Reserve Program provides annual payments to farmers who remove 

environmentally sensitive lands from production and improve them by restoring wildlife habitat, 

planting windbreaks, or creating streamside buffers. The Administration’s Conservation Reserve 

Enhancement Program greatly expanded these efforts by encouraging states to commit matching 

funds targeted to urgent conservation needs, such as restoring Chesapeake Bay and Pacific 

Northwest salmon. Agreements have been signed with Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, 

New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, and others are in the 

works. 

Through these programs, the Administration has helped stabilize farm income while securing 

conservation improvements on more than 32 million acres of private land nationwide. The 

President’s budget for the coming year proposes a $1.3 billion Farm Conservation Initiative to 

significantly expand conservation partnerships with farmers, ranchers and other landowners. 

Preserving Natural and Historic Sites 

Over the past seven years, the Clinton-Gore Administration has protected scores of natural and 

historic sites around the country by securing over $2.5 billion through the Land and Water 

Conservation Fund. Much of the funding has been used for federal acquisition of threatened lands, 

and the remainder has gone to states and communities to help them protect local green spaces. 

Major priorities have included completing the Appalachian Trail, protecting Civil War battlefields, 

and preserving New Mexico’s majestic Baca Ranch. 

To continue these efforts in the years ahead, the President’s Lands Legacy initiative proposes 

permanent funding of at least $1.4 billion a year, with more than half dedicated to state and local 

conservation efforts. 

Preserving America's Lands Legacy 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 1 - Preserving America's Natural Treasures

Lands Legacy Budget 

(in millions of dollars)

1999 2000 

Estimated

2001 

Proposed

473 727 1,400

With $2.5 billion secured through the Land and Water Conservation 

Fund, the Clinton-Gore Administration has protected more than 300 

natural and historic sites (see map), and helped states and 

communities protect hundreds of other sites around the country. The 

President’s Lands Legacy initiative would provide permanent funding 

of $1.4 billion a year to continue these efforts in the years ahead. 

Licking County, Ohio 

Building Conservation Partnerships on the Farm 

With grain prices bottoming out and erosion damaging their 90-acre farm, Nancy and John 

Schaller of Licking County, Ohio, knew they had to do something to protect their income and their 

land. 

After investigating the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program, run by the Department of 

Agriculture, the Schallers decided to enroll 50 acres. By agreeing to take the land out of 

production, they qualified for an annual "rental" payment from USDA, which helped pay to plant 

white pines and black oaks on the idled cropland. A healthy woodland has now grown, ending the 

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erosion and improving the creeks running through the farm. 

Nancy, now widowed, enjoys the deer, pheasant, groundhogs and birds that now call the area 

home. She’s so pleased with the program she’s re-enrolled her land for another 10 years. 

"The Conservation Reserve Program was perfect for the Schallers," said Steve Berk, who runs the 

Licking County office of USDA’s Farm Service Agency. "Not only does the program give 

landowners an alternative to continual use of the land, but it improves water quality and enhances 

wildlife habitat. It’s an inexpensive way for the taxpayers to make a great difference." 

About 50 other Licking County farmers have enrolled a total of more than 1,500 acres in the 

program, receiving payments comparable to the rent they would receive from another farmer. "This 

program isn’t a windfall for anyone," said Berk. "No one’s getting rich off the government. It’s just a 

great program that actually accomplishes what it sets out to do." 

Jacksonville, Oregon 

A Town Rallies to Save Its Open Space 

As in many other communities across the country, 

the people of Jacksonville, Oregon, are serious about 

protecting open space. 

Even the fifth graders in this town of 2,000 are 

pitching in. They surveyed residents and found that 

90 percent favor increased land preservation. They 

talked a local woman into donating land for a new 

park-and-trail system. They even convinced a 

neighboring town to donate 10 acres. 

But what really got the ball rolling, said Phil Gahr, 

past president of the Jacksonville Woodlands 

Association, was a $40,000 grant from the federal 

government’s Land and Water Conservation Fund 

(LWCF) state conservation grant program. The grant 

was combined with $100,000 raised elsewhere to 

purchase the 70-acre Britt Woods and save it from 

development. 

Building on that success, the community has now 

raised enough funds to purchase and permanently 

protect some 300 acres in all. Nationwide, the 

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Photo: Jacksonville, Oregon Administration has awarded $55 million in grants for 

817 state and local projects, helping communities in 

all 50 states save open space and create new parks. 

"This is a perfect example of the powerful things that can happen with just a little bit of money," 

said Gahr. "There are key events that give the community confidence that this will work. Securing 

the LWCF grant was a significant turning point. Now we’re using that victory as impetus to 

preserve more land." 

This chapter in PDF format (1.2 MB)

Earth Day Letter CEQ Earth Day 2000 Report 

Presidential Budget Initiatives State by State 

Earth Day Activities Earth Links EPA Kids Explorers' Club 

Earth Day 2000 Home Page 

To comment on this service, 

send feedback to the Web Development Team. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 2 - Clean Air, Safe Water, Healthy Communities

Clean Air, Safe Water, Healthy Communities 

"As we embark on a new millennium...surely it is our 

sacred boligation to ensure that each and every child, 

from the first breath on, will be drawing the cleanest, 

purest, healthiest air we can provide."

President Bill Clinton 

December 21, 1999

Photo: Maury Elementary School, Washington, D.C., 

December 1999 

Thirty years ago, city skylines were 

disappearing behind a veil of smog, and many of 

America’s rivers were open sewers, so polluted 

they sometimes burst into flame. In barely over a 

generation, we have reversed decades of 

degradation. Tens of millions more Americans 

now have clean air and drinking water. Twice as 

many of our rivers and lakes are now safe for 

fishing and swimming. We have cut lead levels in 

our children’s blood by 70 percent, and toxic 

emissions from factories by nearly half. 

President Clinton and Vice President Gore have 

launched a new generation of environmental and 

public health protections to continue this 

progress and to meet new challenges unforeseen 

in 1970. Under their leadership, the 

Administration has adopted the toughest clean 

air standards ever; strengthened drinking water protections; accelerated toxic waste cleanups; 

expanded our communities’ right to know about toxic releases; and taken special steps against 

environmental health risks to children. 

Together, these measures are helping to move America closer to the day when we can fulfill every 

citizens’ right to clean air, safer water, and a healthy neighborhood. 

Cleaning Up Auto Emissions 

Last December, President Clinton took the boldest steps in a generation to improve air quality and 

protect public health by reducing pollution from cars and other vehicles. 

Although air pollution has been cut 30 percent since 

1970, even as economic output has more than 

doubled, these gains are threatened because 

Americans drive more than ever and increasingly 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 2 - Clean Air, Safe Water, Healthy Communities

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

favor higher-polluting SUVs, minivans and other lightduty trucks. To keep America on track to meeting its 

air quality goals, the President announced tough new 

tailpipe emissions standards that will produce the 

cleanest cars ever — and for the first time require 

SUVs and minivans to meet the same pollution 

standards as passenger cars. The new measures, to 

be phased in from 2004 to 2009, also will reduce 

sulfur levels in gasoline by 90 percent. 

When fully implemented, these measures will result in 

cars that are 77 percent cleaner and light-duty trucks 

that are up to 95 percent cleaner than those on the 

road today — the equivalent of removing 164 million 

cars from the road. Improved air quality will prevent up to 4,300 premature deaths and 173,000 

cases of childhood respiratory illness each year. 

Tough Standards for Soot and Smog 

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards 

In 1997, after exhaustive scientific study, the 

Administration adopted strong new national standards 

for soot and smog — two air pollutants that pose 

significant health risks for millions of Americans. Soot, 

or particulate matter, comes largely from power plants 

and industrial facilities. Smog, or ground-level ozone, 

is the haze of chemicals from car exhausts and 

smoke-stack emissions that shrouds many cities on 

hot summer days. The new standards set broad 

national goals to guide other federal air quality efforts 

and to guide states in developing strong, enforceable 

air quality plans. The standards could prevent up to 

15,000 premature deaths a year and improve the lives 

of millions who suffer from respiratory illnesses. 

Although the new standards have been delayed by 

litigation, the Administration continues to pursue the case in court. 

Safeguarding our Drinking Water 

Americans enjoy the safest drinking water in the 

world. Ninety-one percent of Americans receive tap 

water from drinking water systems meeting federal 

public health standards. To ensure that our families 

have healthy, clean tap water, President Clinton 

proposed and signed legislation in 1996 to strengthen 

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Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

OCEPA 

the Safe Drinking Water Act. In implementing the new 

law, the Administration has: 

● required America’s 55,000 water utility 

companies to provide regular reports to their 

customers on the quality of their drinking water; 

● required improved filtration and monitoring of 

water systems nationwide to protect against 

cryptosporidium, other disease-causing 

microbes, and potentially harmful byproducts of 

the water treatment process, preventing up to 

460,000 cases of waterborne illness a year, 

and; 

● secured funding for the new Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which to date has 

provided $1.9 billion in low-interest loans to help communities upgrade their water treatment 

systems. 

Accelerating Toxic Waste Cleanups 

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Emergency and Remedial Response 

The Clinton-Gore Administration has dramatically 

accelerated the cleanup of the nation’s worst toxic 

waste sites, freeing scores of communities from 

environmental threats and economic blight. Having 

inherited a flawed Superfund program mired in 

litigation, the Administration instituted three rounds of 

reforms to make cleanups faster, fairer, and more 

efficient. Since 1993, 515 cleanups have been 

completed — more than three times as many as in the 

previous 12 years. Cleanup is completed or underway 

at more than 90 percent of all Superfund sites. In this 

year’s budget, President Clinton secured $1.4 billion 

to continue progress toward the Administration’s goal 

of cleaning up 900 Superfund sites by 2002. 

Strengthening the Public’s Right to Know 

One of the most powerful tools against pollution is 

information — letting people know what is being put 

into their environment. The Clinton-Gore 

Administration has taken several steps to expand 

communities’ right to know about toxic releases to air, 

water and land. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 2 - Clean Air, Safe Water, Healthy Communities

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

Office of Pollution, Prevention, and Toxics. Using 

1991 core set of 326 chemicals; the chemical list 

was expanded to approx. 641 in 1995. 

The Administration has nearly doubled the number of 

chemicals subject to reporting, and expanded by 30 

percent the number of facilities that must report. Last 

year, reporting requirements were strengthened for 27 

"persistent bioaccumulative" chemicals like mercury, 

dioxin, and PCBs, which are especially risky because 

they do not break down easily and are known to 

accumulate in the human body. In addition, the 

Administration forged a partnership with the chemical 

industry and the environmental community to develop 

better data on the potential health effects of the 2,800 

most widely used chemicals. 

Ensuring Clean Waters Across America 

President Clinton launched a major Clean Water 

Action Plan in 1998 to help fulfill the promise of the Clean Water Act — clean, healthy water for all 

Americans. To help clean up the almost 40 percent of America’s surveyed waterways still too 

polluted for fishing and swimming, the plan targets the largest remaining threats to water quality: 

polluted runoff from farms and city streets. The five-year plan encourages community-based 

cleanup strategies and provides new resources to states, local governments, and landowners to 

help implement them. Over the past two years, the President has secured $3.9 billion to implement 

the plan. 

Clean Water Action Plan Budget 

(in millions of dollars)

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 

Estimated

2001 

Proposed

1,200 1,229 1,420 1,368 1,420 1,679 1,870 1,998 2,431

Making Children’s Health a Priority 

Children are particularly vulnerable to environmental health threats. Their bodies are still 

developing. Pound for pound, they eat, drink, and breathe more than adults. And their play puts 

them in close contact with the environment. 

President Clinton signed an Executive Order in 1997 to ensure that these added risk factors are 

closely scrutinized. The order directs agencies to coordinate their research priorities on children’s 

health, and to ensure that health and safety standards they adopt take into account special risks to 

children. The Administration has launched outreach campaigns to educate parents, teachers, and 

health providers about environmental health risks to children. And, to develop better science, the 

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Administration has awarded grants to nine universities to establish children’s environmental health 

research centers. 

Improving Food Safety Standards 

To ensure that America’s food supply remains among the safest in the world, the Administration 

has made reducing food-borne illness a national priority. New steps include improved safety 

standards for meat, poultry, and seafood products, as well as for fruit and vegetable juices. 

Research, education, and surveillance efforts also have been greatly expanded. In 1996, 

President Clinton signed the landmark Food Quality Protection Act, setting strict new standards for 

pesticide residues in food — including the first pesticide standards aimed specifically at protecting 

children. The Administration is on track to completing reviews for the pesticides posing the 

greatest potential risk by the end of this year. 

Ending Childhood Lead Poisoning 

Despite bans on lead-based paint and lead in gasoline, lead remains one of the greatest 

environmental health threats to children. Nearly one million children under six — one in 20 — have 

elevated levels of lead in their bodies, posing a risk of serious nervous system disorders such as 

reduced intelligence, reading and learning disabilities, and behavior problems. 

Through grants that help state and local governments identify and remove lead-based paint in 

older, privately owned, low-income housing, where hazards are most prevalent, the Administration 

has helped make over 25,000 homes lead-safe. Earlier this year, the Administration launched a 

new strategy with an ambitious goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning in America in 10 

years. The Administration’s proposed budget for the coming year includes $164.5 million to begin 

implementing this new strategy. 

Enviornmental Protection Agency Operating Budget 

(in millions of dollars)

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 

Estimated

2001 

Proposed

2,767 2,719 2,853 3,011 3,109 3,330 3,496 3,532 3,917

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 2 - Clean Air, Safe Water, Healthy Communities

"No child should have to live near a toxic waste 

dump. No child should have to drink water 

contaminated with chemicals. No child should 

have to eat foods poisoned with pesticides."

President Bill Clinton 

March 11, 1996

Camp Verde, Arizona 

Fund is a Pipeline to Safe Drinking Water 

When the people of Camp Verde, Arizona, discovered high levels of naturally occurring arsenic in 

their drinking water, they knew they had a problem: Too much arsenic can lead to cancer, 

diabetes, and other health problems. 

But when Camp Verde set out to upgrade its water system, it encountered a second problem: It 

discovered that financing wasn’t readily available for smaller water systems. 

That changed in 1996, with the creation of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which 

provides low-interest loans to communities to make their water systems safer and more reliable. In 

1998, Camp Verde received a $1.3 million loan, enabling the city to install a pipeline to a new, 

safer water source. 

"As a result of this program, we now provide safer drinking water to over 2,000 people," said Stan 

Bullard, vice president of the Camp Verde Water System. "We would not have gotten this far 

without the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund." 

Richmond, California 

A Community Exercises Its ‘Right to Know’ 

Concerned about high rates of cancer and other disease in their largely minority community, 

concerned residents in Richmond, California, decided to take a closer look at toxic releases from a 

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nearby oil refinery and other industrial plants. 

Photo: Refinery in Richmond, CA 

A local group called the West County Toxics 

Coalition joined forces with Communities for a 

Better Environment, a statewide environmental 

group. Exercising their "right to know," they 

researched data in the Environmental Protection 

Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), where 

companies must file annual disclosure statements 

on their emissions. Their report, Richmond at Risk, 

identified the 20 largest industrial polluters in the 

area, with the Chevron oil refinery topping the list. 

Although the cause of the high cancer rates remains 

unresolved, the report helped lead to a dialogue with Chevron, which agreed in 1994 to close 

down older portions of its plant and install pollution prevention equipment to achieve zero net 

emissions from a new reformulated fuel project. 

