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FOIA Number: 2006-0467-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting
Series/Staff Member:
Jeff Shesol
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
24501
FolderID:
Folder Title:
Senior Staff Speeches - Podesta - National Realty Ctte. 4/7/99
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
S
91
6
11
1
Withdrawal/Redaction Sheet
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
AND TYPE
001. letter
Phone Number. [partial] (1 page)
03/08/1999
P6/b(6)
002. letter
Cell Phone Number. [partial] (1 page)
04/06/1999
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
Speechwriting
Jeff Shesol
OA/Box Number: 24501
FOLDER TITLE:
Senior Staff Sp. - Podesta - Nat'l Reality Ctte. 4/7/99
2006-0467-F
vz243
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office |(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRAJ
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information |(a)(4) of the PRAJ
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's decd
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request.
Draft 04/06/99 4:30pm
Jeff Shesol
CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN D. PODESTA
TALKING POINTS FOR THE NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE'S
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
WASHINGTON, DC
April 7,1999
I want to thank your president, Jeffrey DeBoer, and your chairman, Randall Rowe, for
inviting me here today. You know, most of the time, I occupy a pretty prime piece of real
estate over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But "location" jokes aside, it's nice to step out
of the West Wing once in awhile.
While our administration and the NRC don't always agree, we share a common vision:
that business and government, working together, can be stewards of a strong economy,
vibrant communities, and a healthy environment. I want to talk to you today about that
stewardship, and the ways we can strengthen it as we enter the 21st century.
But first, let me say a few words about the situation in Kosovo.
We are working with our 18 NATO allies to:
-- strike at Serbia's machinery of repression;
-- allow the Kosovar Albanians to return home;
-- and bring stability to the heart of Europe.
We launched air strikes:
-- only after exhausting diplomatic efforts;
-- after Milosevic rejected a fair & balanced peace agreement for Kosovo;
-- and after he intensified his year-long campaign of ethnic violence.
Milosevic is responsible for this crisis and he can end it now by:
-- withdrawing his forces from Kosovo;
-- accepting deployment of an international security force;
-- & allowing refugees to return as we move toward the framework built at Rambouillet.
As the President said on Tuesday, half-measures and token gestures are not enough;
Milosevic must do what is necessary, or we will persist until we prevail. We must end
the suffering and build a peaceful Europe that can be America's partner for progress and
prosperity.
In America, these are times of unparalleled prosperity:
-- over the past 6 years, more than 18 million new jobs, 92% in the private sector;
-- peacetime unemployment is the lowest since 1957;
-- strongest period of sustained growth in 30 years, with lowest inflation in 30 years;
and the highest home ownership in history.
a
The resurgence of commercial real estate markets is another sign of how far we've come.
-- In 1992, investments in non-residential buildings had hit an 8-year low.
-- Since then, they've jumped 36 percent, to more than $190 billion.
Confusing
-- Mortgage rates are near the record low of 6.71 we set in October 1998.
It is our fiscal discipline that has given us these rare and hard-won opportunities
part
Balancing the budget has made a real difference. President Clinton's new economic
strategy of balancing the budget, investing in our people, and expanding trade has
transformed the vicious cycle of budget deficits and high interest rates into a virtuous
cycle of budget surpluses and low interest rates.
When interest rates fall, more Americans can buy homes & build buildings, pay
mortgages & retire student loans, and start businesses like yours. When deficits
disappear, capital more than $1 trillion so far -- is liberated to create wealth, create
jobs, and create opportunity at every level of our economy.
In an age of worldwide capital markets, this is how America prospers:
by saving and investing, not by running big deficits. We also must continue our
engagement & strong leadership abroad; and expand free and fair trade.
-- Our agenda includes CBI, Africa trade, WTO, China.
-- Premier Zhu Rongji's visit this week reminds us of the importance of our relationship.
numbers still right ?
Fiscal discipline means facing long-term challenges.
there was
The President's plan, articulated in his State of the Union Address, does exactly that:
news on
-- saves Social Security until 2049 by setting aside 62% of the surplus for 15 years;
-- strengthens Medicare until 2020 by setting aside 15% of the surplus for 15 years;
-- creates responsible targeted tax relief through USA Accounts;
solving last wh
-- -- & not only pays down the national debt, but completely eliminates it by 2018.
Fiscal responsibility also means balancing economic growth and environmental health.
-- The NRC has made a very strong case that these goals are more than compatible.
-- In the long-term, you can't have one without the other.
That idea underlies two new proposals by President Clinton and Vice President Gore:
1) our Livability Agenda
-- helping communities cut traffic congestion, save green space, & promote smart growth
2) our Lands Legacy Initiative
preserving places of natural beauty from the remote wilderness to the closest city park
The Lands Legacy Initiative will strengthen our administration's "no surprises" policy.
That, as you know, means "no surprises" to private landowners on future land use if they
agree to help protect endangered species -- protecting wildlife while promoting
development.
-- In 1992, there were only 14 of these "habitat conservation plans" in place.
-- Today there are 236, with 200 more under development.
-- Our administration's new guidelines will make them a permanent fixture.
-- I want to thank the NRC for their strong support of the "no surprises" policy.
This path of fiscal responsibility has led to the longest peacetime expansion'in history.
The President is committed, as am I, to staying on that path & moving forward. I know
you and your businesses are as well.
And now, I'm happy to take your questions. I'm used to fielding tough questions from
one CEO, but today it looks like I've got about 50. But I'm game. Fire away.
I'
3
Tomasz P. Malinowski
04/06/99 12:38:02 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
David Halperin/NSC/EOP
CC:
Subject: Podesta
Dave: could you do this?
Forwarded by Tomasz P. Malinowski/NSC/EOP on 04/06/99 12:40 PM
Jeffrey A. Shesol
04/06/99 09:22:27 AM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Tomasz P. Malinowski/NSC/EOP@EOP
cc:
Joshua S. Gottheimer/WHO/EOP@EOP
Subject: Podesta
Tom,
Sara Latham forwarded me the e-mail she sent you so you're probably aware that John Podesta
wants to make mention of China and Kosovo in his speech tomorrow to the Realtors Assoc. Could
you folks forward me a short, Podesta-appropriate paragraph on each? If I write it myself, I'm likely
to say something rash.
Thanks.
Jeff
PS No jokes, please, about Kosovo's great virtue being location, location, location.
-
4/6/99
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
PODESTA SP. OUTLINE
anallenges ahead:
1) soz/med - tax cater }
2) Econ - home
- fiscal Liscipline
e
and abroad
- intl fin arch
- trade
3) Environment
- livability
- no surprises
)
3rd way
4) Ed.
?
5) Health
6) Foreign affairer
-
Draft 04/06/99 4:30pm
Jeff Shesol
CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN D. PODESTA
TALKING POINTS FOR THE NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE'S
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
WASHINGTON, DC
April 7, 1999
I want to thank your president, Jeffrey DeBoer, and your chairman, Randall Rowe, for
inviting me here today. You know, most of the time, I occupy a pretty prime piece of real
estate over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But "location" jokes aside, it's nice to step out
of the West Wing once in awhile.
While our administration and the NRC don't always agree, we share a common vision:
that business and government, working together, can be stewards of a strong economy,
vibrant communities, and a healthy environment. I want to talk to you today about that
stewardship, and the ways we can strengthen it as we enter the 21st century.
But first, let me say a few words about the situation in Kosovo.
We are working with our 18 NATO allies to:
-- strike at Serbia's machinery of repression;
-- allow the Kosovar Albanians to return home;
-- and bring stability to the heart of Europe.
We launched air strikes:
-- only after exhausting diplomatic efforts;
-- after Milosevic rejected a fair & balanced peace agreement for Kosovo;
-- and after he intensified his year-long campaign of ethnic violence.
Milosevic is responsible for this crisis and he can end it now by:
-- withdrawing his forces from Kosovo;
-- accepting deployment of an international security force;
-- & allowing refugees to return as we move toward the framework built at Rambouillet.
As the President said on Tuesday, half-measures and token gestures are not enough;
Milosevic must do what is necessary, or we will persist until we prevail. We must end
the suffering and build a peaceful Europe that can be America's partner for progress and
prosperity.
In America, these are times of unparalleled prosperity:
-- over the past 6 years, more than 18 million new jobs, 92% in the private sector;
-- peacetime unemployment is the lowest since 1957;
-- strongest period of sustained growth in 30 years, with lowest inflation in 30 years;
-- and the highest home ownership in history.
The resurgence of commercial real estate markets is another sign of how far we've come.
-- In 1992, investments in non-residential buildings had hit an 8-year low.
-- Since then, they've jumped 36 percent, to more than $190 billion.
-- Mortgage rates are near the record low of 6.71 we set in October 1998.
It is our fiscal discipline that has given us these rare and hard-won opportunities.
Balancing the budget has made a real difference. President Clinton's new economic
strategy of balancing the budget, investing in our people, and expanding trade has
transformed the vicious cycle of budget deficits and high interest rates into a virtuous
cycle of budget surpluses and low interest rates.
When interest rates fall, more Americans can buy homes & build buildings, pay
mortgages & retire student loans, and start businesses like yours. When deficits
disappear, capital -- more than $1 trillion so far -- is liberated to create wealth, create
jobs, and create opportunity at every level of our economy.
In an age of worldwide capital markets, this is how America prospers:
by saving and investing, not by running big deficits. We also must continue our
engagement & strong leadership abroad; and expand free and fair trade.
-- Our agenda includes CBI, Africa trade, WTO, China.
-- Premier Zhu Rongji's visit this week reminds us of the importance of our relationship.
Fiscal discipline means facing long-term challenges.
The President's plan, articulated in his State of the Union Address, does exactly that:
-- saves Social Security until 2049 by setting aside 62% of the surplus for 15 years;
-- strengthens Medicare until 2020 by setting aside 15% of the surplus for 15 years;
-- creates responsible targeted tax relief through USA Accounts;
-- & not only pays down the national debt, but completely eliminates it by 2018.
Fiscal responsibility also means balancing economic growth and environmental health.
-- The NRC has made a very strong case that these goals are more than compatible.
-- In the long-term, you can't have one without the other.
That idea underlies two new proposals by President Clinton and Vice President Gore:
1) our Livability Agenda
-- helping communities cut traffic congestion, save green space, & promote smart growth
2) our Lands Legacy Initiative
-- preserving places of natural beauty from the remote wilderness to the closest city park
The Lands Legacy Initiative will strengthen our administration's "no surprises" policy.
That; as you know, means "no surprises" to private landowners on future land use if they
agree to help protect endangered species -- protecting wildlife while promoting
development.
-- In 1992, there were only 14 of these "habitat conservation plans" in place.
-- Today there are 236, with 200 more under dévelopment.
-- Our administration's new guidelines will make them a permanent fixture.
-- I want to thank the NRC for their strong support of the "no surprises" policy.
This path of fiscal responsibility has led to the longest peacetime expansion in history.
The President is committed, as am I, to staying on that path & moving forward. I know
you and your businesses are as well.
And now, I'm happy to take your questions. I'm used to fielding tough questions from
one CEO, but today it looks like I've got about 50. But I'm game. Fire away.
3
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Poderta sp.
Realtors
low interest rates
fiscal responsibility - landmark
- we hope peun. fixture of
adm
home ownership
- info on org
- his stump sp.
- sAnff on China + Kozovo
- budget + tax matters.
]
CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN PODESTA
REMARKS AT THE GENERAL COUNSEL CONFERENCE
Thank you, Ed, for the kind introduction.
[Lawyer jokes...]
I am very please to be here this morning, especially because it gives me an opportunity to thank
you personally for the work you do for the President and the administration. Whether it is at main
Treasury or with Customs, at the IRS or the Mint, with the Secret Service or the ATF, you are working
every day--in the --trenches-- providing real service to the American people.
Now, I've often said that working for the President is as high an honor as I could ever want. I
can tell you that the most rewarding aspect of my service is the knowledge that I work for a President
who is 100% committed to solving problems for average people and to improving the lives of all
Americans. It's the knowledge that the work we do makes a real, positive difference.
Just think about how far our work has taken the country over the past six years. Today, American
families are healthier, they live in safer neighborhoods, they enjoy a cleaner environment, they have more
and better education opportunities, and they reap the benefits of the strongest economy in a generation
including nearly 17 million new jobs, the lowest unemployment rate in 28 years, the strongest real wage
growth in over 20 years, the shortest welfare rolls in 29 years, the lowest inflation in 32 years, and the
highest-ownership in American history.
I believe this success is not simply the result of good fortune. It is the result of the President's
commitment to a long-term strategy of fiscal discipline, smart investments in our people, and expanding
markets for American goods and service.
While we can see, now, that this has been the right path for the country, it hasn't always been an
easy path We ve fought hard to come this far: From the first budget plan we passed in 1993, to the
balanced budget bills we passed in October, we ve had to work tirelessly to make sure that the issues that
mean the most to American families have come first.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the success we had during this year's budget negotiations.
At a time when Congress seemed more focused on politics than progress and pundits were claiming that
the President wouldn't be able to accomplish even the smallest items on his agenda, we used the strength
of our ideas and the importance of our issues to push through a budget that:
7
save the surplus so we can reform Social Security;
make major strides in renewing our public schools;
-
helps ensure a clean, healthy environment for generations to come;
invests in both public and private research & development initiatives; and
assumes our responsibility in effort to help stabilize the global economy.
This is what a strong agenda and a coherent strategy can do. And this is how we've won the
confidence of the American people. Now, as we begin the next legislative session, it is even more critical
that we successfully communicate our agenda and the importance of the work still before us. Because,
simply put, there are a lot of challenges left.
