For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 29, 2002
President's Clear Skies Initiative Submitted to Congress
Statement by the President
Policy in Focus: Environment
Today, I am pleased to announce that Environmental Protection
Administrator Whitman has submitted legislation to Congress to
implement the Clear Skies initiative I proposed in February. Since
February, my Administration has been working to develop legislation
that meets our common commitment to cleaner air for all Americans. I
also am pleased that Chairman Billy Tauzin and Chairman Joe Barton
introduced this legislation in the House on Friday, and that Senator
Bob Smith will introduce it in the Senate today on behalf of the
Administration. Clear Skies will cut power plant emissions by 70
percent -- much further, faster, more certainly, and more
cost-effectively than current law.
America has made significant progress over the last 30 years in our
quest for cleaner air, and we have learned a lot about what approaches
work best. Now is the time to put those lessons to use. Building upon
the success of our most effective clean air program, we have crafted a
new Clean Air Act for the 21st century -- one that will do more to clean
up emissions from power plants than ever before. In the next decade
alone, Clear Skies will eliminate 35 million more tons of pollution
than the current Clean Air Act, bringing cleaner air to millions of
Americans. Clear Skies will also help save our forests, lakes, streams
and coastal waters from acid rain and nitrogen and mercury deposition.
And Clear Skies will do this through the use of a market-based system
that guarantees results while keeping electricity prices affordable for
the American people. Administrator Whitman and I look forward to
working with Congress to deliver the health and environmental benefits
promised by passage of Clear Skies legislation.
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