"TRI was essential in providing information, for the first time, on Chevron’s emissions," said Henry 

Clark of the West County Toxics Coalition. "We use the TRI information to gauge whether 

companies are interested in actually reducing emissions. A good company is committed to making 

these reductions. Without that information, we would have no clue as to whether their emissions 

are going up or down. The information allowed us to be able to negotiate with them on emissions 

reductions." 

Anaconda, Montana 

‘It Was Nothing But A Wasteland’ 

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus is best known for his 

eagles and birdies. But he has another talent — his 

"green" designs help convert waste dumps into 

picturesque golf courses. So when residents of 

Anaconda, Montana, decided to transform a 1,500-

acre Superfund site into an award-winning golf 

course, they went straight to the legend. 

A century earlier, the site had contained one of the 

world’s largest copper smelters. But long after the 

smelter closed and the mining jobs disappeared, the 

land remained gouged with mines, laced with heavy 

metals, and littered with slag heaps. 

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Photo of unusable area developed into a golf 

course. 

Working with the local community and with ARCO, the 

property’s owner, the Environmental Protection 

Agency helped develop a plan to clean up the 

contamination, restore the landscape, and return it to 

productive use. Apart from the golf course, the project 

included a new hiking trail and restoration of a nearby 

trout stream. 

The golf course has proven to be a tourist magnet, 

spurring higher property values and other business 

investments, and helping Anaconda transform itself 

into a popular vacation spot. 

"It was nothing but a wasteland," Anaconda resident Rose Nyman told the local paper. "For those 

of us who saw the transformation, it’s just been incredible. No one would believe what it was and 

what it has become." 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

An Immigrant Community Faces the Hazards of Lead 

The sudden hospitalization of a two-year-old boy named Cher awakened Hmong families in 

Milwaukee to the very real dangers of lead poisoning — and to the government assistance that 

has helped make their homes safer and their community stronger. 

Like many other immigrants, many Hmongs who have come to the United States from their native 

Laos have settled in aging, low-income housing unaware of the threat from peeling lead-based 

paint. When Cher became sick and a doctor suspected lead poisoning, tests revealed a lead level 

in his body many times higher than levels known to impair cognitive function, stunt growth, and 

cause behavioral difficulties. Cher was immediately hospitalized and the Milwaukee Health 

Department, through a program supported by the Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, brought in a skilled contractor to make his home lead-safe. 

The Health Department and HUD then worked with the Hmong American Friendship Association to 

educate the Hmong community about the dangers of lead and to set up a program that dispatches 

crews to remove lead hazards from homes. The program also trains members of the community to 

work in the crews as certified lead abatement technicians. 

"We learned about the real risk of lead poisoning that our mothers and children face in the older 

homes that are available in our community," said Lo Neng Kiatoukaysy, the association’s 

executive director. "We have turned dangerous unrecognized lead hazards into opportunities to 

unify our community, make real change in the lives of children and families, and offer training jobs 

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that teach valuable skills to our under- and unemployed youth while they earn a paycheck." 

This chapter in PDF format (1.3 MB)

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Earth Day 2000 Home Page 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 3 - Meeting the Challenge of Global Warming

Meeting the Challenge of Global Warming 

"In time the nations of the world will arrive at a course that 

maintains strong and sustainable economic growth, 

respects the needs and aspirations of all nations, and 

protects future generations from the threat of global 

warming."

Vice President Al Gore 

November 12, 1998

Photo: Kyota, Japan, December 1997 

Global warming is one of the most profound 

challenges of the 21st century. The world’s 

leading atmospheric scientists agree that the 

Earth is warming and that human activities are at 

least partly to blame. They warn that average 

global temperatures could rise 2 to 6 degrees 

Fahrenheit over the next century, causing 

increased flooding and drought, more extreme 

weather, rising sea levels, and the spread of 

infectious disease. 

President Clinton and Vice President Gore are 

leading efforts — in the United States and 

abroad — to protect future generations from 

these grave risks. At home, the Administration 

has launched major new initiatives to improve 

energy efficiency and develop clean, renewable 

energy sources — steps that will reduce 

greenhouse gas emissions while saving money and creating jobs. On the diplomatic front, the 

United States is working with other nations to create cost-effective solutions and to ensure that all 

nations join in meeting this global challenge. 

Sound, common-sense approaches to climate change will help put the United States and other 

nations on the path to a clean energy future, ensuring a healthier environment while creating new 

opportunities for strong, sustainable growth. 

Forging Strong, Sensible International Agreement 

Climate change is a global challenge that requires a global solution. In 1997, with critical 

leadership from Vice President Gore, representatives of more than 160 nations agreed on the 

basic architecture of an international strategy to combat global warming. This historic agreement, 

called the Kyoto Protocol, sets strong, realistic targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 

from industrialized countries, and establishes flexible, market-based mechanisms to achieve them 

as cost-effectively as possible. 

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The Kyoto Protocol remains a work in progress. Through ongoing negotiations, the Administration 

is working with other nations to turn the treaty’s broad concepts into working realities. The 

Administration also is pursuing an aggressive diplomatic strategy to achieve broader participation 

by developing countries in this global effort. The President and Vice President are committed to 

completing the important work begun in Kyoto so this important treaty can be ratified. 

Improving Our Scientific Understanding 

Our strategy for addressing global warming must be founded on the best possible science. Since 

1993, the Administration has secured $11.6 billion for the United States Global Change Research 

Program, which works to strengthen our understanding of the human and natural forces that 

influence the Earth’s climate, and the potential impacts of global warming. Key priorities have 

included improved surface and satellite monitoring of changes in temperature and precipitation; 

expanded research into the effects of climate change on the natural and built environment; and a 

better understanding of the role of farms, forests, and other natural or managed lands in capturing 

and storing carbon. 

Funding for Technology Programs to Combat Climate Change 

(in millions of dollars)

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 

Estimated

2001 

Proposed

603 796 960 788 764 825 1,009 1,095 1,432

Investing in Clean Energy Technologies 

New technologies that improve energy efficiency and provide clean, renewable energy hold great 

promise for curbing greenhouse gas emissions. They also can ease our reliance on imported oil, 

reduce other forms of harmful air pollution, and provide significant long-term savings for 

businesses and consumers. 

To help spur these advances, President Clinton launched the Climate Change Technology 

Initiative, a comprehensive program of research investments and targeted tax incentives. Over the 

past two years, the President has secured more than $2 billion to research and develop clean 

energy technologies in the four major carbon-emitting sectors of the economy — buildings, 

transportation, industry, and electricity generation. The President also has proposed $4 billion in 

tax credits over five years for wind and biomass energy production, and for the purchase of energyefficient homes and appliances, solar energy systems, electric and hybrid vehicles, and other 

clean energy products. 

Forging Partnerships with Industry 

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The Administration has forged new partnerships with major industries to promote voluntary, costeffective efforts that can achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. These 

include: 

Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing — In a joint venture 

announced in 1998 by President Clinton, the federal government is working with the 

building industry to develop technologies to make new homes 50 percent more 

energy efficient, and to make at least 15 million existing homes 30 percent more 

energy efficient, within a decade. PATH projects are now underway in pilot 

communities in Denver, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Tucson. 

Energy Star® high-rise in 

Minneapolis 

Energy Star® — This highly successful partnership 

helps consumers save energy and save money. 

Participating manufacturers, utilities, and retailers 

label energy-efficient products with the Energy Star® 

logo. More than 3,000 products — from computers to 

refrigerators to new homes — have qualified for the 

logo. The partnership has helped spur more than $3 

billion in technology investments to date, and will help 

eliminate almost 40 million metric tons of greenhouse 

gas emissions over the next decade. 

Climate Wise — This program gives technical 

assistance to more than 530 manufacturing 

companies that have entered into partnership 

agreements with the Federal government to reduce 

greenhouse gas emissions. 

Industries of the Future — This program works in 

partnership with the nation’s most energy-intensive industries — such as aluminum, 

glass, chemicals, forest products, mining, petroleum refining, and steel — to develop 

technologies that increase energy and resource efficiency. By 2010, participating 

industries are projected to avoid emissions of more than 25 million tons, and realize 

over $5 billion in energy savings. 

Growing Clean Energy 

Promising new bio-based technologies convert crops, trees, farm waste and other "biomass" into a 

vast array of fuels and products. These new technologies will help reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions while enhancing U.S. energy security and creating new economic opportunity for 

farmers and others. President Clinton issued an Executive Order last year to coordinate federal 

efforts to spur the development of bio-based technologies and move them from the laboratory to 

the marketplace. The President also set a goal of tripling America’s use of bioenergy and 

bioproducts by 2010. Achieving this goal could generate $15 billion to $20 billion in new income for 

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farmers and rural communities, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 100 million tons a 

year — the equivalent of taking 70 million cars off the road. 

Million Solar Roofs 

In June 1997, President Clinton launched the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, with the goal of 

installing solar energy systems on one million U.S. roofs by 2010. Meeting this goal will reduce 

carbon emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 850,000 cars, while creating high-tech 

jobs and increasing domestic production of solar technologies. The initiative is well ahead of 

schedule: the Department of Energy already has received commitments for close to a million solar 

roofs. To further spur solar energy technologies, the President has proposed a 15 percent tax 

credit (up to $2,000) for the purchase of rooftop solar systems. 

Wind Powering America 

Wind is the fastest growing source of energy in the world. Dramatic improvements in wind turbine 

technology helped spur a 25 percent increase in wind-generating capacity over the last decade. 

Federal researchers, working in collaboration with private industry, are helping to develop the next 

generation of wind turbines, which will make wind energy even more competitive. 

Currently, the U.S. has an installed capacity of about 2500 megawatts of wind energy — enough 

to power about half a million homes. The Wind Powering America Initiative, launched last year, 

sets a goal of generating five percent of U.S. electricity with wind power by 2020. 

* Includes conventional hydroelectric, geothermal, 

biofuels, solar energy, and wind energy. Source: U.

S. Department of Energy, Energy Information 

Administration 

Saving Energy and Money At Home 

Roughly a fifth of the energy consumed in the United 

States is used to power our homes, nearly all of it for 

appliances. The Administration has issued new 

energy-efficiency standards for heating and cooling 

equipment, water heaters, refrigerators, and clothes 

washers and dryers. By 2010, these energy 

conservation measures will have saved consumers 

more than $40 billion and avoided cumulative 

greenhouse gas emissions of nearly 190 million 

metric tons. 

Los Angeles, California 

Building the ‘Green’ Home of the Future 

The walls are super-insulated. Innovative new windows do a better job of keeping the heat and 

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cold out. Rooftop solar panels provide much of the electricity needed. And the homeowners are 

saving 50 percent or more on their energy bills. 

These homes of the future are here today, in the path-breaking Village Green development in Los 

Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. Families began moving into the first 22 of 186 planned homes last 

year, just about a year after President Clinton visited the site to launch the Administration’s 

Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH). 

Through PATH, federal agencies work with America’s building industry to speed the creation and 

use of advanced technologies that can radically improve the quality, durability, energy efficiency, 

environmental performance and affordability of the nation’s housing. Village Green is one of five 

PATH pilot projects around the country. 

Villege Green, May, 1998 

One of PATH’s goals is to cut energy use by 50 

percent in new homes — and by 30 percent in 15 

million existing homes — over the next decade. That 

could save consumers $11 billion a year energy costs 

in 2010 and reduce carbon emissions by nearly 24 

million tons — the equivalent of taking 20 million cars 

off the road. 

The new homes at Village Green are already 

demonstrating the environmental and economic 

benefits of "green" construction. "Village Green," said 

Los Angeles Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, "is living 

proof that the building industry can combine new 

environmental technologies with affordable housing 

right here in one of the largest housing markets in the 

nation." 

New York, New York 

In Central Park, Clean Power for NYPD 

Amid the steel and concrete of Manhattan, Central Park has long been a treasured oasis of green. 

And now, green energy powers the park’s only police station. 

Without additional electricity, the Civil War vintage precinct house would not have been able to 

operate digital fingerprinting equipment, or even keep its air conditioner running. But the most 

obvious source, a new underground power line, would have been costly and disruptive. 

The answer was a fuel cell - an ultraclean electric-generating technology that could be installed in 

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a corner of the station’s parking lot. Powered by natural gas from an existing line, NYPD’s quiet, 

efficient 

Department of Energy, Robert Porter 

fuel cell generates enough pollution-free electricity for the 

station — and to recharge a fleet of electric vehicles used 

to patrol the park. 

The technology behind the fuel cell was developed through 

a partnership between the Department of Energy and 

International Fuel Cells, Inc. of South Windsor, Connecticut. 

The federal government paid one-third of the installation 

cost as part of a program to encourage use of this 

innovative technology, which is supplying clean power to a 

growing number of energy users across the nation and 

overseas. 

This chapter in PDF format (595 K)

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 4 - Protecting Our Precious Wildlife

Protecting Our Precious Wildlife 

"The return of the bald eagle is a fitting cap to a 

century of environmental stewardship...Extinction is 

not an option — not for the eagle, not for other 

creatures put here by God."

President Bill Clinton 

July 2, 1999

Photo: White House, July 1999 

When our Founders selected the American bald 

eagle as our national symbol, as many as half a 

million of these majestic birds soared the skies of 

North America. By the early 1960’s, a mere 400 

breeding pairs survived in the lower 48 states. 

Today, the bald eagle is back. In ceremonies last 

summer on the South Lawn of the White House, 

President Clinton announced the first step in formally 

removing the eagle from the endangered species list. 

The dramatic comeback of the eagle, the American 

alligator, the gray whale and others is testament to the 

success of the Endangered Species Act, and to 

America’s determination to protect and restore our 

native wildlife. 

President Clinton and Vice President Gore have 

strengthened these efforts by creating and expanding national wildlife refuges, and by committing 

more resources to protecting wildlife on other federal lands. But the survival of many species 

depends more on the health of America’s private lands. That is why the Administration has worked 

so hard to forge partnerships with landowners, pioneering innovative approaches that provide 

them the flexibility and certainty they need to make productive use of their lands, while ensuring 

that America’s wild plants and animals can flourish. 

Restoring Threatened and Endangered Species 

The Endangered Species Act, one of American’s landmark environmental laws, is our last line of 

defense against species extinction. Its goal is no less than the preservation of our nation’s 

biodiversity. Although the number of species listed under the Act as threatened or endangered 

continues to rise, the Clinton-Gore Administration has made significant strides in more quickly 

assessing the status of individual species and developing plans for their recovery. 

Perhaps the greatest measure of the Act’s success is the growing number of species once 

declared threatened or endangered that are no longer in danger of extinction. Since 1978, 35 

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species have recovered sufficiently to be "downlisted" from endangered to threatened or removed 

from the list entirely — 15 in the last seven years. The Administration has proposed "downlisting" 

or "delisting" another 12 species. In addition to the bald eagle, notable successes include: 

American Peregrine Falcon. Thirty years ago, only 324 nesting pairs survived. 

Thanks to the banning of DDT, captive breeding, reintroduction efforts, and the 

protection of nest sites — the same kinds of efforts that brought back the bald eagle 

— there are now 1,650 breeding pairs. The falcon came off the endangered species 

list last year. 

The Aleutian Canada Goose. With populations up from only a few hundred in the 

mid-1970s to about 32,000 birds today, final action to remove the bird from the 

endangered species list could come later this year. 

Tinian Monarch. A small flycatcher found only on the island of Tinian in the Northern 

Mariana Islands, this bird has expanded its population from 50 or fewer after World 

War II to approximately 57,000 today. Its "delisting" is pending. 