First and foremost, we need to use this time of prosperity as an opportunity to address
long-term challenges such as Medicare and Social Security reform.
Already, the President is working hard to build bipartisan support for protecting Social Security and
ensuring that it remains as strong for our children as it has been for our parents.
For more than 60 years, Social Security has guaranteed dignity to our retirees and has kept tens
of millions of seniors out of poverty. But a demographic crisis is looming. Today, 76 millions Baby
Boomers are looking ahead to retirement and to longer life expectancies. Consequently, by 2030, there
will be twice as many elderly as there are today, with only two people working for every person drawing
Social Security. After 2032, the Social Security trust find will cover only about 72 cents on the dollar of
current benefits. That is why it is so important that we engage every American as part of the debate.
Next week the President will host a White House Conference on Social Security. Its primary
purpose is to better educate the public (and members of Congress) about these issues.
Second, we need to continue our leadership around the globe in efforts to protect and
strengthen the international economy and our economy. As Alan Greenspan has noted the United
States "cannot remain as 'oasis of prosperity. Our economic success at home depends on economic
success around the world and now, in particular, it depends on whether we can work with others to
restore confidence, manage change, stabilize the financial systems, and spur global growth.
Already, the President has called on the world's leading economies to take the steps necessary to
spur growth and restore market confidence. He has secured funding for the IMF which will leverage $90
billion in new resources for the Fund to ward off the crisis. He has charged Secretary Rubin with
working with financial leaders to enhance efforts to speed economic recovery in Asia. And he has called
on financial institutions to devote more attention to repairing the safety net in emerging economies.
In the days ahead, the President will continue to work to open new markets to American goods
and services. He will continue to push to strengthen our partnerships and trade relationships around the
globe. And he will work to ensure that our efforts to strengthen the international economy never become
a race to the bottom, but always serve as tools for leveling up and improving the lives of all the people
they effect.
Third, we need to remain committed to providing our children with the best possible
education. This means continuing our support for important education investment in programs such as
child literacy, college mentoring, after-school programs and financial aid. And it means we need to build
on the Presidents's vision for improving our education infrastructure by finishing the job of hiring
100,000 teachers, by promoting cutting edge technology wiring our classrooms and libraries to the
Internet, and by passing his plan to build and modernize 5,000 schools across the country.
Fourth, we need to improve the quality of our health care. We can take an important step
forward by getting this Congress to pass a comprehensive patients' bill of rights. One that -- among other
things guarantees all Americans' the right: to see a specialist, to receive the nearest emergency care, to
throughout the course of treatment, and to keep medical records private.
Fifth, we need to continue to protect and improve the quality of our environment. Thanks
to the steps we've taken during the last six years, today our environment is the cleanest it's been in
generation. We've seen real improvement in the quality of the air we breath, the water we drink and the
natural wonders we enjoy. The President is committed to building on these success by further
implementing his Clean Water Action Plan, by promoting elements of his Climate Change Technology
Initiative, and by taking additional action to protect more of our land and natural treasures.
And finally, we need to maintain our military's strength and continue our leadership ad
vigilance around the world. As recent events in the Middle East have highlighted, the Cold War may be
over, but our world remains a dangerous place. Today our military faces a host of challenges -- from the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to the changing nature of terrorism to emerging 21st century
threats such as attacks on our critical infrastructure. Around the world, from Haiti to Bosnia, our military
is playing key roles in efforts to further peace and promote democracy. This is why the President is
committed to keeping our readiness "razor sharp" and to improving recruitment in the next budget cycles.
Clearly, our work is cut out for us. Your continued support is critical to our success. Again, I
want to thank you for all that you do, because it really does make a difference. I look forward to working
with all of you and your offices in the days to come.
PAGE
8
10TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1999 PR Newswire Association, Inc.
PR Newswire
January 12, 1999, Tuesday
SECTION: Washington Dateline
DISTRIBUTION: TO NATIONAL, BUSINESS AND REAL ESTATE EDITORS
LENGTH: 648 words
RECENT NEWS
HEADLINE: Consortium Urges Easier Rules to Boost Commercial Mortgages
DATELINE: WASHINGTON, Jan. 12
BODY:
The Capital Consortium, a federation of five trade associations representing
all aspects of the commercial real estate industry, submitted a letter to
federal banking regulatory agencies today urging them to adopt rules that would
make it easier for commercial real estate and multifamily rental housing to
raise capital.
The consortium, consisting of the Mortgage Bankers Association of
America, the National Realty Committee, The National Association of Realtors,
The Bond Market Association, and the Commercial Real Estate Secondary Market
and Securitization Association, was formed in 1992. It has championed
development of a liquid secondary market for commercial mortgage-backed
COMMERCIAL
securities (CMBS), similar to the system currently in place for residential
MORTGAGE
mortgages.
The Capital Consortium's letter to the Office of the Comptroller of
the Currency, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision clarifies
industry recommendations regarding risk-based capital rules for federally
supervised banking institutions. It recommends that federal regulatory
agencies immediately adopt the proposed risk weighting for AAA-rated
commercial mortgage-backed securities from 100 percent to 20 percent. The lower
capital guideline would make holding CMBS more attractive to banks because of
the reduced reserve requirements.
As a result, the rules would enhance liquidity for commercial real
estate without compromising the safety and soundness of banking
institutions. Because AAA-rated CMBS have demonstrated a long and successful
performance record, they should be given similar capital treatment as securities
issued by federal government sponsored enterprises.
These risk-based capital rules have been under review by federal regulatory
agencies as part of their more extensive consideration of proposals for the
risk-based capital treatment of securities with AA, A and BBB ratings.
The expansion of a commercial secondary mortgage market, where loans
are pooled and sold by lenders to investors, is necessary to provide a
reliable stream of mortgage capital, explained NAR President Sharon A. Millett.
"Each step the consortium takes brings us closer to the realization of an
efficient secondary market for commercial mortgages," she said.
PAGE
9
PR Newswire, January 12, 1999
The National Association of Realtors, "The Voice for Real Estate, is
the nation's largest professional association, representing more than
730, 000 members involved in all aspects of the real estate industry.
The National Realty Committee, America's leading public policy advocate for
the commercial real estate industry since 1969, represents top business leaders
from more than 200 U.S. public and privately owned companies representing all
aspects of income-producing real estate.
The Mortgage Bankers Association of America is a real estate finance
trade association representing approximately 3,000 member mortgage companies,
life insurance companies, commercial banks, savings banks, savings and
loan associations, pension funds and their advisors, consultants and others in
the mortgage lending field.
The Bond Market Association represents securities firms and banks
that underwrite, trade and sell debt securities, both domestically
and internationally. These debt securities include: Municipal bonds; U.S.
Treasury securities; Federal Agency securities; Mortgage and other
asset-backed securities, Corporate Debt securities; Money Market instruments;
and Repos.
The Commercial Real Estate Secondary Market and Securitization Association is
an umbrella organization of industry participants having a common purpose of
promoting an orderly and ethical global institutional secondary market for the
sale of commercial mortgage loans and equity investments.
SOURCE The Capital Consortium
CONTACT: Walter Molony of NAR, 202-383-1177, [email protected];
Audra Capas of NRC, 202-639-8400, [email protected]; Deb Mckinnon of MBA,
202-861-6586, [email protected]; George Miller of TBMA,
212-440-9403, [email protected]; or Dottie Cunningham of CSSA,
212-352-3151, [email protected]; all for The Capital Consortium
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: January 13, 1999
Withdrawal/Redaction Marker
Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
AND TYPE
001. letter
Phone Number. [partial] (1 page)
03/08/1999
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
Speechwriting
Jeff Shesol
OA/Box Number: 24501
FOLDER TITLE:
Senior Staff Sp. - Podesta - Nat'l Reality Ctte. 4/7/99
2006-0467-F
vz243
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
P1 National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office |(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Relcase would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information |(a)(4) of the PRA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information [(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's dced
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request.
03/21/1999 23:38
7043647138
CAROLINE SULLIVAN
PAGE 03
Sent by: NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
202 202 639 8442; 639 8442;
03/08/99 2:50PM; JetFax #774; Page 2/6
NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
G 639-8442
fat bio
1120 New York Ave. NW. Suite 11101
Washington DE 20005
6021639 MADO Fax 8442
Real Estate's Roundlable
[email protected]
OFFICERS
Josh 462505)
March 8, 1999
G.
BY MESSENGER
Mr. John Podesta
Chief of Staff
Office of the President of the United States
ApnT7@
The White House
4:45
Washington, DC 20002
Minut.
Dear Mr. Podesta:
It is with great pleasure that I invite you to address National Realty
Committee's Chairman's Roundtable meeting on Wednesday, April 7, 1999. Our
meeting, which be held at the Four Seasons Hotel, 2800 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC, will consist of an afternoon business meeting-(3.00 PM until 5:30
PM) and an evening reception and dinner (6:30 PM until 9:00 PM). While we would
be delighted if you were able [0 join US at any time during this meeting. the ideal time
for your visit with us would be during the afternoon business session.
515
The National Realty Committee serves as Real Estate's Roundtable in
Washington and is the foremost public policy advocate on federal tax, finance,
environmental and telecommunications issues affecting the commercial and
multifamily real estate industry. National Realty Committee Chairman's Roundtable
carding
represents the nation's leading public and private real estate owners. builders.
investors. lenders and managers. I have attached a list of anticipated attendees for the
April 7th meeting.
1.41
For real estate. the early 1990s was characterized as capital starved, declining
asset values, bankruptcies and job loss - in short, for much of the country, a real
estate depression. This, as you know, is not the state of the industry today. Today,
commercial real estate markets are in the midst of a tremendous resurgence - good
news for local governments that depend on stable property tax bases, good news for
young people entering the job market and good news for efforts to revive our nation's
cities.
It is not simply a coincidence that the commercial real estate market and
industry recovery began in January 1993. Simply stated, many policy initiatives
enacted under the leadership of the Clinton-Gore Administration - ranging from
the
more rational regulation of credit and capital providers to responsible tax and
environmental policies - are directly responsible for this resurgence and period of
industry job growth and stability.
We sincerely hope that you are able to join us on April 7. receive our thanks for
helping to provide economic security for Americans, and offer your perspective on the
challenges yet facing the nation.
Thank
you
for
your
consideration
of
this
invitation.
Wallman
{currat events
Jeff DeBoer ofe.
639-8400
Sincerely,
speak!5
cell
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(30min )Hotal
[001]
Jeffrey D. DeBoer
-
questions
President & Chief Operating Officer
/
hollow
50
Chairman
Square
on
514ha
Randy Rone
03/21/1999 23:38
7043647138
CAROLINE SULLIVAN
PAGE 04
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202 639 8442;
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NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
14311 New York Avr., NW. State from
Washington, DC 20005
Real Estates Roundtable
(202) 639 MAINI Fax (202) 639 8442
emmilience are
NRC's Chairman's Roundtable/Executive Committee
March 8, 1999
James M. Allwin
John Bucksbaum
Morgan Stanley Dean Willer
General Growth Properties. Inc.
New York, NY
Chicago, IL
William A. Alter
Timothy Callahan
The Alter Group. Ltd.
Equity Office Properties Trust
Lincolnwood, IL
Chicago, IL
Robert L. Anderson
Nicholas Cammarano, Jr.
Ronus, Inc.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Atlanta, GA
New York, NY
Peter E. Baccile
Joseph C. Canizaro
Chase Securities Inc.
Columbus Properties, L.L.C.
New York, NY
New Orleans, LA
Judson C. Ball
Rick Curison
Urban Realty Partners, L.L.C.
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Phoenix, AZ
Chicago, IL
Robert 1... Beal
Bruce R. Cohen
The Beal Companies
Cohen Financial
Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Keith P. Bednarowski
Robert J. Congel
Opus U.S. Corporation
The Pyramid Companies
Minnetonka, MN
Syracuse, NY
Eric Billings
Arthur M. Coppola
Friedman Billings Ramsey & Co., Inc.
The Maccrich Company
Arlington, VA
Santa Monica. CA
Barrington H. Branch
Frank O. Creamer, Jr.
The Branch-Shelton Company. LLC
Creamer Vitale Wellsford, LLC
Atlanta, GA
New York, NY
Michael R. Buchanan
Douglas Crocker
Bank of America
Equity Residential Properties Trust
Atlanta, GA
Chicago, IL
03/21/1999 23:38
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CAROLINE SULLIVAN
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NRC's Chairman's Roundtable/Executive Commistee
Page 2
Trammell Crow
Richard M. Gunthel
Trammell Crow Company
BT Alex. Brown
Dallas, TX
New York, NY
Joseph A. DeLuca
Gary H. Hunt
Joseph A. DeLuca. Inc.
The Irvine Company
New York. NY
Newport Beach, CA
James J. Didion
Richard E. Jacobs
CB Richard Ellis
The Richard E. Jacobs Group
San Francisco, CA
Cleveland, OH
Eric Eichler
Stephen G. Jones
LCOR Incorporated
Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.
Berwyn, PA
New York, NY
Henry J. Faison
Carl Kane
Trammell Crow Company
KPMG Peat Marwick LLP
Charlotte, NC
New York, NY
Kevin P. Fitzpatrick
Steven J. Kaplan
AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp.
Landauer Associates, Inc.
New York, NY
Dallas, TX
John T. Glover
Frank J. Kawalkowski
Post Properties, Inc.
Frank J. Kawalkowski Enterprises, LLC
Atlanta, GA
San Francisco, CA
David S. Golden
Benjamin V. Lambert
CGR Advisors
Eastdil Realty Company, L.L.C.