Forging Partnerships to Protect Habitat 

Seventy percent of the United States outside Alaska is in private hands, so successful efforts to 

maintain and restore the nation’s wildlife must include landowners. The Clinton-Gore 

Administration has pioneered the use of collaborative approaches under the Endangered Species 

Act to help balance habitat preservation with economic development. 

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

One of the most valuable tools is the habitat 

conservation plan — a voluntary long-term agreement 

between the government and a landowner that helps 

ensure survival of threatened and endangered 

species while allowing productive use of the land. 

Prior to 1993, only 14 such plans existed. The 

Administration has since forged another 246 plans 

protecting more than 20 million acres and 200 

threatened and endangered species. Other reforms 

undertaken by the Administration to protect habitat 

while permitting property owners flexibility in 

managing their land include "safe harbor" and 

"candidate conservation" agreements. 

Returning Wolves to Yellowstone 

One of the most dramatic stories of species recovery in the United States is the return of the gray 

wolf to Yellowstone National Park. Once widely viewed as a threat to humans and livestock, 

wolves were hunted nearly to extinction by the mid-1900’s. In 1995, the Administration began a 

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program to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone, where they were long an integral part of the 

ecosystem, helping to maintain stable, healthy populations of elk and other large prey. The 

reintroduced population of 10 has now grown to nearly 120, including eight breeding pairs. A 

similar program begun in 1998 is now reintroducing the Mexican gray wolf to Arizona and New 

Mexico. 

Saving Salmon in the Pacific Northwest 

Salmon have long been integral to the culture and economy of the Pacific Northwest, but the 

prodigious runs that once filled the region’s rivers have declined dramatically over the past century. 

The Administration is working closely with state, tribal, and local leaders on plans to restore 

salmon in coastal rivers and in the Columbia-Snake River basin. The goal is a long-term strategy, 

built on sound science and strong regional consensus, that ensures the health of both the region’s 

economy and its environment. 

The successful negotiation last year of a new Pacific Salmon Treaty with Canada will help achieve 

this goal through expanded scientific cooperation, habitat restoration, and new controls over 

salmon harvest in U.S. and Canadian waters. In this year’s budget, President Clinton secured $25 

million to begin implementing the treaty, and $58 million for a new Pacific Coastal Salmon 

Recovery Fund, which provides resources for states and tribes to protect and rebuild coastal 

salmon stocks. For the coming year, the President is proposing $100 million for the coastal salmon 

fund, and $190 million for other salmon recovery efforts in the Pacific Northwest. 

Strengthening Our Refuge System 

The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world’s oldest and largest network of lands dedicated 

to conserving fish and wildlife. To ensure that these lands are well protected, the Administration 

has increased funding for the refuge system by about 75 percent since 1993. Twenty-three new 

refuges have been created, and several others expanded, for a total of 521 refuges encompassing 

more than 93 million acres in all. These efforts include: 

● Creation of the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia, the nation’s 500th 

refuge; 

● A significant expansion of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, using funds from a 

court settlement arising from the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and; 

● Transfer of management of 57,000 acres adjoining the Washington’s Hanford Reach to the 

refuge system, protecting critical salmon habitat in the last free-flowing stretch of the 

Columbia River between the Canadian border and the Pacific Ocean. 

Guarding Against Invasive Species 

One of the most pervasive but least recognized threats to America’s native flora and fauna is the 

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spread of invasive non-native species. They represent a serious economic threat as well, costing 

the U.S. economy an estimated $122 billion a year. Examples include the zebra mussel, which has 

shut down utilities in the Great Lakes by clogging water intake pipes; the leafy spurge, a weed that 

crowds out native grasses on Western ranchlands; the brown tree snake, which threatens entire 

bird species on Guam; and the Asian long-horned beetle, which has forced the removal of 

thousands of trees in Brooklyn and Chicago. 

To address this threat, the President issued an Executive Order last year establishing an 

interagency Invasive Species Council to coordinate federal efforts. The council is developing a 

comprehensive plan to prevent the introduction of non-native species and to control those already 

here. Other recent efforts include a ban on the import of untreated wood packing material from 

China, the source of the Asian long-horned beetle infestation. 

Bainbridge, Georgia 

Protecting Jobs and Wildlife In the Woods 

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service 

Thanks to a groundbreaking wildlife 

partnership, the nation’s largest private 

landowner can continue producing jobs 

and timber in the pine forests of the 

Southeastern U.S., and the endangered 

red-cockaded woodpecker stands a 

much better chance of survival. 

Working with the Fish and Wildlife 

Service, environmentalists, and the 

state of Georgia, the International Paper 

Company developed the first habitat 

conservation plan ever that committed 

to increasing and improving 

endangered species habitat on private 

lands, rather than simply maintaining or 

relocating existing populations. 

Habitat conservation planning is a flexible approach under the Endangered Species Act that helps 

ensure a species’ survival while allowing landowners greater certainty in managing their lands. 

International Paper’s plan is improving habitat across 5,300 acres — creating artificial nesting 

cavities and new foraging areas — with a goal of significantly increasing the number of 

woodpeckers on its lands. 

"We have been able to continue to harvest timber in this area because the red-cockaded 

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woodpecker prefers an open territory with low tree density," said Sharon Haines, a sustainable 

forestry manager at International Paper. "It struck a very good balance between economic viability 

and species protection." 

Environmentalists also are pleased. "This plan demonstrates that it is possible to find common 

ground where both endangered species and landowners can prosper," said Michael Bean of 

Environmental Defense, which helped craft the plan. 

Petaluma, California 

In a Creek Reborn, The Steelhead Are Back 

NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center 

Adobe Creek was once the major source of drinking water for 

Petaluma Valley, north of San Francisco, and alive with salmon 

and steelhead trout. But after years of pollution and neglect, state 

officials declared it "dead." 

Then along came Tom Furrer and his Anglers. 

Furrer, an environmental science teacher at Petaluma’s Casa 

Grande High School, decided it was time Adobe Creek was 

brought back to life. He formed a student group, the United 

Anglers of Casa Grande, which cleared debris from the dry creek 

bed, planted thousands of trees along its banks, and 

spearheaded a successful drive to restore flows that had been 

diverted. The Anglers also raised funds to build a state-of-the-art fish hatchery 

The group faced one last obstacle: a 12-foot culvert that made it impossible for fish to get 

upstream to spawn. They contacted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which 

provided funding and engineering expertise to construct a fish ladder so that fish can get past the 

culvert and swim upstream. 

In 1998, native steelhead were able to reach historic spawning grounds for the first time in over 

half a century. "To see this project actually come to completion is absolutely thrilling," said Furrer. 

"After years of hard work by hundreds of students, supported by NOAA and the community, 

steelhead can reclaim the habitat that was once theirs decades ago." 

The Anglers will continue maintaining the fish ladder and monitoring the creek to ensure it remains 

healthy and alive. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 4 - Protecting Our Precious Wildlife

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 5 - Building Sustainable Communities

Building Sustainable Communities 

"In the 21st Century, a livable community will be an 

economically powerful community...where a high 

quality of life attracts the best-educated and trained 

workers...where good schools and strong families 

fuel creativity and productivity...where the best 

minds and the best companies share ideas and 

shape our common future."

Vice President Al Gore 

September 2, 1998

Photo: Ashe County, North Carolina, July 1998 

Thirty years ago, the fight for clean air, safe water, 

and healthy land was understood simply as a fight for 

the "environment." Today, Americans understand that 

a sound environment is absolutely integral to their 

hopes for continued prosperity and a better quality of 

life. A healthy environment is the very foundation of a 

healthy community. 

Through a series of initiatives, President Clinton and 

Vice President Gore are helping communities across 

the country take steps that strengthen both the 

environment and the economy. New programs to 

clean up and redevelop contaminated urban 

properties are creating jobs and revitalizing 

neighborhoods. And increased funding to expand 

public transit and preserve open space is helping 

communities forge new strategies against sprawl. 

By providing new tools and resources, the 

Administration is expanding the choices available to 

communities so they can chart their own path to a more sustainable future. 

Livable Communities Initiative 

Last year, Vice President Gore launched a new Livable Communities initiative to coordinate and 

enhance federal programs that can help communities grow in ways that ensure a high quality of 

life and strong, sustainable economic growth. One of the first steps was creation of a website — 

www.livablecommunities.gov — that provides citizens with a comprehensive guide to tools and 

resources available from the federal government. These include programs to encourage "smart 

growth," ease traffic congestion, preserve historic structures, protect farmland, fight crime, and 

improve water quality. 

The Administration secured increased funding for these efforts this year, and is proposing another 

increase next year. The new budget proposal includes $700 million in tax credits over five years for 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 5 - Building Sustainable Communities

new Better America Bonds, which would generate $10.75 billion for state, tribal, and local 

investments to save green space, create or restore urban parks, protect water quality, and clean 

up brownfields. 

Revitalizing Brownfields 

Brownfields are abandoned properties — often in distressed urban neighborhoods — suffering real 

or perceived contamination from past industrial use. Cleaning up and redeveloping these sites not 

only breathes new economic life into inner cities, but also helps preserve green space by easing 

development pressures on the urban fringe. 

The Clinton-Gore Administration has launched several initiatives to accelerate the cleanup of 

brownfields and remove barriers to their redevelopment. Since 1995, the Administration has 

removed more than 30,000 of these sites from the Superfund database, relieving potential 

developers of unnecessary red tape and removing the stigma of contamination. More than 300 

communities across America have received nearly $70 million in seed grants, leveraging over $1.6 

billion in private investment for cleanup and redevelopment. As an additional incentive, the 

Administration secured a tax incentive allowing businesses to fully deduct certain brownfields 

cleanup costs in targeted areas through 2001. 

American Heritage Rivers 

Blackstone & Woonasquatucket Rivers (MA, RI) 

Connecticut River (CT, VT, NH, MA) 

Cuyahoga River (OH) 

Detroit River (MI) 

Hanalei River (HI) 

Hudson River (NY) 

Lower Mississippi River (LA, TN) 

New River (NC, VA, WV) 

Rio Grande River (TX) 

Potomac River (DC, MD, PA, VA, WV) 

St. Johns River (FL) 

Upper Mississippi River 

Upper Susquehanna & Lackawanna Rivers (PA) 

Willamette River (OR) 

More than 3 million miles of rivers and streams 

flow across America, nourishing soil, carrying 

commerce, sustaining wildlife, and quenching 

our thirst. In 1997, President Clinton launched 

the American Heritage Rivers initiative to 

recognize and reward community-based efforts 

to restore and protect the environmental, 

economic, cultural, and historic values of 

America’s rivers. 

Scores of communities in 46 states and the 

District of Columbia nominated rivers for 

designation under the initiative. In 1998, the 

President named 14 American Heritage Rivers. 

The rivers — from New York’s Hudson to the 

Lower Mississippi to Hawaii’s Hanalei — reflect 

the extraordinary diversity of America’s 

waterways. Some flow through pristine forest, 

others the inner city. Some have been largely 

restored, while others remain heavily polluted. 

For each river, the Administration has 

appointed a "river navigator" to help communities identify federal programs and resources that can 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 5 - Building Sustainable Communities

assist them in implementing their restoration plans. 

Environmental Justice 

Historically, low-income and minority communities have borne a disproportionate share of the 

pollution and other environmental harm associated with America’s industrial development. In 1994, 

President Clinton issued an Executive Order to ensure that low-income citizens and minorities do 

not suffer an unfair pollution burden, and that all communities have adequate environmental 

protection. The Order directs each federal agency to "make achieving environmental justice part of 

its mission by identifying and addressing disproportionately high and adverse human health 

effects" its actions may have on low-income and minority populations. It requires agencies to 

prepare environmental justice strategies and to encourage community participation in their 

decision-making. 

The Administration has also helped spur new investment in low-income and minority communities 

through its support of brownfields redevelopment, expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax 

Credit, and designation of Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities. 

President’s Council on Sustainable Development 

Launched in 1993, the President’s Council on Sustainable Development brought together 

government, corporate and environmental leaders to develop consensus strategies for meeting 

America’s environmental challenges in ways that promote continued prosperity, social equity, and 

a high quality of life. 

Thousands of people across the country contributed to the Council’s deliberations through 

workshops, conferences, and public meetings. The Council helped create a national network of 

community groups working to promote sustainable development, and was instrumental in building 

support within the business community for addressing global climate change. Its third and final 

report, Towards a Sustainable America, recommended 140 actions addressing issues such as 

sprawl, climate change, urban renewal, and corporate environmental responsibility. The Council 

concluded its work last year by co-sponsoring the National Town Meeting for a Sustainable 

America in Detroit, which brought together community and corporate leaders from across the 

country to share and learn from each others’ experiences. 

Promoting Transportation Alternatives 

As communities spread further outward and commuting distances grow, roadways become 

increasingly congested. According to recent estimates, nearly half of peak travel time is under 

congested conditions, and Americans waste half a billion hours a year stuck in traffic. 

To help ease traffic congestion and combat air pollution, the Clinton-Gore Administration has 

worked to provide communities with a broader range of transportation choices. Since 1993, federal 

funding for buses, light rail and other forms of transit has risen more than 50 percent, to nearly 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 5 - Building Sustainable Communities

$5.8 billion this year. The Administration also has won increased funding for bike paths, highoccupancy vehicle lanes, ridesharing, and other strategies that reduce both congestion and 

pollution. For the coming year, President Clinton has proposed a record $9.1 billion for public 

transit and other programs to ease congestion. 

Federal Funding for Public Transit 

(in millions of dollars)

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 

Estimated

2001 

Proposed

3,799,245 4,579,265 4,606,240 4,049,050 4,382,511 4,843,614 5,388,538 5,748,915 6,321,000

Bridgeport, Connecticut 

On Former Brownfield, A Championship Ballpark 

Baseball Park 

To the record crowds who fill it, 

the new downtown stadium is a 

place to cheer on their very own 

championship baseball team. But 

the 5,500-seat ballpark is also a 

shining symbol of Bridgeport, 

Connecticut’s economic revival. 

In the early 1990s, Bridgeport 

was suffering through hard 

economic times, and nowhere 

was the decay more evident than 

at the old Jenkins Valve industrial 

site at the city’s main gateway. 

Like thousands of other 

"brownfields" across the country, 

the site was burdened with 

industrial contamination that 

scared off potential investors. 

But with seed money from the 

Administration’s brownfields program, the city performed a site evaluation that helped attract a 

developer. The Zurich Re Corporation invested $11 million in cleanup and redevelopment, and the 

city and state kicked in another $3 million. In addition to the ballpark, home to the minor-league 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 5 - Building Sustainable Communities

Bridgeport Bluefish, the long-idle site will eventually house an indoor ice-skating rink and a new 

museum. 

"This is what urban revitalization is all about. This very site which used to be the scourge of 

Fairfield County is now the region’s most exciting new entertainment venue," said Mickey Herbert, 

majority owner of the Bluefish. "I’d be genuinely surprised if there’s a more dramatic example of 

success with brownfields reclamation than right here at our ball park." 

Valmeyer, Illinois 

Moving to Higher Ground, And a More Sustainable Future 

The Mississippi River floods of 1993 were the costliest in U.S. history, and few paid a dearer price 

than the people of Valmeyer, Illinois. Their town was utterly destroyed. 

They decided there was only one way to be sure it wouldn’t happen again: rebuilding the town on 

higher ground. And while they were at it, they decided to make the new Valmeyer a model of 

sustainable development. 

One of the places they turned was the Department of Energy, which dispatched a team of experts 

to help incorporate state-of-the-art technologies into the new homes and the new town’s design. 

The state also pitched in, offering grants of up to $1,700 to homeowners who used energy-efficient 

windows, low-flow showerheads and toilets, energy-saving heating and cooling systems, and other 

conservation measures. 

These and other measures, including solar power, have cut resident’s energy bills about 30 

percent. Village Administrator Dennis Knobloch said the school system, police and fire 

departments, and other government offices, are saving around $80,000 a year. 

"We feel the effort put forth at the beginning of the process to involve both state and federal energy 

departments has really helped to benefit our citizens," said Knobloch, "and we will be reaping 

those benefits for years to come." 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 6 - Safeguarding Our Oceans and Coasts

Safeguarding Our Oceans and Coasts 

"Hope, creativity, imagination...[are] the traits that 

first enabled and inspired explorers to take to the 

sea....In the 21st century, these traits...must lead us 

to preserve our living oceans as a sacred legacy for 

all time to come."

President Bill Clinton 

June 12, 1998

Photo: Monterey, California, June 1998 

Oceans sustain nearly half of all life on Earth and, in 

ways we hardly realize, shape our everyday lives. 

Farmers in the heartland depend on weather systems 

driven by the interaction of ocean and atmosphere to 

nourish their crops. People who may never have seen 

the ocean depend on food from its waters and energy 

from beneath the seabed. Ocean-going vessels carry 

the bulk of our world trade, linking us to the global 

marketplace and keeping our economy strong. 

Increasingly, however, we have come to understand 

that the "boundless" oceans have limits. They cannot 

provide unlimited fish, nor can they absorb unlimited 

wastes from human activities. Toxic algal blooms 

threaten the marine ecology and human health in 

many coastal areas, and unchecked coastal 

development can stress ocean and coastal habitats 

beyond their limits. 

President Clinton and Vice President Gore have launched new actions to restore fragile coral 

reefs, protect our coasts from the risks of offshore oil development, strengthen our national marine 

sanctuaries, and protect dolphins and other marine mammals. And, to better address the long-term 

challenges, the President and Vice President launched a national dialogue leading to a 

comprehensive strategy for strengthening federal ocean policy for the 21st century. 

Protecting Critical Areas from Offshore Oil Drilling 

Oil and gas recovered from undersea reserves, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, make an 

important contribution to America’s energy supply. However, long-standing concern over the 

inherent environmental risks of offshore drilling have led to a series of moratoria of new oil and gas 

leases off most of the U.S. coast. A five-year plan for the Outer Continental Shelf adopted by the 

Administration in 1997 designated a limited number of areas for leasing while barring new leasing 

off most of the coast through 2002. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 6 - Safeguarding Our Oceans and Coasts

To provide more lasting protection, the President issued a directive in 1998 extending the 

moratorium on new offshore leasing for an additional 10 years — through 2012. In addition, the 

President permanently barred new leasing in existing national marine sanctuaries. These actions 

do not affect existing leases in federal waters. 

Protecting Marine Mammals 

Many marine mammal species that suffered dramatic declines through most of the 20th century 

are now well on their way to recovery. The gray whale, which migrates each year from Alaska to 

Mexico, is no longer classified as endangered. Humpback whales in the North Atlantic and North 

Pacific are steadily recovering. And populations of the California sea lion and Atlantic and Pacific 

harbor seals are now healthy and robust. Some species appear to be more abundant today than at 

any other time in recent centuries. Administration efforts to continue rebuilding and maintaining 

healthy marine mammal populations include: 

● Leading successful negotiations for an international agreement to protect dolphins in the 

eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, and adopting regulations to ensure that only "dolphin-safe" 

tuna is sold in the United States. 

● Leading international efforts to create a 12 million-square-mile whale sanctuary off the coast 

of Antarctica which, combined with an adjacent Indian Ocean sanctuary, is home to 75 

percent of the world’s whales, and; 

● Instituting a system to protect the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale by requiring ships 

to report when they enter the whales’ habitat so they can receive advice on avoiding 

collisions. 

Strengthening Our National Marine Sanctuaries 

America’s 12 national marine sanctuaries, encompassing some 11.5 million acres of our coastal 

waters, are the ocean equivalents of our national parks. From the kelp forests and humpback 

whales of the Olympic Coast to the rich coral and threatened loggerheads of the Florida Keys, 

these underwater reserves harbor not only tremendous biological and geologic diversity, but also 

irreplaceable fragments of our history and cultural heritage. The Clinton-Gore Administration has 

won significant new resources to better manage and preserve the sanctuaries, increasing their 

annual budget more than four-fold since 1993. The President is proposing another increase, to 

$35 million, for the coming year. 

Preserving and Restoring Coral Reefs 

Coral reefs are among the most exquisite — and endangered — ecosystems on Earth. Often 

described as rainforests of the sea, coral reefs support an incredible diversity and abundance of 

undersea life. Yet worldwide, coral reefs are suffering the effects of pollution, development, 

overfishing, and rising ocean temperatures brought on by global warming. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 6 - Safeguarding Our Oceans and Coasts

In 1998, President Clinton signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies to increase 

research, protection, and restoration of coral reefs in U.S. waters. A Cabinet-level task force 

created by the Executive Order recently presented its long-term strategy for better monitoring the 

health of U.S. coral reefs; expanding research into the major causes and consequences of coral 

reef damage; and strengthening efforts to protect and restore reefs. Federal agencies have 

adopted the task force’s recommendation to designate 20 percent of U.S. coral reefs as protected 

ecological reserves. 

An Oceans Policy for the 21st Century 

In June 1998, President Clinton and Vice President Gore convened a National Ocean Conference 

in Monterey, California, to examine challenges and opportunities in protecting and restoring the 

oceans. The conference drew together for the first time the full array of interests with a stake in U.

S. oceans policy — from government to industry, and scientists to conservationists. 

At the conference, the President directed the Cabinet to develop recommendations for 

strengthening federal ocean policy for the 21st century. In a report entitled Turning to the Sea: 

American’s Ocean Future, the Cabinet recommended nearly 150 actions aimed at protecting, 

restoring, and exploring America’s ocean resources. A high-level task force was appointed to 

oversee implementation of these recommendations, which include creating new marine protection 

areas, promoting sustainable use of domestic and international fisheries, and protecting national 

security and freedom of the seas. 

"Oceans are critical, not just to our economy; 

not just to our food supply; not just to 

America's trade and security; but to the fabric 

of life itself. These dark-blue waters are 

perhaps the single greatest natural treasure on 

God's Earth."

Vice President Al Gore 

June 12, 1998

Monterey, California, June, 1998

Santa Monica, California 

Diving Deep to Save an Underwater Forest 

Just about every school kid in America has grown seedlings 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 6 - Safeguarding Our Oceans and Coasts

Photo: NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center 

as a class project. But elementary school children in Santa 

Monica, California, are trying something different: kelp. And 

local divers hope to replant the underwater flora in Santa 

Monica Bay, rebuilding a once-giant kelp forest. 

An estimated 800 marine species live and feed in the bay’s 

kelp beds. Veteran fishermen know that albacore and 

yellowtail tuna often gather beneath the sea plant’s fronds. 

But decades of pollution, coastal development, and climatic 

changes have destroyed more than 80 percent of the 

underwater forest. 

With help from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, a local watchdog group called the Santa 

Monica BayKeeper is spearheading an effort to bring the 

kelp back. Volunteer scuba divers from the local university 

plant kelp sprouts at the bay’s bottom, then monitor their growth and the marine life they attract. 

With kelp capable of growing up to two feet a day, the hope is that the forest will quickly spread. 

"Diving in the kelp beds and seeing all the life they support is incredible," said Steve Fleischli, 

executive director of BayKeepers. "But what’s really gratifying is seeing the way this community 

has pulled together, with help from NOAA, to restore this kelp forest. It’s one of the most important 

things we can do to ensure the long-term health of our coast." 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 7 - Protecting the Global Environment

Protecting the Global Environment 

"We know that more and more the environmental 

problems of the United States...or any other nation 

are not just national problems. They are global 

ones...More than any time in history, the 

environmental challenges we face go beyond 

national borders. And so must our solutions. We 

must work together to protect the environment."

President Bill Clinton 

March 22, 2000

Photo: Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica, 

May 1997 

When Americans celebrated the first Earth Day 30 

years ago, our focus was largely our own backyard — 

our polluted rivers and dirty skies. Today, we 

recognize that many environmental challenges know 

no borders, and that to meet them, we must work 

closely with other nations. 

Under the leadership of President Clinton and Vice 

President Gore, the United States has been at the 

forefront of international efforts to protect the "global 

commons" — the oceans, for instance, and the ozone 

layer. The Administration also has helped forge 

international agreements, and worked directly with 

individual nations, to reduce the use of toxic 

chemicals, preserve endangered species, and protect 

tropical forests and biodiversity around the globe. 

Finally, the President and Vice President have been 

forceful voices for stronger environmental safeguards 

in trade and lending policies, to ensure that the new 

global economy helps promote, rather than undermine, environmental protection worldwide. 

Healing the Ozone Layer 

One of the most significant threats to the global 

environment was the widespread use of chemicals 

that erode the ozone layer, which protects humans 

and other life on Earth from the sun’s harsh ultraviolet 

rays. The Montreal Protocol, perhaps the most 

successful international environmental treaty ever, 

has led to a dramatic reduction in the production and 

use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozonedepleting chemicals. Although previously released 

chemicals will remain in the atmosphere for many 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 7 - Protecting the Global Environment

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 

OCEPA 

years, scientists say recent data show that the ozone 

layer is now on its way to recovery. 

The Clinton-Gore Administration has worked 

aggressively to implement and strengthen the 

Protocol by: 

● Successfully phasing out CFCs by 1996 and 

other major ozone-depleting substances by 

1994, and approving the introduction of more 

than 300 safer alternatives. 

● Investing more than $300 million a year in 

research on atmospheric chemistry and 

stratospheric ozone depletion. 

● Leading successful negotiations to reduce Chinese production of halons and CFCs faster 

than required under the Protocol; and leading efforts to bring Russia into compliance with 

the Protocol by securing financial assistance for the closure of CFC production facilities. 

● Securing an accelerated international schedule for the phase-out of methyl bromide, a 

leading ozone depleter. 

Promoting Environmentally Responsible Trade 

A new global economy is helping to bring prosperity to other nations, and posing new challenges 

for ensuring that this new growth is environmentally sound. The President and Vice President have 

outlined a strategy to ensure that U.S. efforts to expand trade and promote development reflect a 

strong commitment to achieving environmental protection worldwide. 

Last year, the President signed an Executive Order requiring careful assessment and written 

review of the potential environmental impacts of major trade agreements so that environmental 

considerations can guide the development of U.S. positions in trade negotiations. The President 

also issued a White House Policy Declaration on Environment and Trade, outlining a set of 

principles to guide U.S. negotiators and to ensure that the work of the World Trade Organization is 

supportive of sustainable development and environmental protections at home and abroad. 

The Administration also has worked to strengthen environmental standards in international 

lending. It has instituted stronger standards at U.S. export agencies, and promoted similar efforts 

at the World Bank and other international financial institutions, including targets for clean energy 

lending. The President recently secured a commitment from other G8 partners for common 

environmental guidelines for export credit agencies by 2001. 

Targeting Toxic Threats 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 7 - Protecting the Global Environment

In the United States, strong, comprehensive measures have significantly reduced the use of toxic 

chemicals, ensured safer disposal, and guaranteed the public greater access to information on 

their use and potential health risks. The United States has led several international efforts to 

achieve similar improvements elsewhere around the world: 

Prior Informed Consent. In 1998, the U.S. joined 94 other nations in an international 

agreement ensuring developing countries greater access to information on the risks 

posed by banned and severely restricted chemicals and pesticides. 

Phasing Out Persistent Pollutants. The Administration is leading international 

negotiations to phase out 12 of the most dangerous, persistent organic pollutants — 

such as PCBs, DDT and dioxin — which threaten health and safety around the world. 

Halting Radioactive Waste Dumping. President Clinton led the world in calling for a 

global ban on ocean dumping of low-level radioactive waste. The U.S. was the first 

nuclear power to advocate the ban, which other nations agreed to in 1993. 

Stabilizing Population Growth 

At the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Vice President 

Gore helped forge a historic consensus for a global program to stabilize the world’s population. 

The international strategy calls for increased availability of family planning, the empowerment of 

women through measures such as enhanced educational opportunities, and a reduction in infant 

and child mortality. 

Ensuring the Safety of Biotechnology 

Biotechnology — the use of genetic engineering to introduce new traits into species — can 

achieve tremendous benefits through increased agricultural productivity. Without careful 

monitoring, however, it could also pose risks to the environment and biodiversity. U.S. leadership 

in negotiations earlier this year helped achieve international agreement on a Biosafety Protocol 

that will help guard against these risks without unduly disrupting world food trade. 

The Protocol establishes an international framework for addressing the potential environmental 

impact of certain bioengineered products. Information and expertise exchanged through this 

system will help governments assess the potential risks and benefits of biotechnology in a more 

predictable and consistent manner. 

Promoting Sustainable Development 

Throughout the developing world, nations are struggling to raise their standard of living and 

provide their people with a more promising future. Too often, the daily struggle for basic 

necessities involves environmentally destructive activities — such as slash-and-burn agriculture — 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 7 - Protecting the Global Environment

which, in turn, undermine natural assets that could sustain more productive economies. The 

Administration is working through several programs to help developing countries build stronger 

economies by protecting their natural endowments. 

Currently, the Administration is supporting efforts in 43 countries to improve management of 

biologically rich habitats and to address environmental challenges such as forest fires, overfishing, 

poaching, deforestation, agricultural encroachment, and mining. Guided by the principle that 

environmental protection is linked with democracy and governance, these programs promote 

transparency and citizen participation in the management of natural resources. 

Protecting Rare and Endangered Species 

Many of the world’s richest ecosystems are also the most endangered. The Administration is 

working with many governments around the world to help protect and restore threatened species 

by protecting habitat and combating illegal poaching and trade. 

Since 1993, the Administration has provided more than $12 million in grants to more than 30 

African and Asian countries for programs critical to the survival of elephants, rhinos, and tigers, 

leveraging more than $25 million in matching contributions. These efforts have helped stabilize 

populations of the African elephant by stemming illegal ivory poaching. On his recent trip to India, 

the President announced nearly $250,000 in grants to non-government organizations for urgent, 

on-the-ground projects to protect endangered tigers and elephants. The grants will help conserve 

habitat, expand research and training, and strengthen anti-poaching efforts. 

Galapagos Islands 

Preserving a World-Class Treasure 

Photo by Michele Zador 

The famed Galapagos Islands harbor some of the 

most unique wildlife anywhere on Earth, and efforts by 

the U.S. government are helping to ensure that this 

one-of-a-kind ecological treasure is well protected for 

years to come. 

Located on the equator 600 miles off the coast of 

South America, the Galapagos are home to giant 

tortoises, blue-footed boobies, and other exotic 

species that helped inspire Charles Darwin’s theory of 

evolution. But more than a century after Darwin’s 

historic voyage, new pressures from tourism, 

development, and fishing put these resources at risk. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 7 - Protecting the Global Environment

The Agency for International Development offered to help forge a new consensus on the islands’ 

future. With its local partner, the Charles Darwin Foundation, USAID sponsored a policy dialogue 

among conservationists, tourism operators, commercial fishermen, and other stakeholders. The 

result was the Galapagos Special Law, signed two years ago by Ecuadorean President Dr. Fabian 

Alarcon. 