Atlanta, GA
New York, NY
Patricia Goldstein
Robert C. Larson
Citicorp Global Real Estate
Taubman Centers Inc.
New York, NY
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Jonathan D. Green
Gary L. Lenz
The Rockefeller Group
Arthur Andersen LLP
New York, NY
Los Angeles, CA
Arthur A. Greenberg
Robert J. Lowe
Equity Group Investments, Inc.
Lowe Enterprises. Inc.
Chicago, IL
Los Angeles, CA
David S. Gruber
Joseph W. Luik
MEPC
TIAA
Dallas, TX
New York, NY
03/21/1999 23:38 7043647138
CAROLINE SULLIVAN
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NRC's Chairman's Roundtable/Executive Committee
Page 3
Roben H. Lutz. Jr.
Paul Novak
AMRESCO. Inc.
Patriot American Hospitality
Dallas, TX
Dallas, TX
Roy Hilton March
A. Mack Pogue
Eastdil Realty Company, L.L.C.
Lincoln Property Company
Los Angeles. CA
Dallas, TX
George M. Marcus
Fred N. Pratt, Jr.
The Marcus & Millichap Company
Boston Financial
Palo Alto, CA
Boston, MA
Alton G. Marshall
Ronald R. Pressman
Alton G. Marshall Associates. Inc.
G.E. Capital
New York, NY
Stamford, CT
J. Kell Martin
George R. Puskar
First Fidelity Mortgage Corp.
Lend Lease Real Estate Investments
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta. GA
John R. McDonald
Charles A. Ratner
McDonald Development Company
Forest City Enterprises. Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Cleveland, OH
Thomas E. Meador
Michael W. Reschke
American Express/Balcor
The Prime Group. Inc,
Bannockbum. IL
Chicago, IL
Raymond C. Mikulich
Robert M. Rhodes
Lehman Brothers
The St. Joe Company
New York, NY
Jacksonville, FL
Hamid R. Moghadam
Philip A. Riordan
AMB Property Corporation
GE Investments
San Francisco, CA
Stamford, CT
Michael P. Morrison
Nelson C. Rising
Hopkins & Sutter
Catellus Development Corporation
Chicago, FL
San Francisco, CA
Stuart C. Nathan
Joseph E. Robert, Jr.
JMB Realty Corporation
J.B. Robert Companies
Chicago, IL
McLean, VA
James D. Noteware
A. J. Robinson
MAXXAM Property Company
The Portman Companies
Houston, TX
Atlanta, GA
03/21/1999 23:38 7043647138
CAROLINE SULLIVAN
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NRC's Chairman's Roundtable/Execurive Committee
Page 4
Stephen Ross
Thomas Taylor
Related Capital Co.
Meditrust
New York, NY
Fl. Worth, TX
Randall K. Rowe
Mark R. Tercek
Transwestern Investment Company. LLC
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Chicago, IL
New York. NY
William C. Rudin
David A. Twardock
Rudin Management Company, Inc.
Prudential Realty Group
New York, NY
Newark, NJ
Richard B. Saltzman
Philip J. Ward
Merrill Lynch & Co.
CIGNA Investment Management
New York, NY
Hartford, CT
Harvey Schulweis
Benjamin F. Williams
The Town & Country Trust
First Union Real Estate Capital Markets
New York. NY
Charlotte, NC
Orna L. Shulman
J. McDonald Williams
Intertech Corp.
Trammell Crow Company
Washington, DC
Dallas, TX
Edwin N. Sidman
Kenneth J. Witkin
The Beacon Companies
Fleet Bank
Boston, MA
Boston. MA
Robert C. Spoerri
Scott A. Wolstein
LaSalle Partners
Developers Diversified Realty Corp.
Chicago, IL
Moreland Hills, OH
Gary P. Stevens
Jon H. Zehner
The Carlyle Group
Washington, DC
J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated
New York, NY
Jeffrey L. Swope
Champion Partners, Ltd.
Dallas, TX
John J. Szymanski
The Rouse Company
Sykesville, MD
A. Alfred Taubman
The Taubman Company
Bloomfield IIIIIS, MI
1
NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
Real Estate's Roundtable
FAX COVER SHEET
DATE:
April 6, 1999
TO:
Sarah Latham
FROM:
Jeff DeBoer
202/639-8400 (phone)
202/639-8442 (fax)
Total pages including cover sheet: 5
Please contact Michelle
if you have any problems with this transmission.
MESSAGE
I will send a hard copy of the attached along with additional background
material via messenger. Thanks for all your help!
04/06/99 10:47AM;JetFax_#712; Page 1/5
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Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
RESTRICTION
AND TYPE
002. letter
Cell Phone Number. [partial] (1 page)
04/06/1999
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
Speechwriting
Jeff Shesol
OA/Box Number: 24501
FOLDER TITLE:
Senior Staff Sp. - Podesta - Nat'l Reality Ctte. 4/7/99
2006-0467-F
vz243
RESTRICTION CODES
Presidential Records Act - [44 U.S.C. 2204(a)]
Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)]
PI National Security Classified Information [(a)(1) of the PRA]
b(1) National security classified information [(b)(1) of the FOIA]
P2 Relating to the appointment to Federal office [(a)(2) of the PRA]
b(2) Release would disclose internal personnel rules and practices of
P3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(a)(3) of the PRA]
an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA]
P4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential commercial or
b(3) Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA]
financial information [(a)(4) of the PRA]
b(4) Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial
P5 Release would disclose confidential advice between the President
information |(b)(4) of the FOIA]
and his advisors, or between such advisors [a)(5) of the PRA]
b(6) Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
P6 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA]
personal privacy [(a)(6) of the PRA]
b(7) Release would disclose information compiled for law enforcement
purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA]
C. Closed in accordance with restrictions contained in donor's deed
b(8) Release would disclose information concerning the regulation of
of gift.
financial institutions [(b)(8) of the FOIA]
PRM. Personal record misfile defined in accordance with 44 U.S.C.
b(9) Release would disclose geological or geophysical information
2201(3).
concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA]
RR. Document will be reviewed upon request.
NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
1420 New York Are. NW, Suite 1109
Washington, DC 20005
Real Estate's Roundtable
03021639 SAUD Fax 03031339 8442
OFFICERS
www
Registration 11.
BY MESSENGER
19 Signature ENGLISH
19:10:00
MEMORANDUM
April 6. 1999
ACCORD
DAME
TO:
Mr. John Podesta
AMERICA by
FROM:
Jeffrey D. DeBoer
FACHE
AN
1997 Address
RE:
Remarks to National Realty Committee
111.
$ 5050 Months
last
WHITER YOU
1.1
Wc are very pleased you are able to join National Realty Committee's
111. TEP
Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 7, 1999. This event should
the
HAMM
provide you with a good opportunity to personally visit with a number of business
leaders from across the country. and to provide your perspective on key issues facing
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the nation
Legeral 1*,,*,*
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For the commercial real estate industry, the early 1990s were characterized as
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capital starved, declining asset values, bankruptcies, restructurings and job loss - in
HENRY
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short, for much of the country, a real estate depression. Fortunately, today,
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news for local governments that depend on stable property tax bases, good news for
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young people entering the job market and good news for efforts to revive our nation's
cities
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industry recovery began in January 1993. Simply stated, many policy initiatives
in AMAIL
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CREDIT
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more rational regulation of credit and capital providers to responsible tax and
environmental policies — are directly responsible for this resurgence and period of
1916
industry job growth and stability. Your visit with us extends a positive working
PRATE
relationship between National Realty Committee as past guests for this meeting have
Tootal
included: Robert Rubin, Lawrence Summers, Harold Ickies, Carol Browner: Gene
ROWARD
Sperling and Mike McCurry.
Following is background information for your visit. Please give me a call at
[002] (202) 639-8400 if you or your staff have any additional questions. You may also
WELLAMA
knew
-
in
reach me on my cell phone
P6/(b)(6)
RECEIVIEW VIDEO.
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town
Organization: National Realty Committee (NRC) is a Washington-based
organization whose sole mission is to represent the nation's leading income-
producing real estate owners/developers, financiers, (banks, life insurance
companies, investment bankers), advisors and managers on national policy
matters. NRC members are both public and private firms, and most are
"
headquartered in major metropolitan areas and have nationwide (in some cases
Garger known
global) or regional operations.
TRANSIT n
Prain, will the
1116
Event: NRC's Executive Committee meeting. The meeting will be held at
PENTAMINA WRED
the Four Seasons Hotel in Salon A, 2800 Penn. Ave, NW. The meeting will
begin at 3:00 PM and is scheduled to end around 5:30 PM. The meeting will
EMPLOY
.
be attended by approximately 50 CEOs or other senior officers from NRC-
member companies (see attached list).
the
sherts
17...
:1,
1.4
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8442 639 202
Sent by: NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
Memorandum to the Honorable John Podesta
April 6, 1999
Page 2
Time and Introduction: Ideally we would like for you to arrive at the hotel at about 4:40
PM and plan for you to begin your remarks about 4:45 PM. I will introduce you to the
meeting attendecs.
Remarks We would like you to speak for about 15 to 20 minutes and take questions for
another 10 to 15 minutes. The setting will be somewhat informal. All meeting attendees will
be seated around a hollow square table and you may speak either sitting or standing. Here are
a few suggested topics for your remarks. Please do not feel constrained by this list.
The Balkans
Budget issues and priorities - 1999 and beyond
Tax legislation (potential tax cuts and tax reform)
Social Security/Medicarc reform
You also should know that we arc supporting a proposal in the President's budget
PELTS?
which would allow Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) to form taxable
subsidiaries This is an important proposal as it would allow REITs to conduct
business activities - such as development and management services - that are
presently not allowed. In short, the proposal will help REITs be competitive and
provide services to modern busincsses.
Other Speakers: Immediately prior to your remarks the group will hear from Mr. Kenneth
Kies, the immediate past Chief of Staff for the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. Mr.
Kies will provide a detailed presentation on the tax and budget picture. During dinner that evening,
the group will hear from former White House Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein, and Representative
Thomas Davis (R-VA), chair of the House Republican Campaign Committee.
Please give me a call at (202) 639-8400 if you have any additional questions. Again, thank
you for taking time to visit with us. I look forward to your remarks.
JDD/mmr
Attachment
04/06/99 10:48AM; letFax #712; Page 3/5
8442 639 202
Sent by NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
1420 New York Ave.. NW. Suite 1100
Wishington, DC 20003
Real Estate's Roundtable
(232)639 8400 Fin (202)639-8442
emailseme.org
NRC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 1999
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
3:00 - 5:30 PM
THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL - SALON A
WASHINGTON, DC
Randall K. Rowe, Chairman
ANTICIPATED ATTENDEES
Judson C. Ball
Urban Realty Partners, L.L.C.
Keith P. Bednarowski
Opus U.S. Corporation
Paul Borghard
G.E. Capital
Barrington H. Branch
The Branch-Shelton Company, LLC
Michael R. Buchanan
Bank of America
Timothy Callahan
Equity Office Properties Trust
Nicholas Cammarano, Jr.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Rick Carlson
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Martin J. Cicco
Merrill Lynch & Co.
Bruce R. Cohen
Cohen Financial
Frank G. Creamer, Jr.
Creamer Vitale Wellsford, LLC
Douglas Crocker
Equity Residential Properties Trust
James J. Didion
CB Richard Ellis
Kevin P. Fitzpatrick
AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp.
Patricia Goldstein
Citicorp Global Real Estate
Jonathan D. Green
Rockefeller Conter Management Corporation
Arthur A. Greenberg
Equity Group Investments. Inc.
Richard M. Gunthel
BT Alex. Brown
Stephen G. Jones
Cushman & Wakefield. Inc.
Carl Kane
KPMG Peat Marwick LLP
Steven J. Kaplan
Landauer Associates, Inc.
Frank J. Kawalkowski
Frank J. Kawalkowski Enterprises, LLC
Robert C. Larson
Taubman Centers Inc.
Robert J. Lowe
Lowe Enterprises, Inc.
Joseph W. Luik
TIAA
Robert H. Lutz, Jr.
AMRESCO, Inc.
George M. Marcus
The Marcus & Millichap Company
Alton G. Marshall
Alton G. Marshall Associates, Inc.
J. Kell Martin
First Fidelity Mortgage Corp.
John R. McDonald
McDonald Development Company
04/06/99 10:48AM; JetFax Page 4/5
8442, 639 202
Sent by: NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
4/7/99 - NRC Executive Committee Meeting Anticipated Attendees
Page 2
Thomas E. Meador
American Express/Balcor
Raymond C. Mikulich
Lehman Brothers
Hamid R. Moghadam
AMB Property Corporation
Stuart C. Nathan
JMB Realty Corporation
James D. Noteware
MAXXAM Property Company
Paul Novak
Patriot American Hospitality
Fred N. Pratt, Jr.
Boston Financial
George R. Puskar
Lend Lease Real Estate Investments
Michael W. Reschke
The Prime Group, Inc.
Philip A. Riordan
GE Investments
Randall K. Rowe
Transwestern Investment Company, LLC
Gary P. Stevens
The Carlyle Group
Jeffrey L. Swope
Champion Partners, Ltd.
John J. Szymanski
The Rouse Company
Mark R. Tercek
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
David A. Twardock
Prudential Realty Group
Kenneth J. Witkin
Fleet Bank
Scott A. Wolstein
Developers Diversified Realty Corp.
as of April 1. 1999
04/06/99 10:48AM; JetFax Page 5/5
8442 639 202
Sent by: NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
Carl Haacke 04/06/99 12:31:16 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Joshua S. Gottheimer/WHO/EOP
cc:
Subject:
1992: Investments in nonresidential buildings hit an 8 year low at $113.2 billion.