This landmark law declares the Galapagos a "national priority," restricts commercial fishing in 

nearby waters, limits new migration to the islands, and establishes an inspection and quarantine 

system to keep non-native species out. It also steers more tourism revenue to conservation needs, 

helping to protect one of the world’s true natural wonders for future generations. 

Indonesia 

Mapping a Path to Survival 

The sound of bulldozers was an alarming wakeup call to the Kenok 

and Jorat tribes of southeastern Indonesia. Without any notice, the 

tribes’ traditional lands would soon be home to a fish processing 

factory, threatening their ability to continue the subsistence farming 

that had sustained them for so long. 

The tribes immediately began to organize, but numerous meetings 

with government officials were fruitless. So they looked elsewhere 

for help. 

With funding from the Agency for International Development (USAID), and technical assistance 

from the World Wildlife Fund, an international environmental organization, the tribes conducted 

detailed mapping of their lands, identifying indigenous resources and documenting their 

importance to their traditional way of life. 

The information helped open a new dialogue with decision-makers, and a year later, the factory 

project was shelved. 

Zadrak Wamebu, a leader of an Indonesian group working with the tribes, said the USAID-funded 

project also helped demonstrate to the tribes the importance of building coalitions. 

"Before the [project], we worked on our own and would have felt awkward about asking other 

organizations for help," he said. "After [the project], we felt confident about reaching out and asking 

for assistance from other [groups]. We knew they had the skills, that we shared goals and that we 

could work together." 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 7 - Protecting the Global Environment

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 8 - Growing Green Business

Growing Green Business 

"For my entire career, I have believed very deeply 

that a strong economy and a clean environment go 

hand in hand. These past seven years, our 

Administration has proven it: our economy is 

booming, with nearly 20 million new jobs. And our 

air and water are cleaner and healthier than they 

have been in decades."

Vice President Al Gore 

November 16, 1999

Photo: Washington, D.C., March, 2000 

One of the most important lessons of the past 

quarter-century is that environmental protection and 

economic growth go hand in hand. Indeed, efforts to 

restore and protect the environment have spawned 

tremendous new economic opportunity for Americans, 

with the promise of continued growth in the years 

ahead. 

Today the environmental industry — which includes 

companies involved in cleanup, recycling, and 

renewable energy — employs nearly 1.4 million 

Americans and generates annual revenues of more 

than $185 billion. Exports of environmental goods and 

services reached $20 billion last year and continue to 

rise. In both employment and revenue, the 

environmental sector surpasses many other wellknown industries, including aerospace, petroleum 

refining, and steel. 

The Clinton-Gore Administration has launched many successful initiatives to help grow green 

businesses in the United States and to promote the export of U.S. technology and expertise 

overseas. 

Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles 

In 1993, President Clinton and Vice President Gore, joined by the chief executives of the Big 

Three automakers, launched an innovative research partnership to develop the next generation of 

cars and light-duty trucks. 

Federal laboratories are collaborating with Daimler-Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, and with the 

goal of developing cars with up to triple the fuel efficiency of today’s midsize models — with no 

sacrifice in safety, affordability or performance. Achieving this goal will enhance America’s 

competitiveness, strengthen its energy security by reducing reliance on imported oil, and achieve 

significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 8 - Growing Green Business

In a major milestone, the three automakers recently unveiled concept cars with hybrid technologies 

that achieve the 80-mile-per-gallon goal. Last month, the automakers also announced plans to 

begin marketing higher-efficiency vehicles that incorporate PNGV technology in the next three to 

four years. 

Promoting Organic Agriculture 

In recent years, organic farming has grown from a handful of experimental garden plots to a $6 

billion-a-year industry. Today more than 12,000 American farmers, most of them small-scale 

producers, practice organic agriculture. 

To support this growing industry and strengthen consumer confidence, the Administration recently 

proposed a uniform national standard for labeling organic food. The proposal, slated for final action 

later this year, details the practices and substances that can be used to produce crops and 

livestock labeled as "organic"; prohibits the use of genetic engineering, sewage sludge, and 

irradiation in the production of organic food; and prohibits antibiotics in organic livestock 

production. 

A uniform national standard will ensure that consumers across the country can go into any store 

and have full confidence that any food product labeled "organic" meets a strict, consistent standard 

no matter where it was made. It also will make it easier for organic growers to market their 

products overseas. 

Supporting Green Technologies 

Environmental Industries include 59,000 companies 

engaged in activities including waste management, 

engineering and consulting, recycling, water utilities 

and treatment, environmental remediation, and 

renewable energy. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1999 

Environmental Business International, Inc., San 

In 1995, Vice President Gore launched a National 

Environmental Technology Strategy to strengthen 

partnerships with the environmental business 

community and to expand the federal government’s 

role in spurring innovation and growth in the industry. 

Key priorities include reducing regulatory and market 

barriers to innovation; creating better ways to verify 

the environmental performance of new technologies; 

and ensuring adequate investment capital to bring 

promising technologies to market. 

Among the initiatives launched by the Administration 

are the Interagency Environmental Technology Office, 

a one-stop-shop that connects about 400 businesses 

a year with federal programs and works with state 

environmental business councils; and a five-year, $37 

million Environmental Technology Verification 

program to help provide third-party verification of the 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 8 - Growing Green Business

performance of environmental technologies. Diego, CA. 

Building Environmental Exports 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of 

the United States, 1999 Environmental Business 

International, Inc., San Diego, CA. 

The fastest-growing market for environmental 

technology is overseas, where rising prosperity and 

population in developing countries is creating 

enormous demand for the technology and expertise 

needed to achieve and maintain cleaner air, cleaner 

water and other environmental benefits. 

U.S. exports of environmental goods and services 

have more than doubled since 1993, thanks in part to 

programs launched by the Administration, including: 

● An Environmental Directorate established at the 

Export-Import Bank in 1994 provides loans and 

loan guarantees to exporters of environmental 

technologies. Between 1995 and 1998, the 

bank provided support to an average of 50 companies a year. 

● A new Environmental Technologies Export Office at the Department of Commerce helps U.

S. businesses identify export opportunities, conducts trade promotion activities, and 

promotes policies to increase free and fair trade in the environmental sector. 

● The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps U.S. businesses tap newly emerging 

markets by funding feasibility studies, technical assistance, reverse trade missions, and 

conferences. Last year, the agency provided assistance in 65 nations around the world. 

The Greening of Small Business 

Much of the growth in the environmental industry has occurred among small- and medium-sized 

firms. Programs at the Small Business Administration that support smaller environmental firms, 

and help other small businesses improve their environmental performance, include: 

● The HUBZone program, which helps minority- and women-owned businesses compete for 

federal contracts, certifies firms that can perform environmental engineering and 

construction. 

● The Small Business Investment Company, which provides venture capital for small 

businesses, has invested more than $10 million in green businesses over the past two 

years. 

● The Small Business Development Center Program conducts workshops and seminars on 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 8 - Growing Green Business

hazardous waste management, waste reduction and recycling, and pollution prevention. 

● The Small Business Compliance Alliance Project helps small businesses comply with 

environmental regulations. 

Meeting the Recycling Challenge 

America’s recycling rate is the highest in the world. Thanks to increased recycling, the U.S. will 

generate less net waste this year than it did in 1992, and about the same as it did in 1980, when 

there were almost 50 million fewer people. The Administration’s Jobs Through Recycling program 

has helped 3,200 recycling businesses and entrepreneurs create 8,500 jobs and new recycling 

technologies. 

To achieve even greater gains, Vice President Gore launched the National Recycling Challenge in 

1998, calling on government, the business community, universities, and others to commit to 

increased recycling. The dozens of major commitments made so far include: 

● Sony Electronics committed to opening a recycling center at its Pittsburgh technology center 

to recover valuable resources from waste electronic scrap. Glass recovered from old 

televisions and computer monitors will be used in the manufacture of new cathode ray 

tubes. 

● IBM developed technologies to use recovered plastics to manufacture new products, 

including the first personal computer using 100 percent recycled resin for all major plastic 

parts in the central processing unit. 

● Ford Motor Company committed to developing new technologies to recycle a variety of 

recovered materials in the manufacture of new vehicles. The company set an annual goal of 

using more than 100 million pounds of recycled plastic, rubber, fabric, glass, wood, and 

paper in new vehicle components by 2002. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 9 - Greening the Government

Greening the Government 

As the country’s largest energy user, and its largest consumer of paper and other products, the 

United States government has a special responsibility to act in an environmentally responsible 

manner. The government not only leads by example; its enormous purchasing power helps create 

new markets for environmentally preferable products, making them more affordable for everyone. 

For President Clinton, this responsibility begins at home: the White House today is a model of 

energy efficiency and careful environmental stewardship. The President has helped spread this 

ethic throughout the government. Through a series of executive actions, he has directed all federal 

agencies to improve their environmental performance, from using recycled paper to curbing their 

use of energy and toxic chemicals. 

Apart from their enormous environmental benefits, these measures are spurring new growth and 

jobs, and saving federal taxpayers millions of dollars each year in energy and other costs. 

The Greening of the White House 

On Earth Day 1993, President Clinton launched a new initiative to dramatically improve the energy 

and environmental performance of the White House complex with steps that can be taken at any 

home. Measures implemented include: 

replacement of thousands of light bulbs with 

more efficient compact fluorescents; installation 

of hundreds of weather-tight windows; heating 

and air conditioning upgrades; an 80 percent 

reduction in pesticide use; installation of a waterconserving sprinkler system; and the composting 

of paper and trimmings from the White House 

grounds for use as fertilizer. 

A Greening of the White House status report 

issued last year found that these steps are 

saving $300,000 a year and reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 845 metric tons — the 

equivalent of taking more than 600 cars off the road. Additional improvements are underway. 

Conserving Energy and Taxpayer Dollars 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 9 - Greening the Government

As the nation’s single largest energy user, the federal government spends roughly $8 billion a year 

to power its vehicles, buildings and other facilities. Through the Federal Energy Management 

Program, the Administration has reduced energy use in federal buildings by more than 12 percent, 

cutting the government’s energy bill by almost $600 million a year. 

Last year, President Clinton issued an Executive Order to produce far greater savings. The Order 

directs agencies to reduce energy use in buildings 35 percent by 2010, and to expand their use of 

renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass. Meeting this goal will 

reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2.4 million tons — the equivalent of taking 1.7 million 

cars off the road — and save taxpayers over $750 million a year. It also will expand markets for 

renewable technologies, reduce air pollution, and serve as a powerful example to businesses and 

consumers who can reap substantial benefits from energy improvements. 

Expanding Use of Recycled Products 

The federal government purchases more than 20 billion sheets of copier paper every year. In 

1994, only 12 percent of the paper used by the federal government contained any recycled fiber. 

Through two Executive Orders, the President directed federal agencies to gradually increase their 

use of recycled-content paper. Last year, 98 percent of the copier paper purchased by federal 

agencies contained a minimum of 30 percent post-consumer fiber. This dramatic improvement is 

saving up to half a million trees a year, reducing air and water pollution, and curbing emissions that 

contribute to global warming. 

The President also directed agencies to purchase a wide range of other recycled products — such 

as insulation, carpeting, motor oil, and retread tires — and encouraged them to purchase other 

environmentally preferable products whenever possible. Federal purchases of recycled products 

grew from $240 million in 1992 to $350 million in 1997. 

Reducing Toxic Releases 

Many federal agencies use hazardous chemicals, primarily solvents, in maintaining their facilities 

and equipment. On Earth Day 1993, the President issued an Executive Order requiring agencies 

to report and to dramatically reduce their releases of toxic chemicals. Specifically, he mandated a 

50 percent reduction in toxic chemical releases in five years. The agencies, using a variety of 

pollution prevention strategies, met the goal in just two years. Some of the most dramatic 

reductions were achieved at the Department of Defense, which uses large quantities of hazardous 

chemicals to repair and maintain ships, aircraft, and other military equipment. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 9 - Greening the Government

 

 

Source: U.S. Department of Defense

San Pedro, California 

An Unlikely Haven for the Palos Verdes Blue 

Scientists declared the Palos Verdes blue butterfly extinct 

in 1982. But more than a decade later, a single PV blue 

made a surprise appearance at a military refueling station 

in San Pedro, California. Now the delicate species is on 

its way to recovery, with help from some unusual allies: 

former gang members, and the Department of Defense. 

The industrial-looking Defense Fuel Support Point may 

seem an unlikely haven for butterflies, but the 320-acre 

depot contains some of the best remaining habitat for the 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 9 - Greening the Government

Photo by Army Lt. Colonel Zia Mehr 

Palos Verdes blue. When a UCLA biologist doing 

research at the depot stumbled across the survivor, the 

university teamed up with the Defense Department and 

the Fish and Wildlife Service to help bring the species 

back. 

So far, volunteers have put in more than 5,000 hours 

restoring the butterflies’ coastal sage scrub habitat, and 

helping raise its population from 400 to 1,000. 

The effort to save the PV blue also is creating a brighter 

future for some of the volunteers — a contingent of innercity kids working with the Los Angeles Conservation 

Corps. "I’m saving them from extinction," said former gang 

member Arthur Bonner, "and they’re saving me from the street." 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 10 - Enforcing Our Nation's Environmental Laws

Enforcing Our Nation's Environmental Laws 

America’s remarkable environmental progress has been driven in large measure by the more 

than two dozen federal statutes that establish strong protections for air, water, land, and wildlife. 

But these laws are effective only if they are vigorously enforced. 

The Clinton-Gore Administration has made strict enforcement of our environmental laws one of its 

highest priorities, targeting its efforts on those polluters posing the greatest threat to public health 

and natural resources. Through the course of this Administration, the number of environmental 

crimes prosecuted — and the number of convictions won — have steadily risen. Well over $400 

million in civil penalties have been collected since 1993. 

Landmark cases have led to the largest civil penalty ever in an environmental case, the stiffest jail 

term ever in an environmental case, the largest pollution reduction ever achieved through the 

courts, and the first conviction ever for illegal importation of protected coral. In addition to 

penalties, enforcement actions have led to major cleanups and pollution reductions. They also 

serve as a powerful deterrent to would-be violators. 

Cutting Air Pollution from Power Plants 

Last year, the Administration commenced enforcement action against eight major electric utilities 

in the Midwest and South for illegally releasing massive amounts of air pollution from their coalfired power plants. The government contends the utilities violated the Clean Air Act by making 

major modifications to 32 coal-fired power plants without installing equipment required to control 

smog, soot, and acid rain. 

Earlier this year, one of the utilities agreed to a groundbreaking settlement. Tampa Electric 

Company of Florida utility agreed to pay a $3.5 million fine, install new equipment to meet stringent 

pollution limits, and invest more than $10 million in local environmental projects. The settlement 

will ensure cleaner, healthier air for the people of Florida, and significantly reduce emissions that 

contribute to global warming. 

Clamping Down on Dirty Diesels 

In the largest Clean Air Act enforcement settlement 

ever, the Administration reached a sweeping 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 10 - Enforcing Our Nation's Environmental Laws

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Environment 

and Natural Resources Division 

agreement in 1998 with seven diesel manufacturers 

accused of installing devices in their engines to 

illegally bypass emission controls. 

The companies sold an estimated 1.3 million engines 

containing "defeat devices" that allowed the engines 

to meet tailpipe standards during testing but bypass 

pollution controls during highway driving. The 

resulting pollution was equivalent to the emissions of 

65 million cars. The manufacturers agreed to pay 

$83.4 million in civil penalties and to take actions 

costing more than $850 million to reduce pollution 

from diesel engines. These actions are expected to 

prevent more than 75 million tons of smog-forming 

nitrogen oxide emissions over the next quarter 

century — more than the total emitted in the U.S. in three years. This is the largest pollution 

reduction ever achieved in the courts. 

Protecting the Ozone Layer 

Under an international treaty called the Montreal Protocol, the United States has banned the 

production or import of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other chemicals that damage the Earth’s 

protective ozone layer. This ban, however, has led to a black market in illegally imported CFCs, 

primarily for use in automotive air conditioners. The Administration’s aggressive crackdown on 

CFC smuggling has resulted in more than 99 convictions so far. All told, convicted smugglers have 

been sentenced to 51 years of jail time and ordered to pay $39 million in fines and $28 million in 

restitution. 

Cracking Down on Vessel Pollution 

Cruise ships and other vessels that illegally discharge wastes are a major source of pollution to 

ocean and inland waters. The Administration has undertaken a targeted enforcement strategy to 

reduce vessel pollution and prosecute violators. 

In a major case last year, Royal Caribbean, one of the world’s largest cruise ship lines, pled guilty 

to 21 felony counts for illegally dumping waste oil and chemicals, and for making false statements 

to the U.S. Coast Guard. The company agreed to pay an $18 million criminal fine — the second 

largest ever in a vessel pollution case — and agreed to operate for the next five years under a 

court-supervised environmental compliance plan. 

Protecting Rare and Endangered Species 

A major threat to biodiversity around the world is the illegal trade in rare and endangered species 

— both live animals and their skins, organs and other parts. Through a vigorous enforcement 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 10 - Enforcing Our Nation's Environmental Laws

strategy, including a series of undercover investigations called Operation Chameleon, the 

Administration is helping to control this $6 billion-a-year black market. 

In one case, agents broke up a ring responsible for smuggling more than 300 reptiles worth nearly 

half a million dollars, including the highly endangered plowshare tortoise and Komodo dragon, into 

the United States. Other smugglers have been prosecuted for bringing snakes and rare tortoises 

from Madagascar, turtles from Indonesia, and reptiles from the West Indies. In a case in Florida, 

the president of one the country’s largest reptile import firms was sentenced to eight months in 

prison and agreed to pay $250,000 to protect habitat in Indonesia. 

In addition, the Administration last year won the first criminal conviction ever for the smuggling of 

protected corals and seashells. 

Making Oil Pipelines Safer 

Earlier this year, the Administration won the largest civil penalty ever under federal environmental 

law in a case involving hundreds of oil spills in six states. The Administration had sued Koch 

Industries, Inc., which operates an extensive oil pipeline network in the Midwest, for illegally 

allowing 3 million gallons of crude oil and other products to leak into lakes, rivers, or streams. Most 

of the spills occurred in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, and resulted from corrosion that could have 

been prevented through proper maintenance. Koch, the second-largest privately held firm in the U.

S., agreed to pay a $30 million civil penalty to the United States and the state of Texas; improve its 

leak prevention program; and invest $5 million in environmental projects in the affected states. 

Prosecuting Illegal Drug Labs 

Last year, a long-time fugitive was sentenced to 15 years in jail for hazardous waste violations — 

the stiffest jail term ever in a federal environmental case. The conviction stemmed from an 

explosion 15 years earlier at one the country’s largest illegal cocaine processing labs. The 

defendant, who was one of the managers of the operation, fled the lab after the explosion, leaving 

behind 230 drums of highly flammable toxic materials that posed an imminent hazard to police and 

firefighters responding to the blaze. While more than a dozen people were prosecuted within 

several years of the explosion, this defendant remained at large until last year. 

Pittsfield, Massachusetts 

Freeing a Town and Its River from Toxic PCBs 

For decades, General Electric was the economic lynchpin 

of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, employing thousands at its 

sprawling industrial plant. But when the people of Pittsfield 

learned that for years the plant had leaked toxic PCBs into 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 10 - Enforcing Our Nation's Environmental Laws

the Housatonic River, they felt betrayed, and frightened. 

Now, thanks to a settlement won by the federal and state 

governments worth more than $250 million, there is hope 

that Pittsfield and the Housatonic will soon be free of their 

toxic legacy. 

Under the settlement, G.E. will remove contaminated 

sediment from a half-mile stretch of the river, where ducks 

are so tainted with PCBs hunters are warned not to eat 

them. The company also will pay to clean up areas further 

downstream, the long-shut plant, and other contaminated properties. A cleanup at Allendale 

School, which neighbors the plant, already has been completed. 

To help revitalize the local economy, G.E. also will transfer part of the decontaminated plant to the 

city for redevelopment. This "brownfields" package is worth an estimated $50 million. 

"Thanks to this settlement," said Pittsfield Mayor Gerald Doyle, "I believe we will move into the 

next century with a much safer environment and a stronger economy." 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 11 - The Challenges Ahead

The Challenges Ahead 

A new century brings with it new environmental challenges. 

As a nation, we have made remarkable progress in combating the most obvious threats — for 

instance, pollution from auto tailpipes, factory smokestacks, and sewage treatment plants. And we 

are making significant headway against subtler, more diffuse problems not as readily addressed, 

such as polluted runoff and habitat loss. In meeting these challenges, we have developed more 

sensible, more effective approaches to environmental stewardship. We have learned that 

environmental protection cannot be a goal unto itself — that it can truly be achieved only when 

fully integrated with our broader social and economic aspirations. 

Our task now is to bring these lessons to bear against new, more profound environmental 

challenges. As we venture into this new century, we must carefully weigh emerging new 

technologies to ensure that we reap their benefits without exposing ourselves and our environment 

to undue risk. We must provide our communities with better tools to maintain a healthy 

environment, a strong economy, and a high quality of life. And, increasingly, we must look beyond 

our borders and provide the leadership needed to put all nations on a cleaner, more sustainable 

path to prosperity. 

Protecting Global Biodiversity 

Worldwide, species are disappear at an alarming rate. By some estimates, half of all species could 

be gone by the end of this century. The leading threat to biodiversity is the destruction of tropical 

forests, which support half the known species on earth. These forests play an important role in 

maintaining a stable climate, and are a vital source of medicines and new materials. Only half the 

tropical forests that stood in 1800 survive today, and another 50 acres disappear every minute. 

Leading causes of deforestation include illegal logging, subsidies that promote overlogging, and 

deliberate burning to clear land for agriculture. President Clinton has proposed a new Greening the 

Globe initiative to help stem the loss of tropical forests worldwide. The $150 million initiative would 

nearly double funding to provide training and technical assistance to developing countries; support 

debt-for-nature swaps that preserve rain forests while relieving poor nations of crippling debt; and 

protect endangered tropical species. Through these efforts, the United States can help developing 

nations strengthen their economies by preserving, rather than destroying, their irreplaceable 

forests. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 11 - The Challenges Ahead

Building a Clean Energy Future 

As the new global economy brings rising prosperity, the worldwide demand for energy will soar. 

Much of this rising demand will occur in developing countries seeking a higher quality of life for 

their growing populations. By 2020, energy use in developing countries is expected to overtake 

that of industrial countries. By 2050, developing countries will invest a projected $15 trillion and 

$25 trillion in new energy systems. 

Our challenge is to ensure that these countries choose clean energy, leapfrogging past the 

polluting technologies that powered the growth of the industrialized world. Advanced, low-polluting 

technologies available today can help developing countries grow their economies while reducing 

harmful air pollution and avoiding dramatic increases in greenhouse gas emissions. American 

businesses can help provide these technologies, building jobs and exports for the United States. 

President Clinton is proposing a $200 million International Clean Energy Initiative to promote U.S. 

exports and accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies around the world. 

Conserving Private Lands and Local Green Spaces 

Even as America has made great strides in protecting wilderness areas and other natural 

treasures, the loss of farmland and other open space close to home has continued at an 

accelerating rate. A recent report by the Department of Agriculture found that the conversion of 

farmland and other open space to development more than doubled in the mid-1990s. The report 

found that the loss of farmland is no longer centered predominantly around major metropolitan 

areas, but is affecting growing numbers of small- and mid-sized cities in virtually every part of the 

country. 

Our challenge is to provide landowners and communities with new tools to conserve private lands 

and public green spaces. The Administration is proposing several initiatives: a $1.3 billion Farm 

Conservation Initiative to significantly expand conservation partnerships with farmers, ranchers 

and other landowners; Better America Bonds, which would provide $10.75 billion in bonding 

authority over five years for state and local efforts to preserve green space, protect water quality, 

and clean up brownfields; and Lands Legacy, which would provide permanent funding of $1.4 

billion a year to protect lands, with at least half dedicated to state and local conservation efforts. 

Strengthening the Clean Water Act 

Despite tremendous progress in cleaning up our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters, nearly 40 

percent of America’s surveyed waterways are still too polluted for fishing and swimming. Hundreds 

of times each year, health authorities issue warnings against the consumption of contaminated fish 

or shut beaches because of contaminated waters. Excess runoff of pollutants like nitrogen and 

phosphorous contributes to algal blooms, outbreaks of harmful organisms like Pfiesteria and a 

6,000-square-mile "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 11 - The Challenges Ahead

The Administration’s Clean Water Action Plan is helping to address these challenges by providing 

new tools and resources to states and communities to reduce polluted runoff from farms and city 

streets. But ultimately, to fulfill the promise of the Clean Water Act — clean, healthy waters for all 

Americans — the Act itself must be strengthened. President Clinton has defended the Act against 

repeated attempts in Congress to weaken it. The Administration remains committed to the goal of 

a strengthened Clean Water Act that provides the tools and authorities needed to fully meet our 

remaining clean water challenges. 

Carefully Assessing New Technologies 

The 21st century promises an extraordinary array of new technologies barely imagined even a 

generation ago. Each holds enormous potential — for the environment, and for society at large. 

New information technologies will allow real-time monitoring of environmental conditions, remote 

sensing, and rapid response to spills or other threats. Nanotechnology will allow the creation of 

microscopic machines and computers that could revolutionize our use of resources. And genetic 

engineering will allow the creation of new organisms that can reduce our reliance on pesticides 

and polluting fossil fuels. 

One of the most profound lessons of the 20th century is the importance of assessing the full 

potential of a technology — both benefits and pitfalls — before unleashing it. Enormous resources 

have been expended over the past quarter century overcoming the legacy of past technological 

excesses. As we develop and explore a new generation of powerful technologies, it is imperative 

that we apply the lessons of the recent past, and carefully assess their potential impacts on our 

environment. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 12 - Ten Communities: Profiles in Environmental Progress

Ten Communities: Profiles in Environmental Progress 

Across America, countless communities have environmental success stories to tell. Some have 

cleaned their skies of soot and smog, or turned contaminated industrial sites into thriving economic 

centers. Others have rallied to save precious open space, or revive rivers long forsaken. Here are 

the stories of 10 communities around the country working to better the environment: 

Los Angeles, California 

The 1990s have been good to the environment of Los Angeles. 

For one thing, the city’s smoggy skies are -clearing. Over the last 

decade, severe emergency smog alerts have been totally eliminated. 

And in 1999, peak ozone concentrations dropped low enough that L.

A. was able to relinquish its title as the smog capital of America. 

In a move to protect water quality and curb stormwater runoff — 

which carries huge loads of toxins and bacteria into coastal waters — 

the city worked with the Clinton-Gore Administration regional water 

authorities to set new design standards for the construction and 

renovation of buildings. The new standards aim to capture as much 

as 80 percent of storm precipitation and significantly reduce the flow of polluted runoff into coastal 

waters. 

Until recently, the groundwater of the San Fernando Valley — an important source of drinking 

water for the L.A. metropolitan area — was infected by industrial pollutants. A clean-up is now 

underway. Treatment of two groundwater basins was completed in 1999, and similar initiatives 

have begun in the nearby San Gabriel Valley. 

Los Angeles is also making major progress in cleaning up and reclaiming a host of Superfund and 

brownfield sites. In 1998, the Administration designated Los Angeles as only one of 16 Brownfields 

Showcase Communities nationwide. Brownfields reclamation projects are now underway 

throughout the region. And confidence is growing that the old industrial core of the city will once 

again serve as productive land. 

Denver, Colorado 

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Nothing better testifies to Denver’s remarkable environmental progress 

than the restoration of the Clear Creek and South Platte River watersheds. 

The 400-square-mile Clear Creek watershed extends from the Continental 

Divide in the Rocky Mountains east to Denver. Today, it is popular for 

kayaking, rafting, fishing and wildlife watching. The creek also serves as a drinking water source 

for more than a quarter million people in greater Denver. 

It wasn’t always so. In the 1980s, the creek was a liquid garbage bin. Years of intensive hard-rock 

mining had left the watershed littered with mine wastes, acid water, and contaminants such as zinc 

and cadmium. The impact on fish and other aquatic life was severe, the impact on drinking water 

disastrous. 

Under priorities set by the Clinton-Gore administration, Superfund dollars were provided to 

intensify cleanup activities. Community-based efforts shifted into high gear. A major milestone was 

reached in 1998 with the construction of a water treatment plant that prevents 1,500 pounds of 

heavy metals from entering the creek each day. The drinking water from Clear Creek is now clean 

and safe. And aquatic life is on the rebound. 

The story at South Platte River, which runs through Denver from headwaters high in the Rockies, 

is similar. Once regularly described as a "dumping ground," the South Platte is today a treasure. A 

broad coalition of public and private groups succeeded in restoring more than two miles of the 

river’s channel, improving the river’s flow as well as its wildlife habitats, and creating 14 acres of 

new park land along the river’s banks. 

Denver also has achieved impressive improvements in air quality. In 1976, Denver violated EPA’s 

health-based carbon monoxide standard 367 times. In 1996 and every year since, the number of 

violations has been zero. 

Tampa Bay, Florida 

During the 1960s and ’70s, Tampa Bay confronted a devastating decline in 

water quality. Wastewater and industrial plants were discharging large 

amounts of harmful pollutants and nitrogen into the Bay. Bottom sediment 

was a lifeless muck, and organisms essential to a healthy ecosystem were 

dying. 

Today, thousands of acres of sea grass on the Bay floor, vital to its overall 

health, have been recovered. Fifteen hundred acres of marsh and mangrove 

habitats have been restored, including 250 acres of tidal marshes that are critically important for 

fish. And a new tracking system, made possible by grants from the Clinton-Gore Administration 

and contributions from private industry, is working to substantially reduce risks from oil or 

hazardous chemical spills from ship groundings and collisions. In short, the Bay is on its way back. 

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Tampa’s air also is improving. Harmful levels of lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon 

monoxide have been significantly reduced. Recently, the Administration reached an 

unprecedented enforcement agreement with Tampa Electric Company that will result in as much 

as a billion dollars in air-quality improvements. 

As the result of the Administration’s Brownfields initiative and expanding partnerships with local 

and state agencies, the Clearwater area, once a thriving Tampa-vicinity business sector, is on its 

way to renewal. The area had suffered from business disinvestment and environmental decline. 

Recently, a computer software company relocated to the area, bringing with it hundreds of new 

jobs. And, on a site once contaminated by petroleum and chemicals, the foundation for a new 

urban business campus is rising. 

Tampa Bay and Clearwater are fast becoming cleaner, healthier, and more inviting to companies 

that can help energize their economies. 

Boston, Massachusetts 

In 1988, Boston Harbor was justifiably called "the dirtiest harbor in America." 

Millions of gallons of raw sewage poured into it daily. Wildlife had largely 

vanished. Beaches often were closed to swimming. 