Today: In the fourth quarter 1998, investments have jumped to $190.1 billion a record high and an
increase of 36 percent after adjusting for inflation.
PODTHINOW.331
Page 1
THE CLINTON/GORE ECONOMIC RECORD:
Then And Now: What a Difference Six Years Make
April 5, 1999
After Six Years, The Results of President Clinton and Vice President Gore's
Economic Leadership for the American People Are Clear. Six years ago, President
Clinton and Vice President Gore put in place a bold new three-part economic
strategy of cutting the deficit to help reduce interest rates and spur business
investment; investing in education, health care, science and technology so that
America was prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century; and opening
markets abroad so that American workers would have a fair chance to compete and
win across the globe. Today, American enjoys the longest peacetime economic
expansion on record.
Home ownership Is Up: The Highest in American History
1981-1992. The Home ownership rate fell from 65.6 percent in the first quarter of
1981 to 63.7 percent in the first quarter of 1993. [Source: Bureau of the Census]
Today. Two-thirds of American households now own their own home -- the highest
percentage in American history. Under President Clinton, more than 7 million
families have become new homeowners.
Housing Sales Are at Record Levels
1992. Housing sales were 614,000 for single family.
Today. By 1998 this jumped 45 percent to a record 890,000
Personal Consumption for Housing Highest Ever
1992. $646.8 billion were spent on Housing
Today. In 1998, that jumped to $877.9 -- the highest level ever. A 14 percent jump
after adjusting for inflation.
Record Low Mortgage Rates
1992. The 30 Year Mortgage rates were 8.4 percent.
Today. In February 1999, they are near record lows at 6.81. The record was set
October 1998 at 6.71.
Record Lows for 30 year Treasury Bonds
1992. The 30 Year Treasury Bonds yields were 7.40 percent.
Today. In 1998, they were 5.09 percent a record low.
Business Failures Down
1992. The business failure rate was 110.
Today. In 1997, it dropped to 88.
Deficit Eliminated: The First Budget Surplus in A Generation
1992. The deficit was $290 billion -- the highest dollar level in history. When
President Clinton took office, the deficit was projected to hit $357 billion in 1998, and
PODTHNOW.331
Page 2
head higher. [Source: CBO]
Today. Last year, for the first time since 1969, we had a budget surplus of $70 billion
-- the largest dollar surplus on record and the largest as a share of our economy since
the 1950s. [Source: OMB]
Unemployment Is Down: The Lowest Peacetime Rate in 41 Years
1992. The unemployment rate averaged 7.5 percent.
Today. In February, the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent -- the lowest peacetime
level in 41 years. The The unemployment rate has been below 5 percent for 21
consecutive months. [Source: BLS]
Jobs Are Up: 18.2 Million Created Since January 1993
1988-1992. The private-sector was barely creating jobs and had experienced one of
the worst four-year periods of job growth in history.
Today. The economy has created more than 18.2 million new jobs since January
1993, with 16.8 million n the private sector alone at a faster annual growth rate than
any Republican Administration since the 1920s. [Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Private-Sector Growth Is Up: 4.0% Per Year
1981-1992. The private sector of the economy grew 2.4 percent annually from
1981-1992:
Today. The private sector of the economy has grown 4.0 percent annually -- that's
the fastest rate of private-sector growth since the Johnson Administration. [Source: Based
on data from the Department of Commerce]
Productive Business Investment Is Booming: Fastest Since Kennedy
1988-1992. Real business investment rose just 1.9 percent annually during the
previous Administration.
Today. Real productive business investment is up 12.4 percent per year -- faster than
any Administration since President Kennedy. [Source: Department of Commerce]
Real Wages Rising Again: Fastest Growth in Two Decades
1981-1992. Real average hourly earnings fell under Presidents Reagan and Bush.
[Source: BLS.]
Today. In 1998, real wages were up 2.7% -- that's the fastest real wage growth in
over 20 years.
Family Income Up More Than $3,500 Since 1993
1988-1992. Median family income, adjusted for inflation, fell by $1,835, dropping
from $43,674 in 1988 to $41,839 in 1992.
Today. Since 1993, real median family income has increased by $3,517, rising from
$41,051 in 1993 to $44,568 in 1997. [Source: Bureau of the Census]
Government Spending: Lowest in Quarter Century
1981-1992. Under Presidents Reagan and Bush, government spending as a share of
GDP increased from 21.7 percent in 1980 to 22.5 percent in 1992.
Today. Under President Clinton, federal government spending as a share of the
PODTHNOW.331
Page 3
economy has been cut from 22.5 percent in 1992 to 19.7 percent in 1998 -- its
lowest level since 1974. [Source: OMB]
Inflation: The Lowest in More Than 30 Years
1981-1992. The average annual inflation rate between 1981 and 1992 was 4.2
percent. [Source: BLS.]
Today. Since 1993, the annual inflation rate has averaged just 2.5% -- that's the
lowest average inflation rate since the Kennedy Administration. Over the past year,
the Consumer Price Index increased only 1.6%.
Middle-Class Taxes: Lowest in 20 Years
1981-1992. The effective federal tax rate for the richest 20% of families was cut
from 27.6% in 1980 to 26.2% in 1992, while the poorest 20% of families saw their
effective tax rate stay essentially the same.
Today. Under President Clinton, the effective federal tax rate for middle-income
families has dropped from 19.2% in 1992 to 18.9% in 1999 -- that's the lowest tax
rate since data were first reported 20 years ago. For the poorest 20% of Americans,
the effective federal tax rate has dropped from 8.0% in 1992 to 4.6% in 1999 --
that's also the lowest in 20 years. [Source: Congressional Budget Office]
The World's Most Competitive Economy Again
1992. In 1992, the World Economic Forum found that Japan, Germany, Denmark, and
Switzerland all had more competitive economies than the United States.
Today. In 1994, United States was declared the world's most competitive economy --
for the first time in a decade. The United States remained #1 in 1995, 1996, 1997,
and 1998. [Source: World Economic Forum and IMD.]
EXPERTS AGREE THAT THE 1993 ECONOMIC PLAN
HELPED CUT THE DEFICIT AND STRENGTHEN THE ECONOMY
PODTHNOW.331
Page 4
Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Board Chairman, 2/20/96: The deficit reduction in
President Clinton's 1993 Economic Plan was "an unquestioned factor in contributing to
improvement in economic activity that occurred thereafter."
Business Week, 5/19/97: "Clinton's 1993 budget cuts, which reduced projected red in
more than $400 billion over five years, sparked a major drop in interest rates that help
boost investment in all the equipment and systems that brought forth the New Age
economy of technological innovation and rising productivity."
Lehman Brothers, 1/10/94: "Lower deficits, lower long-term rates and higher real grow
was the overall promise. With the data now rolling in for December 1993, it seems cle
that President Clinton delivered on all three counts "
Paul Volcker, former Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Fall 1994: "The deficit has com
down, and I give the Clinton Administration and President Clinton himself a lot of credit
that. [He] did something about it, fast. And I think we are seeing some benefits."
Fortune, 10/3/94: "[President Clinton's 1993] economic plan helped bring interest rate
down, spurring the recovery."
Joshua S. Gottheimer
04/06/99 12:34:30 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Jeffrey A. Shesol/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject:
Forwarded by Joshua S. Gottheimer/WHO/EOP on 04/06/99 12:33 PM
Carl Haacke 04/06/99 12:31:16 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Joshua S. Gottheimer/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject:
1992: Investments in nonresidential buildings hit an 8 year low at $113.2 billion.
Today: In the fourth quarter 1998, investments have jumped to $190.1 billion a record high and an
increase of 36 percent after adjusting for inflation.
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U.S.
FISH & WILDLIFE
SERVICE
REPRESENTATIVE THE
OF
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
(202) 208-6011, fax (202)501-6589
To: JAY SABSOL
From: Peter Umhofer
Pages: 12
Date: 4/6/99
Fax: 6-5709
Comments: 1) TALKING POINTS /BACKGROUND; 2) LANDS LEGACY
INSTIATIVE ;3) PRESS RELEASES.
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Goals of the Administration for Endangered Species Act
Base ESA decisions on sounds science
Increase efforts to recover and delist species
Minimize social and economic impacts
Provide quick, responsive answers and certainity to landowners
Create incentives to conserve species
Increase partnerships with other Federal agencies, States, tribal governments, local
communities corporations, conservation organizations and private landowners in the
planning and implementation of candidate conservation and recovery activities
Focus on an ecosystem approach to conserving species
Promote efficiencyt, consistency and flexibility
Habitat Conservation Plans and No Surprises
Talking Points
No Surprises policy was announced in February 1998 and only applies to Habitat
Conservation Plans. This policy gives private landowners assurances on future land use
if they agree to set some land to protect endangered species.
Many of your are familiar with the No Surprises policy with was announced in February
1998. This Administration has developed incentives that enable landowners to preserve
and protect wildlife habitat by taking simple, flexible, inexpensive and above all,
scientifically sound steps. This assurance has been essential for private landowners,
developers and corporations as long term Habitat Conservation Plans are developed.
In the near future, the Administration will announce the final Safe Harbor and Candidate
Conservation Agreement policy. This policy will promote the implementation of
voluntary beneficial management actions for listed species on non-Federal property while
providing participating landowners with the necessary assurances that no additional
future regulatory restrictions will be imposed.
In 1982, Congress amended the Endangered Species Act to allow for the creation of
HCPs. Congress intended HCPs to be used to reduce conflicts between species and
economic development and foresaw the development of creative partnerships in the
interest of species conservation. HCPs can effectively balance the need for conservation
with the economic needs of landowners.
When this Clinton Administration began there were only 14 HCPs in place. Today there
are 236 HCPs with 200 more under development. HCPs are absolutely necessary if we
are going to have effective endangered species conservation on private lands in the 21st
century.
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We must sit down together with landowners, state and local governments, tribes,
developers and others to develop real world approaches that encompasses economic
developments and species conservation. The U.S. population is growing at a rate of 3
million people a year. It will be nearly 400 million by 2050. That is the equivalent of
adding 15 New York cities to our population between now and then.
Innovative solutions are needed. Over 80 percent of endangered species have all or part
their range on private lands. The HCP process is a way to look at planning over wide
areas that include many species and habitat types.
The need for HCPs arises out of a simple fact: endangered and threatened species live and
roam wherever they find suitable habitat, without regard to who owns it. The Endangered
Species Act protects species officially listed on the Federal list of endangered or
threatened wildlife or plants. Essentially, an individual cannot "take" species, which
means you cannot harm them or kill them or attempt to do so.
HCPs have brought to the table people and organizations that would never have been part
of species conservation process in the past. It has gotten people thinking about what they
want their communities to look like in the future. It also generates more support for
conservation. State and local governments and private developers have found that they
can safely proceed with their planned activities and meet their obligations under the ESA.
Rather than viewing species conservation as a burden, people come to believe HCPs
benefit their communities in the long run.
HCPs range in size from a half acre to 5 million acres.
The Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service on March 9, 1999
announced new guidelines to clarify and strengthen the use of habitat conservation plans.
The new guidelines include biological goals and objectives, adaptive management,
monitoring, permit duration and public participation.
Permit process
The HCP process works like this: the developer designs a plan for an HCP and applies for an
incidental take permit. The National Marine Fisheries Service or the Fish and Wildlife Service
provide technical assistance and carry out their own responsibilities. If the plan meets the ESA
conservation requirements, provide for public inputs and thoroughly describes the proposed
project, NMFS or FWS may issue an incidental take permit. This permit signifies that the
project has complied with the requirements of the ESA and can continue as long as the project is
conducted according to the terms of the HCP.
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Examples
San Diego Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan (San Diego, CA)
San Diego County has a greater number of threatened and endangered species than anywhere in
the continental United States. In March 1998, Secretary Babbitt announced the San Diego
Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Program (HCP) which aims to acquire and preserve about
172,000 acres of habitat over the next 50 years. This area is adjacent to the San Diego National
Wildlife Refuge and is comprised of large blocks of interconnected habitat, would mitigate the
impacts of continued urban development located mostly outside of the preserve boundaries. The
plan emphasizes the protection and management of habitats rather than focusing preservation
efforts on one species at a time. The HCP will allow 85 species (20 listed species and 65
unlisted species) to survive as the San Diego area continues to grow. About half of the acreage
needed for the program is already publicly owned or destined for public ownership. Much of the
rest is expected to be bought over the next years from willing sellers or deeded by landowners in
exchange for development rights on other habitat lands. As part of this HCP, San Diego County
can now approve developments in sensitive habitats as long as developers follow the HCP rules,
which include compensation for such damage by preserving other habitat.
Orange County Habitat Conservation Plan (Orange County, CA)
This HCP covers 44 species including listed species such as the gnatcatcher, peregrine falcon and
southwestern willow flycatcher. The HCP covers 208,000 acres. The Service, Orange County,
The Irvine Company and 11 private landowners developed an HCP focuses on conserving the
coastal sage scrub ecosystem of California and its complement of listed and rare native species.
The HCP allows includes a long term growth plan to ensure that any future development in this
area protects 37,000 acres of reserve habitat.
Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan (Sacramento, CA)
The Natomas Basin HCP is the second non-forest plan related HCP in Northern California.
The agreement establishes a patchwork of habitat reserves for 26 native plants and animals,
including 11 federally listed threatened and endangered species, in exchange for allowing
development to proceed in the Natomas Basin, the largest remaining undeveloped area in
Sacramento County.