Today, Boston Harbor has been restored to a clean, vital part of the city. A 

new state-of-the-art treatment plant on Deer Island is reducing sewage and toxic pollution into the 

harbor. Pollutants found in fish have dropped as much as 90 percent. Seals and porpoises can be 

seen from downtown wharfs. Beaches have reopened. Most importantly, the city has re-embraced 

the Harbor — with concerts on the waterfront, harbor swims, sightseeing cruises and increased 

property values along the coast. 

Even more dramatic progress is evident in the Charles River. One of the most heavily used urban 

rivers in the world, the Charles was so polluted in the 1980s that contact with the water was often 

cause for a trip to the emergency room for infectious disease treatment. 

In 1995, the Clinton-Gore Administration set the ambitious goal of restoring the river so it would be 

safe for swimming and fishing by Earth Day 2005. The strategy focused on creating a broad 

coalition of state and local governments, non-profit organizations, businesses, and educational 

institutions. All projections are that the 2005 Earth Day goal will be met. 

In Roxbury and other disadvantaged neighborhoods like Dorchester and East Boston, the 

Administration is taking steps to protect children from environmental threats. The Lead-Safe Yards 

project, for instance, tests soil for lead contamination. Programs that educate the public and 

enable citizens to play a role in environmental policy have helped neighborhoods find solutions to 

problems like lead poisoning and asthma epidemics. Boston’s environment today is improved and 

heading in the right direction. 

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New Jersey 

Coastal Communities 

New Jersey’s coastal waters are a valuable resource—not just for fun but for the 

thousands of jobs they sustain in thriving tourism and fishing industries. Last year, 

tourists spent an estimated $3.7 billion in New Jersey’s coastal communities. 

However, these coastal waters are fragile, as New Jersey communities have learned 

the hard way. During the summer of 1988, there were 855 ocean and bay beach 

closings in New Jersey due to floating debris and unhealthy levels of bacteria. Since 

that time, the Clinton-Gore Administration, working in concert with the state of New 

Jersey, has taken aggressive action. The resulting improvements have been 

enormous — and enormously beneficial to New Jersey’s economy. 

New Jersey’s coastal communities have launched numerous local initiatives to improve 

wastewater treatment plants and to address the problem of overflows from sewers. New Jersey 

was the site for Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Streets/Clean Beaches Campaign, 

which called public attention to the link between litter on the streets and debris on beaches. 

EPA continues to monitor the New Jersey coastline during the summer months, gathering water 

quality information and surveying the waters for debris and red tides. This monitoring information 

enables the state to provide real-time public health information about the state’s beaches and to 

take appropriate action to clean up beach waters when needed. 

With these programs, New Jersey beaches have come a long way. In 1998, there were no beach 

closings along the Jersey shore due to floating debris. 

Tulsa, Oklahoma 

After facing major air pollution challenges, Tulsa has emerged as 

a national leader in the battle for clean air. In 1995, Tulsa became 

the first city to sign Flexible Attainment Region agreement with the 

federal government. Under that agreement, Tulsa committed to 

voluntary, up-front air-pollution reductions and to additional control 

measures beyond those strictly required. Since the signing, Tulsaarea emissions have never exceeded the existing smog standard. 

In December 1999, the Clinton-Gore Administration awarded Tulsa a $500,000 Environment 

Monitoring grant to fund the city’s air and water quality information system. This system will serve 

the public’s right to know by providing important, timely environmental information to the citizens of 

the Tulsa metropolitan area. 

Tulsa’s Brownfields program has enjoyed stunning success in revitalizing the Oklahoma Steel 

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Castings and Flint Steel site. This once-blighted site will, upon restoration, serve as home to a new 

industrial park. Success is the direct result of collaboration — a strong working partnership among 

the industrial authority, the site’s current owner, and the Tulsa community. 

Tulsa has also taken control of one of the greatest sources of water pollution — storm water 

runoff. Tulsa is proud to be among the first cities in the Southwest to receive a municipal storm 

water permit that will ensure greater control of water pollution and cleaner water for all citizens. 

Cleveland, Ohio 

Like other communities in the Midwest "rust belt," Cleveland is undergoing 

dramatic demographic and economic changes. These challenges have also 

proven a major opportunity to improve its environment. 

Perhaps the best known example is the revival of the Cuyahoga River, which 

flows through the heart of Cleveland and into Lake Erie. In June 1969, the 

Cuyahoga caught fire when a stray spark ignited oil and debris that had accumulated on its 

surface. The blaze was a pivotal event leading to the rise of the environmental movement and 

passage of the Clean Water Act. Since 1972, millions have been invested to upgrade and expand 

sewage treatment facilities, and hundreds of permits limiting pollution to the river have been 

issued. These measures have resulted in a dramatic decrease in the levels of pollutants found in 

the Cuyahoga. 

The city also has worked to revitalize the heart of Cleveland’s downtown. In the early 1970s, 

downtown Cleveland was a virtual ghost town at night. The area next to the riverfront at Lake Erie, 

known as the "Flats," was a dilapidated warehouse district. Today, this area is one of the top 

tourist draws in Ohio, attracting seven million visitors each year. The harbor is no longer choked 

with debris and waste. Instead, it is bustling with pleasure boats docked alongside restaurants and 

shops. In addition, the shore of Lake Erie now boasts a magnificent new science museum and the 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Providence, Rhode Island 

Rhode Island is a state defined and dominated by water. The Narragansett Bay forms the 

backbone and center of the state. Thus, for the city of Providence, one of the greatest and 

most promising environmental successes is the rebirth of the Bay and other local waters. 

One measure of the progress made in cleaning waterways and reconnecting Providence to the 

beauty of its heritage is the condition of the Providence River. In the 1970s, this river flowing 

through downtown Providence was riddled with pollution. The process of cleaning up the river 

spurred a new focus on redevelopment. Today, the open riverfront is the city’s prime attraction, 

drawing visitors from around the state and throughout New England. 

Working together, the Clinton-Gore Administration and its public and private partners have made 

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dramatic progress on other environmental challenges confronting the city. But lead poisoning 

remains a major concern. A city-wide task force on lead poisoning prevention is now tackling this 

problem. The Administration has helped Providence garner the resources necessary to perform 

lead abatement at day-care centers throughout Rhode Island. In addition, the Administration has 

provided a $4 million grant to perform lead remediation in low-income housing. 

Work is also moving forward to address dioxin contamination in the Woonasquatucket River, 

upstream in the city of North Providence. Quick action by EPA after the dioxin’s discovery last year 

resulted in immediate isolation of the most contaminated sediments. The contaminated area was 

promptly declared a federal Superfund site, and cleanup has begun. 

Chattanooga, Tennessee 

From the 1930s to the 1960s, Chattanooga was a thriving 

industrial city, fueled by foundries, tanneries, brick kilns, and 

textile mills. The city was known as the "Dynamo of Dixie." 

This prosperity, however, came with a price: smokestack 

emissions turned the atmosphere a hazy orange, often forcing people to drive with their headlights 

on even on "sunny" days. By the late 1970s, as Chattanooga’s industrial base collapsed, remnants 

of slag heaps and abandoned coke furnaces could be found along the banks of the Tennessee 

River. 

Chattanooga today has turned things around. Air quality has shown dramatic improvement. Old, 

abandoned toxic-waste sites are also being cleaned up and returned to productive use. 

In the early 1990s, residents of a low-income area in south Chattanooga petitioned the 

Administration to evaluate numerous abandoned hazardous-waste areas in their neighborhood. 

The Administration funded a health study, provided several environmental assistance grants, and 

aided in the creation of a Superfund Jobs Training program. Today, the site is on its way to full 

restoration 

In 1999, the Administration awarded Chattanooga a $200,000 Brownfields grant to help revitalize 

the 2.7-square-mile Alton Park area, a former manufacturing hub. Now, as the clean-up nears 

completion, there is new hope for economic revival. The city is working with community groups and 

state agencies to again make the area a source of local pride and economic opportunity. 

Salt Lake City, Utah 

The Clinton-Gore Administration’s Brownfields initiative — which helps return 

idle, contaminated lands to productive use—is helping make life in and 

around Salt Lake City cleaner, safer, and more pleasant. 

A prime example: The rescue of the 650-acre Gateway District from the 

ravages of time and contamination. The District, a former industrial center 

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bordering the central business district, had become little more than a 

graveyard for industrial sites. Salt Lake City created a powerful coalition that 

tackled the challenge of cleaning up, redeveloping, and revitalizing the area. 

Other parts of Utah also are experiencing remarkable successes in cleaning up the environment. 

In 1998, clean-up work began on the largest open-pit mine in the United States. This project in 

Copperton, Utah, has already led to the removal of more than 25 million tons of mining wastes. 

The restoration of the Jordan River corridor along the Wasatch Front is now nearing completion. 

Activities included stream and wetland restoration, cleanups along the river corridor, drinking water 

and groundwater protection activities, and trail construction. Today, the Jordan River stands as a 

model for urban river restoration. 

At the center of Utah’s preservation and restoration activities is Envision Utah — a public/private 

partnership aiming to create a "preferred-growth" scenario that protects Utah’s environment, 

economy, and quality of life for future generations. The partnership is generating important data on 

demographic, economic, and environmental conditions along the Wasatch Front. To date, 70 

public meetings have been held and over 17,000 families have responded to region-wide surveys. 

This engagement of Utah’s citizens was a critical factor in passage of the state’s Quality Growth 

Act of 1999. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 13 - Environmental Actions by President Clinton and Vice President Gore

Environmental Actions by President Clinton and Vice President 

Gore 

1993 

● January 20, 1993: President Clinton and Vice President Gore eliminated the Council on 

Competitiveness, which was established by the Bush-Quayle Administration and had been 

frequently used to circumvent environmental laws. 

● March 30, 1993: President Clinton and Vice President Gore held the Forest Conference in 

Oregon, a critical first step toward developing a comprehensive and balanced long-term 

policy to preserve and protect old-growth forests while balancing the needs of the workers, 

businesses, and communities dependent on timber sales. 

● 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). 

● June 29, 1993: President Clinton signed an executive order establishing the President’s 

Council on Sustainable Development (Executive Order 12852). 

● July 1, 1993: President Clinton signed the Forest Resources Conservation and Shortage 

Relief Amendments Act (H.R. 2343). 

● August 3, 1993: President Clinton issued an executive order requiring federal agencies to 

reduce pollution as much as possible and to report to the community any toxic chemicals 

that are released into the environment (Executive Order 12856). 

● August 4, 1993: President Clinton signed legislation establishing the Snake River Birds of 

Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho (H.R. 236). 

● August 13, 1993: President Clinton signed the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993, which 

designated a total of 612,000 acres as components of the National Wilderness Preservation 

System (H.R. 631). 

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● August 24, 1993: The Clinton-Gore Administration unveiled a wetlands protection initiative 

which included more than 40 changes to current wetlands policy, including establishing a 

more effective process so that landowners and farmers can seek review of permit decisions 

without having to go to court. 

● October 20, 1993: President Clinton signed an executive order requiring federal agencies 

to use recycled paper and other recycled products (Executive Order 12873). 

1994 

● February 11, 1994: President Clinton issued an executive order to address environmental 

justice and ensure that low-income citizens and minorities do not suffer a disproportionate 

burden of industrial pollution (Executive Order 12898). 

● March 8, 1994: President Clinton issued an executive order directing federal agencies to 

improve energy efficiency and water conservation at their facilities (Executive Order 12902). 

● March 11, 1994: The White House announced the Greening of the White House initiative, a 

comprehensive energy and environmental upgrade that includes actions for landscaping, 

waste reduction, recycling, and water and energy efficiency. 

● April 11, 1994: President Clinton signed the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 

Improvement Act of 1994 (S. 476). 

● April 29, 1994: President Clinton issued a memorandum directing agencies to use 

environmentally beneficial landscaping practices, such as using regionally native plants for 

landscaping, reducing use of pesticides and fertilizer, promoting construction practices that 

minimize adverse effects on natural habitats, and implementing water-efficient practices 

such as irrigation. 

● May 13, 1994: President Clinton issued executive orders directing that the North American 

Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and the Agreement Between the Government of 

the United States of America and the Government of the United Mexican States Concerning 

the Establishment of a Border Environment Cooperation Commission be implemented in a 

manner consistent with U.S. environmental policy (Executive Order 12915, Executive Order 

12916). 

● August 11, 1994: President Clinton signed the Winter Run Chinook Salmon Captive 

Broodstock Act (H.R. 2457). 

● August 26, 1994: President Clinton signed the Farmington Wild and Scenic River Act (H.R. 

2815), designating a portion of the Farmington River in Connecticut as a part of the National 

Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

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● August 26, 1994: President Clinton signed the George Washington National Forest Mount 

Pleasant Scenic Area Act (H.R. 2942). 

● October 19, 1994: President Clinton signed the North American Wetlands Conservation Act 

Amendments of 1994 (H.R. 4308). 

● October 22, 1994: President Clinton signed the Water Bank Extension Act (H.R. 5053), 

which expands eligibility for the wetlands reserve program to lands covered by expiring 

agreements under the Water Bank Act. 

● October 22, 1994: President Clinton signed the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 

1994 (H.R. 4924). 

● October 31, 1994: President Clinton signed the California Desert Protection Act (S. 21), 

which designated approximately 7.7 million acres of Federal lands as wilderness. The Act 

added approximately 3 million acres to the National Park System, including magnificent 

lands adjacent to the Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Monuments. It also 

established the Mojave National Preserve as a new unit of the National Park System. 

1995 

● April 18, 1995: Vice President Gore unveiled a National Environmental Technology 

Strategy with three major goals: create high-wage jobs and exports and stimulate overall 

economic growth; reduce the cost of cleaning up past pollution; and help prevent future 

damage to the environment. 

● June 7, 1995: President Clinton issued an executive order to improve the quality, function, 

sustainable productivity, and distribution of U.S. aquatic resources for increased recreational 

fishing opportunities (Executive Order 12962). 

● July 31, 1995: President Clinton announced that the Clinton-Gore Administration had 

reached agreement with oil companies to protect sensitive coastal areas off Florida and 

Alaska from oil drilling. 

● August 8, 1995: President Clinton issued an executive order requiring those who would do 

business with the federal government to continue to report on over 650 toxic chemicals that 

are emitted (Executive Order 12969). 

● November 10, 1995: President Clinton signed the Fisheries Act of 1995 (H.R. 716), which 

implements international agreements designed to protect important fish stocks in high seas 

areas of the world’s oceans and off of America’s coasts. 

1996 

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● March 25, 1996: President Clinton signed an executive order requiring paper mills to use 

some recycled materials in producing new paper (Executive Order 12995). 

● March 25, 1996: President Clinton issued an executive order to protect and preserve the 

National Wildlife Refuge System for future generations while ensuring continued public 

access and recreational opportunities (Executive Order 12996). 

● April 6, 1996: President Clinton signed the most environmentally beneficial Farm Bill in 

history. The bill provided over $2 billion in increased spending for conservation programs, 

including $200 million to purchase environmentally sensitive lands in the Everglades. 

● May 15, 1996: President Clinton signed the Trinity River Basin Fish and Wildlife 

Management Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2243). 

● May 24, 1996: President Clinton signed legislation reauthorizing the Water Resources 

Research Act (H.R. 1743). 

● May 24, 1996: President signed legislation authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to 

acquire property in the town of East Hampton, New York, for inclusion in the Amagansett 

National Wildlife Refuge (H.R. 1836). 

● August 2, 1996: President Clinton transmitted to the Senate the Canada-United States 

Protocol for the Protection of Migratory Birds. 