The plan will allow developers for the next 50 years to construct projects in endangered species
habitat if they mitigate their actions by purchasing one-half acre of habitat for every acre
developed. Fees will be collected by the non-profit Natomas Basin Conservancy, which will
purchase suitable land and manage the resulting wetland and upland areas for the giant garter
snake, a federally threatened species, and the state-listed Swainson's hawk.
The City of Sacramento's HCP is part of a larger conservation effort intended for the Natomas
Basin, which extends northward into Sacramento and Sutter counties, and could eventually cover
about 53,000 acres. Both counties are working with the Service, California Department Fish and
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Game, and other stakeholders to complete HCPs for their own jurisdictions.
The plan allows some reserves to remain as actively managed ricelands and farmers may be paid
under the plan to convey easements simply to maintain their lands in agriculture. Wetland
reserves will be a mosaic of habitats, including rice fields, managed marshes, water delivery
canals, and irrigation ditches and drains managed for the giant garter snake and other animals
that rely on wetlands. The upland reserves, mainly along the Sacramento River, will include
grasslands, pasture and fallow fields and irrigated croplands, that will be managed to provide
both food and shelter for Swainson's hawk and other wildlife depend on agricultural lands.
Plum Creek Timber Company Habitat Conservation Plan (Washington)
The Plum Creek HCP was established in 1997 and spans 170,000 acres in the central Cascades in
Washington. This area covers extensive holding near the Interstate 90 corridor. The duration of
the plan in 50 years and covers 280 species including four endangered species: northern spotted
towl, grizzly bear, gray wolf and marbled murrelet. The HCP also covers salmon. Plum Creek
received assurances that if it manages its lands according to the mutually agreed upon terms and
conditions no additional regulatory restrictions will be placed upon it for the species covered by
the HCP. The HCP covers 23 watersheds and provides for the protection of riparian habitats,
wetlands and caves. This innovative plan is designed to encourage conservation of numerous
species and plants on lands not just those currently listed.
Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (Tucson, AZ)
The community of Tucson and county officials are working to develop a regional Multiple
Species Conservation Plan. The Fish and Wildlife Service is providing assistance to county
officials to develop a plan which will protect eighteen endangered species while still allowing
development. There is a strong consensus among local officials, ranchers and environmentalists
to protect open space and develop a conservation plan for the Tucson area. The Multiple Species
Conservation Plan is expected to be completed in the spring of 2000.
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13:56
FAX
202
501
6589
FWS-EA
006
na
DEPART OF THE INTERIORI
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
U.S
MARCH
1649
Lands Legacy Initiative
Cooperative Endangered Species
Conservation Fund
This component of the President's
Lands Legacy Initiative, delivered by
Endangered Species Funding
the Service through its existing
Cooperative Endangered Species
1999
2000 Funding
Conservation Fund program, will
Appropriation
Request
provide resources to State and local
governments to aggressively integrate
Grants to States
$7,520
$50,520
conservation planning and habitat
protection into local land use planning
and decision-making. The initiative will
focus on protecting habitat for
Conservation Planning Assistance
2,000
endangered, threatened and at-risk
species, and furthering the conservation
and recovery of these species, through
HCP Land Acquisition
6,000
26,000
acquisition of land or easements or
development of habitat protection
agreements.
Administration
480
1,480
Grants to States
This component of the initiative
provides funding for States to develop
Total
14,000
80,000
and implement Habitat Conservation
Plans; conserve species through the use
of Candidate Conservation Agreements'
Amounts in thousands of dollars
and Safe Harbor Agreements; and
acquire land in support of species
recovery. Up to 25 percent of the Safe
Harbor, and Candidate Conservation
proceeding with activities that would
effective means of garnering the
Agreement grants will be used to
otherwise conflict with endangered
cooperation of these landowners. The
develop the agreements and plans, and
species. Grants will be available to the
Service's Safe Harbor Policy
at least 75 percent will be used to
States to facilitate the development of
encourages non-federal landowners to
implement actions such as habitat
HCPs and to assist with the
enhance or improve habitat for
restoration, fencing, prescribed
implementation of conservation actions
endangered species on their property
burning, etc.; up to 50 percent of the
called for in the HCP. Grants will not be
by providing assurances that additional
HCP grants will be used for
used to fund the mitigation required of
restrictions will not be imposed as a
development of the plans and 50
the HCP applicant. Rather, grant funds
result of their voluntary conservation
percent will be used for
will be used for conservation actions by
actions. This program will provide
implementation.
the State or local governments which
funding to the States for planning,
complement the actual mitigation
development, and implementation of
HCP Grants
action completed by the applicant to
Safe Harbor Agreements on State,
More and more States and local
fully minimize and mitigate the take of
private, and other non-Federal lands.
governments are working with the
covered species and their habitats.
With increased funding and an
Service to develop and implement
increased role for the States in
HCPs through landscape-level planning
Safe Harbor Grants
implementing the policy, the success of
processes. Regional, multiple species
When listed species are found on
existing Safe Harbor Agreements can
HCPs are a good approach for not only
private and other non-Federal lands,
be duplicated and greatly expanded.
providing ecosystem conservation, but
the willing cooperation of landowners is
also for providing landowners within
essential for achieving recovery. Safe
that region a defined mechanism for
Harbor Agreements are an extremely
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Candidate
Species Recovery Land
Conservation
Acquisition
Agreement
Grants will be made to States
Grants
to acquire lands in support of
Candidate
recovery tasks in approved
Conservation
recovery plans. Land
Agreements are
acquisition is often an essential
an extremely
element of a comprehensive
important and
plan for recovery of listed
effective
species.
conservation tool
for declining
Conservation Planning
species that are
Assistance
Over 90% of U.S. sea turtle nesting
not yet listed.
The demand for conservation
occurs on coastal beaches in
Many of these
planning assistance from the
Florida.
conservation
Service will expand with the
agreements have
additional grant programs.
successfully
Service participation
removed threats
The Gooding's onion
throughout the process is
and listing was
is an example of a
critical for successful
avoided. This
candidate species
implementation of the program.
program will
precluded from listing
The Service will have to provide
Service can assist States and local
provide funding to
due to the benefit of
timely expert technical
governments in planning for urban
the States for
Candidate
assistance and coordination in
development and other economic
planning,
Conservation
the development,
activities while also providing for the
development, and
Agreements.
implementation, and
protection of threatened and
implementation of
monitoring of the HCPs, Safe
endangered species.
Candidate
Harbor Agreements, and
Conservation
Candidate Conservation
Administration
Agreements covering candidate and
Agreements supported by this initiative.
Approximately 1.5% of the funds will
proposed species on State, private, and
be used to adminster the expanded
other non-Federal lands. States and
HCP Land Acquisition
grant programs. Federal grant
private landowners support the
Grant assistance to States for habitat
management and administrative
development of Candidate
protection within, and adjacent to, HCP
oversight are necessary to ensure
Conservation Agreements because they
areas will be expanded to promote the
compliance with program requirements
provide opportunities to employ
recovery of threatened and endangered
and purposes.
innovative
species. This
approaches to
assistance will enable
species
state and local
conservation
governments to fulfill
without the
land acquisition
burden of
components of the
regulatory
HCP conservation
restrictions. The
program; however,
demand for
these funds cannot be
Candidate
used to fulfill private
Conservation
mitigation obligations
Agreements is
under the HCPs. For
expected to
example, in FY 1998,
greatly expand
The Delmarva fox squirrel will
$750,000 was granted
with finalization
be the subject of future HCP8.
to the Washington
of the Candidate
County, Utah HCP to
Conservation
secure a sufficient
Safe Harbor Agreements
Agreements with
amount of habitat for
provide assurances to
Assurances Policy,
a viable reserve for
landowners and benefit
which provides increased incentives to
the desert tortoise and meet the
such species as the red-
non-Federal landowners to conserve
recovery goal for the Upper Virgin
cockaded woodpecker.
candidate, proposed, and other non-
River Recovery Unit of the desert
listed species on non-Federal lands by
tortoise. This example is one of many
assuring that no additional conservation
opportunities; the Service has
measures will be required should the
identified several hundred million
candidate species under an approved
dollars needed for HCP land
agreement become listed in the future.
acquisition assistance. The HCP Land
Acquisition program is a key way the
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-2-
The draft addendum also proposes guidelines for developing an
adaptive management strategy, which would be necessary if
significant biological data gaps exist for covered species when
an HCP is approved. When an HCP incorporates an adaptive
management strategy, the implementing agreement's permit would
clearly state the range of possible adjustments and the
circumstances under which it would be triggered. The applicant
would be able to assess the potential economic impacts of such
adjustments before agreeing to the HCP permit.
"We want to ensure each HCP has measurable goals and objectives
and includes, where necessary, the flexibility to adjust the
conservation actions as circumstances change or as more
information becomes available," Clark said. "At the same time,
we want to give applicants certainty about what we will require
them do under different circumstances."
The draft addendum also builds on current guidance for
establishing monitoring programs to ensure proper compliance with
an HCP, to determine whether biological goals and objectives are
being met, and to guide an adaptive management strategy, if one
is used.
In addition, it provides guidance on factors to consider in
establishing the duration of incidental take permits. These
factors include duration of the applicant's proposed activities,
possible positive and negative effects on covered species, the
extent of scientific and commercial data underlying the HCP's
operating conservation program, the length of time necessary to
achieve the benefits of the conservation program, and the extent
to which the program incorporates adaptive management strategies.
The proposal calls for increased public participation in the HCP
process. This would mean a minimum 60-day public comment period
for most HCPs and a minimum 90-day comment period for most large-
scale, regional, or exceptionally complex agreements. The
exception would be HCPs that qualify as "low effect"--those
defined as involving minor or negligible effect on listed
species, their habitats, or other environmental resources-which
would have a 30-day comment period.
The two agencies are soliciting comments, recommendations, or
suggestions from the public, other concerned government agencies,
the scientific community, industry, or any other interested party
about this draft addendum.
The proposal guidelines were published in today's Federal
Register. Comments may be made in writing to Division of
Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North
Fairfax Drive, Room 452, Arlington, Virginia 22203 (fax: 703-
358-1735) or Office of Protected Resources, National Marine
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us
FUN WILDLIFE
SERVICE
NEWS
from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
March 9, 1999
Hugh Vickery 202-208-5634
GUIDELINES FOR HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS PROPOSED
Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine
Fisheries Service proposed guidelines to clarify and strengthen
the use of habitat conservation plans as conservation tools under
the Endangered Species Act.
Congress created HCPs in 1982 to protect a species while allowing
economic development. An HCP allows the agencies to permit
"taking" of individual endangered or threatened species
incidental to otherwise lawful activities, when the effects of
the taking are mitigated and minimized by conservation measures.
There more than 240 HCPs in effect and more than 200 under
development.
The proposal would improve the way HCPs are developed and
administered in five areas: establishment of measurable
biological goals and objectives, use of adaptive management,
monitoring, public participation, and determination of the
duration of the incidental take permits. The guidelines would
become an addendum to the agencies' joint Handbook for Habitat
Conservation Planning and Incidental Take Permitting Process.
"We've learned a great deal about what makes an effective HCP as
we've worked with hundreds of landowners and other partners to
develop voluntary agreements over the past four years," said
Jamie Rappaport Clark, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. "These guidelines incorporate what we've learned into
the joint handbook so the HCP process can even better conserve
wildlife while ensuring certainty for landowners and other
applicants."
"We are pleased that so many private landowners, as well as state
and local governments, are taking advantage of the HCP program,"
said Terry D. Garcia, Commerce Department Assistant Secretary for
Oceans and Atmosphere. "We believe the public will be pleased
that we are responding to their comments on how the program can
be improved and that we are willing to make changes as the
program grows."
The draft addendum announced today proposes that all future HCPs
incorporate and clearly state biological goals and objectives.
Although biological goals and objectives were implicit in past
HCPs and their operating conservation programs, they were not
explicitly stated. These goals and objectives will provide clear
guidance for both the applicant and the agencies regarding the
purpose and direction of the HCP's operating conservation
program.
Office or Public Affairs
1849 C Street. .VW
Washington, DC 20240
(202) 208-5634
Room 3447
FAX (202) 219-2428
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-3-
Fisheries Service, 1335 East-West Highway, Silver Spring,
Maryland 20910 (fax: 301-713-0376). The deadline for comments
is May 8, 1999.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal
agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish
and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre
National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500
national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other
special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish
hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency
enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered
Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores
nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife
habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with
their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid
program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in
excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and
wildlife agencies.
-FWS-
PAGE
4
2ND STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1999 Federal Information Systems Corporation
Federal News Service
MARCH 17 1999 WEDNESDAY
SECTION: IN THE NEWS
LENGTH: 2204 words
HEADLINE: PREPARED STATEMENT OF
NELSON C. RISING
CHAIRMAN, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE
BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
SUBJECT - COMMUNITY GROWTH AND THE LOSS OF OPEN SPACE
BODY:
National Realty Committee, otherwise known as Real Estate's Roundtable in
Washington, is the nation's foremost public policy advocate on federal tax,
NRC
finance, environmental and technology issues affecting commercial real estate.
NRC's member's are top business leaders from more than 200 public and privately
owned companies across all segments of the industry, including owners, builders,
lenders, managers, advisors and investors Thank you Chairman Chafee, Senator
Baucus, members of the Committee. My name is Nelson Rising. I am the CEO of
Catellus Development Corporation, a San Francisco-based publicly traded,
diversified real estate company. The company has a portfolio of 21 million
square feet of income-producing properties, and land that would support 18,000
residential units and approximately 48 million square feet of commercial space
located throughout California, as well as in Dallas, suburban Chicago, Denver,
Phoenix and Portland. I am speaking today on behalf of the National Realty
Committee (NRC) NRC's members are top business leaders from more than 200
public and privately owned companies across all segments of the real estate
industry, including owners, builders, lenders, managers, advisors and investors.
Our entire industry not just our members has a stake in smart well planned
ISSUE
growth. I can tell you from personal experience that well- planned communities
with strategies for preserving quality open space offer better real estate
eNVIRO / cities
investment opportunities than communities with less planning discipline. As you
may know many cities today are experiencing a kind of renaissance The success
stories include places like San Francisco, Portland, Boston, New York and
Chicago that demonstrate a rich mixture of residential and job-intensive
commercial and retail uses, attention to the public realm and plenty of open
space. Similarly suburban areas with a strong jobs-housing mix, easily
accessible retail and office districts, transit- and pedestrianfriendly
neighborhoods, and substantial amounts of open space are also flourishing. In
other words, smart growth is already beginning to demonstrate its value in the
market place.
For many communities across the country the ability to facilitate smart growth,
and the quality-of-life issues encompassed by that term, is not so much a
luxury, as it is a necessity. Indeed, it's a matter of competitiveness. In
today's tight labor markets, communities that seek to attract top employers must
demonstrate that they can offer a quality of life that will help companies
recruit and retain the best work force they can. For example, in Atlanta,
PAGE
5
Federal News Service, MARCH 17, 1999
Georgia, it was a real wake-up call for the city when Hewlett Packard decided
not to pursue a substantial campus expansion citing worker complaints over
traffic congestion and related problems. NRC Executive Committee member, Michael
R. Buchanan, who is a senior executive of Bank of America, noted at a recent
Atlanta foram on smart growth that business leaders are sometimes among the
first to recognize the serious consequences to their communities of a
deterioration in key quality of life indicators.
The first question that needs to be answered is how can communities best
accommodate the absolute certainty of additional growth while maximizing its
most beneficial elements. No one is against the jobs, local tax revenues, more
affordable housing and other amenities that well-planned development can
provide. But, at the same time, citizens are increasingly demanding that growth
be facilitated without increasing local income taxes to pay for infrastructure
costs, without increasing traffic congestion to unacceptable levels and without
degrading environmental resources, including open space. As a Californian I am
particularly concerned about how to address this issue. The Census Bureau tells
us that by the year 2025, California will add the equivalent of the current
population of the state of New York. This expected growth--as well as growth in
other areas around the country--an only be accommodated successfully if we are
attentive to the principles of smart growth.
The next question is what can Congress and the rest of the federal government do
to respond to the public! S growing demand for smarter growth and more open
space. The answer is that it can advance policies and legislation that will
provide state and local governments additional resources to grow smarter; and it
can reform existing federal laws and policies that inadvertently impede the
ability of states and local communities to grow in smarter ways. While
Washington can help, the parameters of the federal role need to be carefully
defined to ensure local governments continue to chart their own paths. In
addition, it's essential to respect the law of unintended consequences. I don't
need to tell you that federal involvement in local land use issues--while
already significant--has sometimes been unpopular, unproductive, or both.
I am not an expert on existing federal programs, but I understand there is a
bipartisan effort underway to fully fund some of the most critical existing
conservation programs including the federal "Land and Water Conservation Fund.
NRC supports that effort. In addition, I suggest the Committee give the
Administration's "Better America Bonds" proposal the serious consideration it
deserves. Its basic premise seems to me to be a good one: to offer local
governments the resources to help gain the leverage that additional bonding
authority can provide. With the funds from the bond issues, local governments
can make their own decisions about open space preservation, redevelop their own
brownfields properties and address other environmental issues. Bond
financing--whether locally or federally subsidized--is, in my view, not only
more cost effective but also more equitable than using current appropriations of
tax dollars. This is because it allocates the cost of acquiring green space over
the life of the bonds. In that way it ensures contributions from the current and
the next generation. After all, our children or our children's children will
also be benefiting from the preservation efforts we pursue today.
Another constructive step this Committee could take is to ensure federal
policies advance--rather than inadvertently undermine--the efforts of
communities to pursue their vision of smart growth. To a degree I know I may be
preaching to many of the converted here becausethe ESA and Superfund bills
passed out of this Committee in the last Congress would have gone far to resolve
some of the impediments I will touch on here. I'm speaking here especially of
the brownfields provisions in Senator Smith's Superfund bill or, for that
matter, the very similar provisions in Senator Lautenberg's current
PAGE
6
Federal News Service, MARCH 17, 1999
stand-alone "brownfields" bill, S.20. I also believe the provisions of the
bipartisan ESA bill approved by this Committee in the last Congress dealing with
habitat conservation planning and the "no surprises" assurances would facilitate
smart growth.
To encourage landowner participation in smart growth planning, federal land-use
laws such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) or the wetlands provisions of the
Clean Water Act should offer safe harbors to landowners that participate
constructively in achieving the goals of the statute. By that I mean regulatory
certainty should be offered to landowners whose projects advance environmental
and economic objectives in tandem. With the prospect of greater certainty
regarding what the rules are and how long they will remain in effect, landowners
become far more motivated and constructive partners with local, state and
federal regulators-whether the issue is recycling brownfields properties or
pursuing habitat conservation planning.
Certainly California's experience with development agreements and the experience
of other states with SO called "vested rights" agreements bear this point out.
More specifically, business, municipal and environmental groups have all pointed
out that uncertainty regarding possible Superfund liability--no matter how
remote--remains a factor favoring developments outside of urbanized areas and in
so-called "greenfields. By the same token legal concerns regarding the ability
of federal regulators to make good on their no-surprises assurances under ESA
inhibits some landowners from participating in habitat conservation planning. As
for the wetlands program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers, no one seems to have proposed a safe
harbor for smart growth in that arena. As a result, national policies still
favor preserving tiny wetlands in the middle of retail or office projects even
when the development occurs in highly urbanized areas. NRC is of the view that
smart growth, including in-fill projects, could be advanced if the federal
government offered those types of projects greater opportunity to mitigate
wetlands impacts off site including use of mitigation banking. In addition,
there appears to be new thinking at EPA regarding the Clean Water Act's
stormwater runoff provisions which causes us great concern. A potential federal
land use program under consideration at EPA may be focused on controlling the
way individual projects are planned at the site level. Such a program bears the
risk of micromanaging local land use in a very unproductive fashion and on a
more comprehensive scale than the wetlands or endangered species
program. Environmental and land use laws are not the only ones that may
inadvertently undermine smart growth. Federal tax policies also require
reconsideration in light of smart growth objectives. I recognize these laws are
not within the immediate jurisdiction of this Committee. However, if you will
indulge me I would like to offer some examples of how the IRS code can undermine
the kind of development usually characterized as "smart growth." It is the
peculiar way the tax code treats the renovation of existing buildings. And it
actually adds to the pressure to build new buildings--usually in so-called
"green fields" outside existing urban areas. Very briefly, today's depreciation
rules for real estate don't differentiate between the economic useful life of
improvements to leased space and the tax life of the overall building structure.
As a result, current tax law dictates a depreciable life for leasehold
improvements of 39 years- the depreciable life of the entire building-- yen
though most lease terms average only 7 years The implication of this policy is
that the cost of upgrading existing space in existing buildings is artificially
high. This increased tax cost adversely affects the modernization of
buildings--for example, by incorporating more energy efficient components. This
enhances demand for brand new development at the suburban fringe and
PAGE
7
Federal News Service, MARCH 17, 1999
contributes to the deterioration of urban centers with older building stock. To
fix this anomaly we recommend a cost recovery period for leasehold improvements
of ten years, a period somewhat longer than the average lease term.
Similar problems exist with the tax treatment of demolition costs for
non-historic structures and environmental cleanup expenses--problems that affect
many environmentally desirable in-fill development projects. Under current law,
demolition costs and the unrecovered basis of any demolished structure must be
capitalized and added to the basis of the land, rather than deducted. This tends
to discourage acquisition of land that includes a structure which must be
demolished (in part or in full) to construct a more suitable improvement. This
is because the cost of demolition is not recoverable until the underlying land
is sold. More appropriate tax treatment would permit demolition costs to be
added to the basis of the new building and amortized over a reasonable period
(60 months) or at least depreciated over the life of the building.
Like demolition expenses, costs to clean up land purchased in a contaminated
state must be capitalized and added to the basis of the non-depreciable land.
The 1997 Taxpayer Relief Act provided immediate expensing of brown field cleanup
costs in empowerment zones and other high poverty targeted areas. This tax
treatment should be made a permanent part of the tax code and should be extended
in some fashion to non-targeted areas as well. If not immediate deductibility,
then more rapid amortization periods, such as 60 months, would be appropriate As
with demolition expenses, requiring that environmental cleanup costs be
capitalized is a disincentive to the acquisition and redèvelopment of sites in
some already urbanized areas.
To sum up, I would simply say that smarter growth and more open space
conservation would not only bring environmental benefits but also economic ones.
I note that the Democratic and Republican leadership of this committee are both
senior members of the Finance Committee. We would encourage you to share some of
these economic issues with your colleagues on that Committee as well. Our
members stand ready to assist you in advancing these objectives with rational
federal policies. I would be happy now to take any questions you may have.
Thank you.
END
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: March 18, 1999
PAGE 21
6TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1997 Faulkner & Gray
National Mortgage News
September 1, 1997
SECTION: INCOME LENDING/COMMERCIAL; Pg. 12
LENGTH: 642 words
HEADLINE: CRE Group Backs Habitat Measure
NO-SURPRISES
DATELINE: Washington
ENVIRO
BODY:
The National Realty Committee, a leading commercial real estate policy
advocate, has thrown its support behind a Clinton Administration policy that
balances habitat conservation planning on private lands with commercial
development opportunities
Under the "no surprises" policy, private landowners who voluntarily sacrifice WHAT
development rights on a designated portion of their land, or pay for other
NO SURPRISES"
species protection measures, may proceed with a development project with the
assurance from the federal government that they will not be asked to give up
additional land or face regulatory "surprises
Essentially, the policy allows for a trade-off between the property owners
and developers who want to build up their land and the environmental interests
of the government, the exchange being some land for the guarantee that no
further limits be placed on development until the agreement expires.
Should the plan fail to adequately protect a species and additional
conservation steps need to be taken, the burden for funding the new steps falls
on the federal government, not the landowner, which is a reversal from how the
situation would be in the absence of a "no surprises" plan.
Since 1994, when the government began writing such assurances into habitat
conservation agreements with private landowners, over 200 such agreements have
been approved, according to the NRC. In the 11 years before the Clinton
Administration plan, only 58 such agreements were made.
"The 'no surprises' policy has more than proven its worth as a regulatory
incentive that leverages federal efforts with considerable private-sector
resources, said Robert J. Lowe, senior vice chairman of the NRC and former
chairman of the NRC's Environmental Policy Advisory Committee.
The NRC added, "The 'no surprises' policy encourages habitat conservation
planning, a long-term, proactive approach that is increasingly aimed at
QUOTE
protecting large, unified ecosystems sheltering many species. Such plans are
generally viewed favorably by scientists, environmentalists and business
interests as a superior alternative to the traditional case-by-case approach to
species conservation - an approach that often fails to protect species before
they are at risk of becoming extinct.
"Given the considerable time and expense that go into developing a
conservation agreement, however, landowners are reluctant to pursue such plans
PAGE 22
National Mortgage News, September 1, 1997
if they and their financial partners face the risk that these agreements can be
reopened by the federal government at any time in the future. 11
One example the NRC highlighted as emblematic of a successful "no surprises"
agreement was negotiated over six years and agreed upon last June. The plan
will make 165,000 acres of Southern California real estate off-limits to
development in order to protect the California gnatcatcher and numerous other
endangered species.
It. was negotiated by federal authorities, private landowners, state and local
planners and environmental groups. The landowners agreed to give up development
rights on a portion of their land in exchange for the assurance that they will
not face any new development restrictions for the duration of the agreement.
Should the agreement fail to adequately prevent further decline of the
endangered species, additional protection steps will have to be paid for by the
federal government.
The NRC said, II (We) believe this agreement illustrates how critical the 'no
surprises policy is for bringing private landowners to the negotiating table
with other private and public sector interests.
"Last year, NRC and a broad crosssection of business, governmental and
environmental interests developed a proposal that recommended statuary
codification of the 'no surprises' policy and other initiatives to reform the
Endangered Species Act in a responsible and balanced manner. "
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: September 16, 1997
Lowell A. Weiss
04/06/99 09:46:45 AM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Jeffrey A. Shesol/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject: Re: Podesta
Jeff-
This draft incorporates Podesta's edits to my draft (some are good; some are
quirky).
Draft 2/10/99 10:00 am
CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN PODESTA
REMARKS FOR THE BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE WINTER MEETING
WASHINGTON, DC
February 10, 1999
Thank you for inviting me to participate today.
3Qs
New meaning of "the Jury is still out."
[Acknowledgments / Thank You] But in all seriousness; am very glad to be
here today. I'm grateful for the chance to give you-some insight into this
Std.
Administration' priorities over the coming year
intro.
For more than 25 years, the BRT has encouraged policies aimed at
your
strengthening our nation for the long-term -- policies to spur the creation of jobs,
group
usher in economic growth with low inflation, and open new markets abroad. We
haven't always agreed, but I think it's fair to say that we have shared a common
mared
vision: that stewardship of our economy and social policy for the long-term is how
goals
we ought to measure success. Today, the country is doing pretty well by those
measures. Over the past six years, America has created nearly 18 million new jobs
-- a remarkable 93% of them in the private sector. We have achieved the strongest
overall
period of sustained growth in 30 years -- with the lowest inflation in 30 years.
eron
Once again, our country is leading the world in exports and we are deeply
committed to working with you to build on this success.