● August 3, 1996: President Clinton signed the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, 

establishing strong new standards for pesticide residues in food, and requiring for the first 

time that the standards take into account special risks to children (H.R. 1627). 

● August 6, 1996: President Clinton signed the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 

1996, requiring stronger standards for many pollutants and establishing a revolving loan 

fund to help communities upgrade water treatment systems. (S. 1316). 

● August 7, 1996: President Clinton ratified a landmark fisheries conservation agreement: the 

Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the 

Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 Relating to the Conservation and Management of 

Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. 

● August 12, 1996: President Clinton signed the Yellowstone Protection Agreement to protect 

the park from mining. 

● August 28, 1996: President Clinton announced new initiatives to accelerate cleanup of 

brownfields and Superfund sites, strengthen environmental enforcement, and expand 

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community right-to-know. 

● September 18, 1996: President Clinton issued a proclamation establishing the Grand 

Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 

● October 1, 1996: President Clinton signed legislation authorizing the Secretary of the 

Interior to acquire the Waihee Marsh for inclusion in the Oahu National Wildlife Refuge 

Complex, Hawaii (H.R. 1772). 

● October 2, 1996: President Clinton signed the Antarctic Science, Tourism, and 

Conservation Act of 1996 (H.R. 3060), which implemented the Protocol on Environmental 

Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. 

● October 9, 1996: President Clinton signed legislation increasing funding for the Department 

of the Interior for the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana (H.R. 2660). 

● October 11, 1996: President Clinton signed the Sustainable Fisheries Act (S. 39), the 

Water Desalination Act of 1996 (S. 811), and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (H.R. 

543). 

● October 12, 1996: President Clinton signed the Water Resources Development Act, which 

authorized development of a long-term plan to restore the Florida Everglades (S. 640). 

● October 12, 1996: President Clinton signed the Accountable Pipeline Safety and 

Partnership Act of 1996 (S. 1505), which will reduce risk to public safety and the 

environment associated with pipeline transportation of natural gas and hazardous liquids. 

● October 19, 1996: President Clinton signed the Marine Mineral Resources Research Act 

(S. 1194). 

● October 26, 1996: President Clinton signed the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 (H.R. 

4283), which will help to control the unintentional introduction and spread of invasive 

species, such as zebra mussel, throughout the waters of our Nation. Such species can 

cause significant damage to the environment, the economy, and fisheries. 

● October 31, 1996: President Clinton signed an executive order dissolving the Midway 

Islands Naval Defensive Sea Area and the Midway Islands Naval Airspace Reservation and 

transferring jurisdiction to the Secretary of the Interior, who will oversee the Midway Islands 

as the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (Executive Order 13022). 

● November 11, 1996: President Clinton signed the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands 

Management Act of 1996, establishing five new national parks, authorizing 10 national 

heritage areas, and expanding and protecting dozens of national parks, trails, and wild and 

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scenic rivers (H.R. 4236). 

1997 

● January 25, 1997: President Clinton issued a memorandum directing the Agriculture 

Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretary, and EPA Administrator to work with 

consumers, producers, industry, States, universities, and the public to identify ways to 

improve food safety. 

● April 18, 1997: The United States ratified the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the 

Antarctic Treaty of 1991which sets forth a comprehensive, legally binding system of 

environmental protection that applies to all activities in Antarctica. It reaffirms the status of 

Antarctica as an area reserved for peaceful purposes, including scientific research. 

● April 21, 1997: Vice President Gore announced that President Clinton had signed an 

executive order setting new standards to reduce environmental health risks and safety risks 

to children (Executive Order 13045). 

● May 2, 1997: President Clinton announced a Balanced Budget Agreement that included 

$700 million for priority Federal land acquisitions, including $250 million to protect the 

ancient redwoods of the Headwaters Forest in California and $65 million to acquire the New 

World Mine outside of Yellowstone. 

● May 13, 1997: Vice President announced the creation of the Brownfields National 

Partnership, a two-year effort including more than 100 commitments from more than 25 

organizations to further spur cleanup and redevelopment at some 5,000 brownfields sites 

around the nation. 

● July 16, 1997: The President approved stronger, more protective air quality standards to 

further control pollution from ozone and particulate matter (smog and soot) and issued a 

memo to the EPA regarding implementation of those standards. 

● July 26, 1997: President Clinton issued an executive order to protect natural, recreational, 

and ecological resources in the Lake Tahoe Region (Executive Order 13057). 

● August 15, 1997: President Clinton signed the International Dolphin Conservation Program 

Act, commonly known as the Dolphin Safe Tuna bill (H.R. 408). 

● September 11, 1997: President Clinton signed an executive order launching the American 

Heritage River initiative (Executive Order 13061). 

● October 9, 1997: President Clinton signed the National Wildlife Refuge System 

Improvement Act of 1997 (H.R. 1420). 

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● October 18, 1997: Vice President Gore directed federal departments and agencies to 

develop an action plan to clean up America’s waterways. 

● October 20, 1997: The Vice President announced that the Clinton-Gore Administration and 

the state of Maryland have joined together in a new initiative to help protect the Chesapeake 

Bay and its tributaries. 

● October 29, 1997: The Vice President announced a U.S.-China initiative that will move the 

countries toward greater cooperation in energy and environmental science, building on the 

Administration’s efforts to engage China in joint initiatives that promote sustainable 

development and help lay the groundwork for reaching common ground in addressing 

climate change. 

● November 19, 1997: President Clinton signed the Asian Elephant Conservation Act (H.R. 

1787). 

● December 12, 1997: The United States signed the Kyoto Protocol. The Protocol must be 

ratified before it can take effect. 

● December 12, 1997: President Clinton signed the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act 

Amendments of 1997 (H.R. 1658). 

1998 

● January 8, 1998: Vice President Gore announced new "Energy Star" partnerships with 

leading manufacturers to promote energy-saving TVs and VCRs with the potential to save 

Americans hundreds of millions of dollars in electricity bills and significantly curb 

greenhouse gas pollution. 

● February 2, 1998: President Clinton announced plans to expand or protect 100 natural and 

historical sites, including the final links in the Appalachian Trail, critical winter range for 

Yellowstone’s elk and bison herds, and initial funding for the removal of two dams blocking 

salmon migration on the Elwha River near Olympic National Park. 

● February 12, 1998: Vice President Gore announced that with leadership from the ClintonGore Administration, major auto manufacturers voluntarily agreed to produce a cleaner car 

that emits 70 percent less pollution than today’s models. 

● April 8, 1998: President Clinton issued an executive order creating the American Heritage 

Initiative Advisory Committee, to review nominations for selection of American Heritage 

Rivers (Executive Order 13080). 

● May 4, 1998: President Clinton launched the Partnership for Advancing Technology in 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 13 - Environmental Actions by President Clinton and Vice President Gore

Housing, a partnership with America’s building industry to dramatically improve the energy 

efficiency of our homes — cutting consumers’ energy bills by 30-50 percent, while reducing 

the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. 

● June 11, 1998: To strengthen protection of natural coral reefs, President Clinton signed an 

executive order directing federal agencies to expand research, preservation and restoration 

activities (Executive Order 13089). 

● June 12, 1998: To protect our oceans and coasts from the environmental risks of offshore 

oil and gas drilling, the President issued a directive extending the moratorium on offshore 

leasing for an additional ten years, and permanently barring new leasing in national marine 

sanctuaries. 

● July 25, 1998: President Clinton issued a directive with four new steps to decrease energy 

use in Federal buildings and facilities, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and 

saving taxpayer dollars. 

● July 30, 1998: President Clinton and Vice President Gore designated 14 American Heritage 

Rivers. Communities along these rivers will receive help over the next five years tapping 

federal resources to carry out their plans for revitalizing their rivers and riverfronts. 

● August 5, 1998: President Clinton signed the African Elephant Conservation 

Reauthorization Act (H.R. 39). 

● August 11, 1998: President Clinton expanded the public’s right to know with the 

announcement of a new rule requiring water utilities to provide regular reports to their 

customers on whether their drinking water meets federal health standards — and if not, why 

not. 

● August 25, 1998: President Clinton issued an executive order creating the President’s 

Council on Food Safety, which is charged with developing a comprehensive and 

coordinated strategic plan for Federal food safety activities (Executive Order 13100). 

● September 14, 1998: President Clinton issued an executive order expanding recycling by 

Federal agencies (Executive Order 13101). 

● October 5, 1998: President Clinton signed the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer 

and Community Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998 (H.R. 1856). 

● October 20, 1998: President Clinton signed the Gallatin Land Consolidation Act of 1998 (H.

R. 3381). The legislation, part of the Clinton-Gore Administration’s goal of restoring and 

protecting the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, directed the transfer of certain lands and 

other assets in Montana to the Big Sky Lumber Company in exchange for a significantly 

larger amount of land to be included in the Gallatin and Deer Lodge National Forests. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 13 - Environmental Actions by President Clinton and Vice President Gore

● October 27, 1998: President Clinton signed the Border Smog Reduction Act, which 

prohibited entry into the U.S. of certain foreign vehicles which do not comply with state laws 

governing emissions (H.R. 8). 

● October 30, 1998: President Clinton signed the Fish and Wildlife Revenue Enhancement 

Act (S. 2094). 

● October 30, 1998: President Clinton signed H.R. 2807, an omnibus measure enhancing 

fish and wildlife protection, including reauthorization of the Rhinoceros and Tiger 

Conservation Act. 

● October 31, 1998: President Clinton signed the Utah Schools and Land Exchange Act of 

1998 — an exchange of land, mineral rights, commercial properties, and natural treasures 

between the United States and the State of Utah. This was the largest such land exchange 

in the history of the lower 48 States (H.R. 3830). 

● November 13, 1998: President Clinton signed the National Parks Omnibus Management 

Act of 1998, which improved the management of various park programs and increased 

funds to parks through concession contracts and the National Park Passport Program (S. 

1693). 

1999 

● February 3, 1999: President Clinton issued an executive order to prevent the introduction of 

invasive species into our environment, and to limit the economic, ecological, and human 

health impacts those species might have (Executive Order 13112). 

● March 2, 1999: President Clinton announced completion of negotiations to protect the 

Headwaters Forest in California — the world’s largest unprotected stand of old-growth 

redwoods. 

● March 9, 1999: Vice President Gore announced a comprehensive federal strategy to help 

clean up rivers, lakes and coastal waters by reducing polluted runoff from large livestock 

operations. 

● April 9, 1999: President Clinton signed the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild and 

Scenic River Act, which designated portions of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers 

in Massachusetts as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (H.R. 193). 

● April 22, 1999: Vice President Gore announced a "regional haze" rule to improve air quality 

in national parks and wilderness areas so that visitors can enjoy unspoiled views of 

America’s greatest natural treasures. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 13 - Environmental Actions by President Clinton and Vice President Gore

● May 29, 1999: President Clinton issued an executive memorandum to improve the water 

quality of beaches and rivers, including the Cape Cod, Cape Hatteras, and Pt. Reyes 

National Seashores. 

● June 3, 1999: President Clinton issued an executive order directing all federal departments 

and agencies to improve the energy efficiency of government buildings. 

● August 12, 1999: The President issued an executive memorandum setting the goal of 

tripling the nation’s use of bioenergy and bioproducts by 2010. At the same time, the 

President signed an executive order establishing the Interagency Council on Biobased 

Products and Bioenergy to develop a biomass research program to be presented annually 

as part of the federal budget (Executive Order 13134). 

● August 14, 1999: The President announced new steps to restore America’s rivers, lakes 

and coastal waters. Under a proposed rule, the Environmental Protection Agency will work 

with states to better assess the health of U.S. waterways and to develop detailed plans to 

make them safe for fishing and swimming. 

● August 21, 1999: President Clinton announced a landmark agreement to protect 9,300 

acres adjoining Yellowstone National Park — a critical step to preserve the park’s famed 

bison and geysers. 

● September 2, 1999: President Clinton signed a proclamation strengthening our ability to 

enforce environmental, customs and immigration laws at sea by expanding a critical 

enforcement zone to include waters within 24 nautical miles of the U.S. coast. 

● September 16, 1999: President Clinton transmitted to the Senate an amendment to the 

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer to strengthen measures to 

promote compliance with the protocol. 

● October 13, 1999: President Clinton directed the National Forest Service to develop 

regulations to provide long-term protection for 40 million acres of "roadless" areas within 

national forests. The proposed regulations could ban road building in these areas and could 

also prohibit logging or other activities that harm their unique ecological value. 

● October 21, 1999: President Clinton signed into law Black Canyon of the Gunnison 

National Park and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Act of 1999, establishing 

the Black Canyon in Colorado as a national park (S. 323). 

● October 30, 1999: President Clinton announced an agreement to preserve New Mexico’s 

spectacular Baca Ranch. 

● October 30, 1999: President Clinton announced the acquisition of 14,000 additional acres 

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within the Joshua Tree National Park — land that otherwise might be developed. 

● October 30, 1999: President Clinton announced a new EPA rule strengthening the public’s 

right to know about highly toxic chemicals released to the environment. The rule establishes 

or strengthens reporting requirements for 27 "persistent bioaccumulative toxics," including 

mercury, dioxin, and PCBs, which build up in the environment rather than breaking down. 

● November 5, 1999: President Clinton announced the addition of 57,000 acres of prime 

Columbia River Salmon habitat to the National Wildlife Refuge System, including large 

sections of the Hanford Reach, the last section of free-flowing salmon habitat on the 

Columbia. 

● November 16, 1999: Vice President announced that President Clinton signed an executive 

order requiring careful assessment and consideration of the environmental impacts of trade 

agreements (Executive Order 13141). 

● November 24, 1999: President Clinton signed the Arctic Tundra Habitat Emergency 

Conservation Act (H.R. 2454). 

● December 12, 1999: President Clinton announced that the EPA was issuing the toughest 

standards ever for reducing harmful air pollution from auto tailpipes. The new standards 

ensure that sportutility vehicles, minivans, and lightduty trucks meet the same low levels of 

tailpipe emissions as other passenger cars. 

2000 

● January 11, 2000: President Clinton signed proclamations creating three new national 

monuments — the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument and the Agua Fria 

National Monument in Arizona, and the California Coastal National Monument — and 

expanding another, the Pinnacles National Monument in California. 

● February 9, 2000: President Clinton transmitted to the Senate the Rotterdam Convention 

on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides 

in International Trade, with Annexes. This Convention assists developing countries in 

evaluating risks and enforcing their regulatory decisions regarding trade in hazardous 

chemicals and pesticides. 

● February 14, 2000: President Clinton announced $18.6 million in Forest Legacy grants for 

29 projects encompassing nearly 250,000 acres in 19 states and territories. These 

competitive grants are used to protect private forestland that provides critical wildlife habitat 

and is threatened by development. Protected lands can continue to be used for forestry and 

other compatible activities. 

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Earth Day 2000: Chapter 13 - Environmental Actions by President Clinton and Vice President Gore

● March 22, 2000: U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Indian Minister of External 

Affairs Jaswant Singh signed a U.S.-India statement on cooperation on energy and 

environment issues on behalf of the United States and India, outlining a common agenda on 

clean energy development and environmental protection. 

● March 28, 2000: President Clinton announced new measures to restore "natural quiet" to 

the Grand Canyon by better managing sight-seeing flights over the National Park. The new 

rules continue to allow visitors to view the Canyon by air, but limit noise by significantly 

expanding "flight-free" zones over the Park and by restricting future growth in commercial air 

tour operations. 

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