Best of all, this record peacetime expansion is inclusive, not exclusive.
Corporate profits are up -- and so are incomes for working families. Executive
compensation is up -- and so are real wages. Business investment is booming --
and so is investment in many hard-pressed inner cities. Once again, the connection
between Wall Street and Main Street is very much a two-way street.
You here today deserve a great deal of credit for America's economic
Gives
turnaround. American industry has never been stronger, swifter, or more
them
innovative -- and never better at helping its workers retool for economic change.
credit
And we have worked hard to create the economic conditions for you to
prosper. That is what President Clinton's three-part economic strategy of fiscal
discipline, investments in our people, and expanded trade was all about. And that's
why, during his remaining months in office, the President intends to keep on this
successful course.
First, as you heard in his State of the Union Address, the President will insist
on maintaining our fiscal discipline. We believe that the single most important thing
1)
Fiscal
this Administration has done to help businesses flourish was getting our fiscal
discipline
house in order. Deficit reduction has helped cut interest rates and free up more
than $1 trillion in capital for businesses like yours to make long-term investments
We believe that the key to maintaining this environment is to use America's
hard-earned budget surpluses to prepare for the big challenges that are right around
the corner. That's why the President has proposed that over the next 15 years we
suplus
devote 62% of the budget surplus to shoring up Social Security, 15% to
strengthening the Medicare trust fund, and providing tax relief to Americans
through the vehicle of a Universal Savings Account, which will help all workers
save and invest for their retirement. We believe this plan is good not only for
meeting our obligations to our children and grandchildren. It's also pro-growth.
Under the President's framework, our publicly held debt would fall to its lowest
level since 1917. As Alan Greenspan has said, that means higher national savings,
and continued low -- or even lower -- interest rates.
The debate in Washington is boiling down very quickly to two
straightforward propositions -- whether we should adopt this approach -- investing
tax cut
the surplus to strengthen and preserve Social Security and Medicare -- or spend the
debate
surplus on a 10% tax rate cut. That's a debate worth having? We are happy to
match our approach of investing the surplus for the future, against efforts to use it
for massive tax cuts today.
Second, the President will increase investments in our people especially in
education and training. One of the President's proudest accomplishments is that
2) luvest people in
even as we have balanced the budget, we have nearly doubled investments in the
kind of education and training that our current and future workforce desperately
(Do Lira-
need. This year, we will be asking for Ed Rust's and the BRT's leadership in
billits
helping us hold states and school districts accountable for results. We will insist
here'?)
that states and school districts end the counter-productive practice of social
promotion; turn around -- or close down -- their worst-performing schools; raise
standards for teachers; expand public school choice; and adopt sensible discipline
policies. This plan is not about asserting greater federal control. It's about lifting
our sights and raising our expectations - just as we are asking our children to do.
Third, the President will continue to expand free and fair trade.- can assure
3)trade
you that this President is determined to secure fast track -- as am I. And I will say
more about that in a minute. But I really believe that the battle over fast track is
much bigger than a battle over the merits of free trade. I believe it represents a
fundamental disagreement over America's foreign policy and national security
interests.
For fifty years and through 10 Presidents -- five of them Democrats and five
Republicans -- America has projected a unified front on foreign policy and trade.
But today, this consensus is under fire. Many in Congress are calling for our nation
to turn inward, to turn to isolationism. You can see it in the fevered calls for greater
export controls on American computers and other high tech products. You can see
it in a new fear and loathing of the UN and IMF. You can see it in heated opposition
to our role in peacekeeping in Bosnia, our financial support for ailing allies in Latin
America, and our efforts to engage China. You can see it in the call for building
high walls of protectionism that threaten to set off similar responses around the
world.
So let's not kid ourselves: We've got a lot of work ahead of us. We have to
forge a new consensus not only on trade but also on our national interests in a
rapidly changing, post Cold-War world. We have to find new ways to show the
American public that opening new markets - and helping to stabilize ailing
economies in Asia and Latin America -- are vital for our continued growth and
security. We must show that the only real way to put America first is to continue
to exert strong American leadership in the world.
As for fast track specifically, we can no longer afford to act as if concerns
over displaced workers here at home and labor and environmental standards around
the world don't exist. They are legitimate concerns - and we can meet them. One
way to do so is by creating a new arm of the International Labor Organization, to
help developing nations put in place basic labor protections and strengthen their
social safety net.
And-now, l'm-happy-to-answer any questions you have. I'm used to fielding
;
tough questions from one CEO, but today it looks like I've got about 50. But I'm
game. Fire away.
###
Draft 04/06/99 2:30pm
Jeff Shesol
CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN D. PODESTA
TALKING POINTS FOR THE NATIONAL REALTY COMMITTEE'S
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
WASHINGTON, DC
April 7, 1999
I want to thank your president, Jeffrey DeBoer, and your chairman, Randall Rowe, for
inviting me here today.
[joke about location, location; one of the prime pieces of real estate in the country: 1600
PA Ave.?]
While our administration and the NRC don't always agree, we share a common vision:
that business and government, working together, can be stewards of a strong economy,
vibrant communities, and a healthy environment. I want to talk to you today about that
stewardship, and the ways we can strengthen it as we enter the 21st century.
But first, let me say a few words about the situation in Kosovo.
We are working with our 18 NATO allies to:
-- strike at Serbia's machinery of repression;
-- allow the Kosovar Albanians to return home;
-- and bring stability to the heart of Europe.
We lauched air strikes:
-- only after exhausting diplomatic efforts;
-- after Milosevic rejected a fair & balanced peace agreement for Kosovo;
-- and after he intensified his year-long campaign of ethnic violence.
Milosevic is responsible for this crisis and he can end it now by:
-- withdrawing his forces from Kosovo;
-- accepting deployment of an international security force;
-- & allowing refugees to return as we move toward the framework built at Rambouillet.
As the President said on Tuesday, half-measures and token gestures are not enough;
Milosevic must do what is necessary, or we will persist until we prevail. We must end
the suffering and build a peaceful Europe that can be America's partner for progress and
prosperity.
In America, these are times of unparalleled prosperity:
-- over the past 6 years, more than 18 million new jobs, 92% in the private sector;
-- peacetime unemployment is the lowest since 1957;
-- strongest period of sustained growth in 30 years, with lowest inflation in 30 years;
-- and the highest home ownership in history.
The resurgence of commercial real estate markets is another sign of how far we've come.
-- In 1992, investments in non-residential buildings had hit an 8-year low.
-- Since then, they've jumped 36 percent, to more than $190 billion.
-- Mortgage rates are near the record low of 6.71 we set in October 1998.
It is our fiscal discipline that has given us these rare and hard-won opportunities.
Balancing the budget has made a real difference. President Clinton's new economic
strategy has transformed the vicious cycle of budget deficits and high interest rates into a
virtuous cycle of budget surpluses and low interest rates.
When interest rates fall, more Americans can buy homes & build buildings, pay
mortgages & retire student loans, and start businesses like yours. When deficits
disappear, capital -- more than $1 trillion so far -- is liberated to create wealth, create
jobs, and create opportunity at every level of our economy.
In an age of worldwide capital markets, America prospers by saving and investing, not by
running big deficits. We also must continue our engagement & strong leadership abroad;
and expand free and fair trade.
-- Our agenda includes CBI, Africa trade, WTO, China.
-- Premier Zhu Rongji's visit this week reminds us of the importance of that relationship.
Fiscal discipline means facing long-term challenges.
The President's plan, articulated in his State of the Union Address, does exactly that:
-- saves Social Security until 2049 by setting aside 62% of the surplus for 1.5 years;
-- strengthens Medicare until 2020 by setting aside 15% of the surplus for 15 years;
-- creates responsible targeted tax relief through USA Accounts;
-- & not only pays down the national debt, but completely eliminates it by 2018.
Fiscal responsibility also means balancing economic growth and environmental health.
-- The NRC has made a very strong case that these goals are more than compatible.
-- In the long-term, you can't have one without the other.
That idea underlies two new proposals by President Clinton and Vice President Gore:
1) our Livability Agenda
-- helping communities cut traffic congestion, save green space, & promote smart growth
2) our Lands Legacy Initiative
-- preserving places of natural beauty from the remote wilderness to the closest city park
The Lands Legacy Initiative will strengthen our administration's "no surprises" policy.
That, as you know, means "no surprises" to private landowners on future land use if they
agree to help protect endangered species -- protecting wildlife while promoting
development.
-- In 1992, there were only 14 of these "habitat conservation plans" in place.
-- Today there are 236, with 200 more under development.
-- Our administration's new guidelines will make them a permanent fixture.
-- I want to thank the NRC for their strong support of the "no surprises" policy.
This path of fiscal responsibility has led to the longest peacetime expansion in history.
The President is committed, as am I, to staying on that path & moving forward.
3
March 1, 1999
BUSINESS-GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COUNCIL (B-GRC)
DATE: Tuesday, March 2
TIME:
8:00 a.m.
LOCATION: Willard Hotel, Crystal Room
I.
PURPOSE
You have been invited to speak at an informal, off-the-record B-GRC breakfast, designed to give its
members an opportunity to meet you and discuss issues of importance to the business community. They
are expecting you to provide them with a brief overview of the Administration's agenda and to be
available for 15 - 20 minutes of discussion.
II.
BACKGROUND
Founded in 1966, the B-GRC is a non-profit association comprised of the top corporate executives from
the Washington offices of national business or industrial organizations. Unlike the Business
Roundtable and the Business Council, the B-GRC's membership consists solely of companies'
Washington representatives. The Council facilitates business-government relations through sponsorship
of seminars, forum discussions and policy meetings. Currently, the Council has 133 members and is
headed by Gregg Ward, who is also the senior vice president for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. (A
complete list of active members is attached.)
III.
AUDIENCE
70 people are scheduled to attend the sit down breakfast. A list of B-GRC members is attached.
IV.
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
-- Jay Dunn is available to accompany and staff you at the event.
-- Paulette Pidcock, who is coordinating the B-GRC event, will meet you in the lobby of the Waldorf,
and escort you to the breakfast.
-- After eating breakfast, you will be introduced by Paulette. You will be expected to speak for
approximately 10 minutes and take 15-20 minutes worth of questions.
V.
SITE LOGISTICS
The room will have 6-10 round tables. (The breakfast is a seated breakfast.) You will speak from a
podium at the front of the room.
VI.
PRESS
Closed press / off the record session.
BUSINESS-GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COUNCIL
TALKING POINTS
For more than 30 years, the B-GRC has worked to foster better government-business relations
and to promote an agenda that would help create jobs, grow the economy, lower inflation and
open markets.
While the Administration and business haven't always agreed on particulars, we have shared a
common vision -- working to develop a healthy, long-term stewardship of our economy and
social policy.
Over the last six years, we have been very successful:
-- nearly 18 million new jobs; a remarkable 93% of them in the private sector;
-- longest peacetime expansion in history;
-- lowest inflation in 30 years;
-- America is leading the world in exports.
Most important, this record is inclusive, not exclusive:
-- corporate profits are up, and incomes for working families are up;
-- senior management compensation is up, but so are average real wages;
-- business investment is booming, and investment in depressed urban and rural areas is up.
Business deserves much of the credit for America's economic turnaround. Our industries have
never been stronger, more productive or more innovative.
The President has worked hard to create the economic conditions for prosperity through his
three part economic strategy of:
--- fiscal discipline
-- investments in people and technology;
-- more markets for American goods and services.
I want to talk to you about 1) these three pillars; 2) the priorities the President outlined out in
his State of the Union; and 3) take some of your questions.
First, the President's top priority is maintaining our fiscal discipline. Nothing has done more
for our economy. Deficit reduction has helped cut interest rates and freed up more than $1
trillion in capital for businesses like yours to make long-term investments.
To do so, the President has articulated two bottom line budget priorities: 1) paying down the
debt; and 2) addressing our long-term fiscal challenges of Social Security and Medicare.
The President's plan would use the surplus over the next 15 years:
-- 62% to strengthen Social Security and extend its Trust Fund life to 2049;
-- 15% to strengthen Medicare and extend its trust fund life to 2020;
-- 12% to provide responsible, targeted tax relief through USA Accounts;
-- 11% to address vital needs such as education, military readiness, research and development.
This plan is right for America. It:
-- meets our obligations to the future;
-- helps reduce our debt to its lowest level since 1917;
-- provides targeted, responsible tax relief (child care, long-term care, business investment)
It also frames the debate in the right way: Do we invest the surplus in a way that addresses
some of our most important, long-term issues? Or do we spend it on a consumption oriented
tax cut?
Second, the President is calling for increased investments in our people -- especially in
education and training. Already, we've nearly doubled these investments (HOPE Scholarship,
100,000 teachers, tax credits, life-long learning) and provided the workforce the type of training
the need for the future.
In particular this year we will focus on holding states and school districts accountable for
results. They must:
-- end social promotion;
-- turn around / close down the worst-performing schools;
-- raise standards for teachers;
-- increase public school choice (charter schools);
-- adopt sensible discipline policies.
We are not looking for greater federal control; we are lifting our sites and raising expectations -
- just as we are asking our children to do.
This also means working to improve health care through a strong, enforceable Patients' Bill of
Rights:
-- continuity of care;
-- right to see a specialist;
-- emergency room treatment.
Finally, the President will continue to expand free and fair trade.
The President is committed to securing Fast Track negotiating authority -- as am I. But I really
believe that the battle over Fast Track is much bigger than a battle over the merits of free trade.
For 50 years, and 10 presidents, America has held a unified front on foreign policy and trade.
Today, that consensus is under fire:
-- there is a turn toward isolationism;
-- there are increased calls for greater export controls;
-- we experienced criticism over: IMF, support for Latin America, and engagement with China.
We have a lot of work ahead of us. We must forge a new consensus not only on trade but on
our national interests in changing the post-Cold War world. We must make the public
understand that:
-- engagement abroad is vital for continued growth and security;
-- the only way to put America first is to continue American leadership in the world
-- our agenda includes: CBI, Africa Trade, WTO, China accession
As for Fast Track, we must recognize concerns over: 1) displaced workers; and 2) labor and
environmental standards. We can address these concerns, as the President has said, by working
together to build a new consensus on trade.
The President is strongly committed to carrying forward the economic strategy that has helped
American businesses and workers. And you remain an important part of this strategy.
Now, I'm open for a few questions.
From: David Halperin on 04/06/99 01:31:24 PM
Record Type: Record
To:
Jeffrey A. Shesol/WHO/EOP
CC:
Tomasz P. Malinowski/NSC/EOP, Ted Widmer/NSC/EOP, Wendy E. Gray/NSC/EOP
Subject: For Podesta remarks
As you know, much effort at the White House this week is focused on foreign
policy, particularly on two issues that will have a profound impact on the security
and prosperity of all Americans - the crisis in Kosovo and our relationship with
China.
In Kosovo, we are working with our eighteen NATO allies to strike at Serbia's
machinery of repression, allow the Kosovar Albanians to return home, and bring
stability to Southeast Europe. We launched strikes only after exhausting diplomatic
efforts, only after Mr. Milosevic rejected a fair and balanced peace agreement for
Kosovo and instead intensified a year-long campaign of ethnic violence against the
Kosovars.
Mr. Milosevic is responsible for this crisis. As President Clinton has said, Mr.
Milosevic can end it, now, by withdrawing his forces from Kosovo; accepting
deployment of an international security force; and making it possible for all refugees
to return as we move toward a political framework based on the Rambouillet
accords. Empty promises and token gestures from Mr. Milosevic won't do the
trick. If Mr. Milosevic does not do what is necessary, NATO's campaign will
continue until we prevail. We must prevail to end the suffering and to build a
peaceful Europe that can be America's partner for progress and prosperity.
Rongji
In the midst of this crisis, Premier Zhu Ronghi of China is arriving for important
talks with the President. We strongly believe it is in America's interest to
strengthen cooperation with China where we can act together for mutual benefit,
while speaking candidly and directly about areas including human rights where
we disagree. We have worked constructively with China to promote peace on the
Korean Peninsula and elsewhere and to limit the spread of weapons of mass
destruction. Broader economic relations have increased opportunities for American
businesses, workers and farmers - and also helped spread the message of freedom
in China. And we hope soon to reach an agreement that will bring China into the
World Trade Organization on fair terms, thereby providing even more opportunities
for Americans. [We have no illusions about China, and we will always protect our
national interests. Where we can promote those interests through cooperation with
China, we will continue to do so. A strategy of confrontation for confrontation's
sake will accomplish nothing.]
Forwarded by David Halperin/NSC/EOP on 04/06/99 01:12 PM
Peter Umhoter duterior
208-6011
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
NO SURPRISES POLICY
endangered spec.act
was we provide property owners
assomance do rt tring by
endangered spec., we arme no
surprises.
-om commitment - to making this
policy perm. which is good
part of
Habitar Consew. plan
- agree b/w us 1 landowner
on end. spec.
- see todays Fed pg. : agencies-
new guidlines to strengthen
process.
- (Third)
way of protecting end. apec. while
accommodating landowner
Jeffrey A. Shesol
02/24/99 02:13:30 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Michael Waldman/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject: sprawl langauge for Tuscon
They've got to be kidding. Can we talk about this, as a general matter, at least? Thanks.
Forwarded by Jeffrey A. Shesol/WHO/EOP on 02/24/99 02:12 PM
Elliot J. Diringer
02/24/99 02:10:32 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Jeffrey A. Shesol/WHO/EOP
cc:
Fred DuVal/WHO/EOP, Beth A. Viola/CEQ/EOP
Subject: sprawl langauge for Tuscon
A strong community is a livable community. It's easy to see why so many people are
moving to southern Arizona -- where else can you play golf 365 days a year? But as you're
seeing, new growth brings new stresses and strains. Traffic congestion. Overcrowded schools.
The challenge -- the same challenge being faced by communities across the country -- is to
grow in ways that ensure a high quality of life and strong, sustainable economic growth. And
I'm pleased to see the remarkable efforts under way here to meet that challenge -- to
accommodate new people and new growth, while preserving the extraordinary landscapes that
are so much a part of your history and culture.
We're committed to helping you meet that challenge. Vice President Gore and I have
proposed a new Livability Agenda, to give communities new tools and resources to reduce
traffic congestion, save green space, and promote smart growth. Working in partnership, we
can build livable communities for the 21st century.
livability
So Arizona is already facing some of the challenges I spoke of in my State of the Union
Address one month ago. As your communities and your regional economy grow, you are
working to maintain your high quality of life and preserve the spectacular landscapes that mean
so much to your history and culture. And we will work with you to meet that challenge: Vice
President Gore and I have proposed a new Livability Agenda, to give communities new tools and
resources to reduce traffic congestion, save green space, and promote smart growth.
1
Joshua S. Gottheimer
04/06/99 10:30:40 AM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Jeffrey A. Shesol/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject: livability
Forwarded by Joshua S. Gottheimer/WHO/EOP on 04/06/99 10:30 AM
Jeffrey K. Nussbaum @ OVP
04/06/99 10:18:38 AM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Joshua S. Gottheimer/WHO/EOP
cc:
Subject: livability
Livablty.11
This is the big one:
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
For Immediate Release
September 2, 1998
REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE
THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
Wednesday, September 2, 1998
Since it was first seen by human eyes, the new world has been a
revelation to the old. The American countryside used to make travelers
stand still in astonishment. That's how beautiful it was.
From the Lakota storytellers who described the vast clearness of
the Western sky as a metaphor for inner courage; to the Hudson River
painters whose canvases and brush strokes grew ever larger and wider in
an effort to show old Europe just how majestic were the cliffs of the
Storm King; from Thoreau, who saw an entire pilgrimage in a still body
of water in a Massachusetts meadow; to Mark Twain, who wrote back to his
Eastern readers that the Tahoe depths were so lucid, you could see
straight down a mile to the stones on the lake's bed; to Spanish
settlers who named the high places in California after the views they
commanded -- Buena Vista and Alta Vista; all these Americans knew that
their home was a place of natural grace.
This nation's cities and villages used to be a model of civil life.
We were the experts at creating the gathering-places, the very
architecture, that set the stage for democracy: the Puritans built their
villages around common greens; the livestock grazed there, but, more
importantly, the village green was where news was proclaimed, and where
neighbors chatted or argued over the issues of the day.
As our cities grew, their life took the vibrant shape of America:
the mixed-use building of dwellings over small shops allowed people to
work long hours, raise families close by, and start the climb up the
economic ladder; as the nineteenth century drew to an end and America
looked around at its new wealth and diversity, the City Beautiful
movement was inaugurated: proud civic buildings -- libraries and post
offices, town halls and colleges, parks and recreation areas for working
men and women's days off, ornate commercial buildings and statuary --
proclaimed to the world that though Cleveland or Milwaukee or Corvallis
or Tuscaloosa were new, they had plenty to be proud of.
The great civic buildings and recreation areas drew the people
together in the heart of the cities: at best, the working people mingled
with the affluent, Latin families picnicked alongside Anglos, and
students of Chinese parentage sat in reading-rooms alongside those whose
folks were Irish. The civic spaces, by drawing people together in pride
and enjoyment, also helped create the diversity and self-respect that
characterized our bold new country.
In the hearts of our cities, those who are willing to seek them
still find the precious gifts of culture and history. Our communities
are a reflection of who we are as a people, and where we have been.
From 18th Street and Vine District in Kansas City; to the Bronzeville
area in Chicago, one of the homes of jazz; to historic Beale Street in
Memphis -- our cherished landscape tells the story of how we came to be
just who we are.
We can still see the greatness of what those Americans saw in our
natural and civic landscape -- but all too often, in too many places, we
see only traces of that greatness, because over the last thirty years,
bad planning has too often distorted our towns and landscapes out of all
recognition. We drive the same majestic scenery, but in too many
places, the land we pass through is often burdened by an ugliness that
leaves us with a quiet sense of sadness. The burden is national. No
state has escaped it.
From the desert Southwest to the forested Northeast, from the most
pristine snowfields in Alaska, to the loveliest hollows of the Carolinas
-- thickets of strip development distort the landscape our grandparents
remember. We walk through the hearts of the cities, but so often the
downtown is a wasteland of boarded-up storefronts that goes silent at
night, as commuters start their grueling commute to further and further
periphery suburbs.
Many of our walkable main streets have emptied out, and their small
shops closed, one by one, leaving a night-time vacuum for crime and
disorder. Acre upon acre of asphalt have transformed what were once
mountain clearings and congenial villages into little more than massive
parking lots. The ill-thought-out sprawl hastily developed around our
nation's cities has turned what used to be friendly, easy suburbs into
lonely cul-de-sacs, so distant from the city center that if a family
wants to buy an affordable house they have to drive so far that a parent
gets home too late to read a bedtime story. In many such developments,
an absence of sidewalks, amenities, and green spaces discourages
walking, biking, and playing -- and kids learn more about Nintendo and
isolation than about fresh air and taking turns.
Houses in such places were built fast and heedlessly by bulldozing
flat an ecosystem, and ripping out the century-old trees that had
sustained the neighborhood's birds and wildlife. People move in and
make their lives, but as the bulldozers leapfrog their dreams, they
begin to long for something they remember -- the meadow that used to be
the children's paradise at the end of the suburban street, the local
shops where neighbors passed the local news from one to another, the
park where families shared picnics.
The problem which we suffer in too many of our cities, suburbs, and
rural areas is made up of so many different pieces that until recently
it has been a problem that lacked a name. "Sprawl" hardly does justice
to it.
But Americans are resourceful people. While the blight of poor
development and its social consequences have many names, the solutions,
pioneered by local citizens, are starting to coalesce into a movement.
Some call it "sustainability;" some call it "smart growth;" others refer
to "metropolitan strategies;" still others prefer to talk about
"regionalism." In New York and Portland, in towns like Celebration in
Florida and in other areas nationwide, it's been called the movement for
"liveability." And that's as good a word as any to describe the many
solutions that local citizens are crafting.
This movement across the country is showing us how we can build
more liveable communities places where families work, learn, and
worship together where they can walk and bike and shop and play
together -- or choose to drive -- and actually find a parking place! --
and get out and have fun.
A liveable suburb or city is one that lets us get home after work
fast -- so we can spend more time with friends and family, and less time
stuck in traffic. It is one that restores and sustains our historic
neighborhoods, so they are not abandoned and bulldozed under, but are
alive with shops and cultural events. It is one that preserves among
the new development some family farms and green spaces -- so that even
in the age of cyberspace, kids can still grow up knowing what it's like
to eat locally-grown produce, or to toss a ball in an open field on a
summer evening. Most of us can't afford to travel to Yellowstone or the
Grand Canyon when we want to enjoy the rich American landscape; a
liveable neighborhood lets you and your spouse walk through a natural
ecosystem as you simply take an evening stroll down your street.
A liveable community cares about parks as well as parking lots, and
develops in a way that draws and local strength and uniqueness --
resisting the "cookie-cutter monster" that has made so much of our
country look all the same.
And increasingly, in the 21st Century, a liveable community will be
an economically powerful community: a place where a high quality of life
attracts the best-educated and trained workers and entrepreneurs. A
place where good schools and strong families fuel creativity and
productivity. A place where the best minds and the best companies share
ideas and shape our common future.
So many towns and suburbs are building more livable communities,
and showing that you can embrace community development while growing
stronger economically in the process. Indeed, first and foremost, our
cities, suburbs, and neighborhoods need continued economic growth and
strength to thrive.
That is why our efforts to make communities more livable today must
emphasize the right kind of growth sustainable growth. Promoting a
better quality of life for our families need never come at the expense
of economic growth. Indeed, in the 21st Century, it can and must be an
engine for economic growth.
In the last fifty years, we've built flat, not tall: because land
is cheaper the further out it lies, new office buildings, roads, and
malls go up farther and farther out, lengthening commutes and adding to
pollution. This outward stretch leaves a vacuum in the cities and
suburbs which sucks away jobs, businesses, homes, and hope; as people
stop walking in downtown areas, the vacuum is filled up fast with crime,
drugs, and danger.
Drive times and congestion increase; Americans waste about half a
billion hours a year stuck in traffic congestion. An hour and a half
commute each day is ten full workdays a year spent just stuck in
traffic. The problem isn't the cars themselves; for so much of this
century, cars have given us the chance to chase our dreams. We just
never expected to hit a traffic jam along the way.
So the exhausted commuter seeks affordable housing further out --
and can't help pushing local farmers out of business, since family farms
can't pay the rising property taxes. Orchards and dairy farms go under;
the commute gets even longer; and nobody wins, least of all our
children. America, which is losing 50 acres of farmland to development
each hour, could become the largest net importer of food, instead of the
world's largest exporter by the next century.
This kind of uncoordinated growth means more than a long drive to
work; it means a half hour to buy a loaf of bread; it means that working
families have to spend thousands of dollars a year more on
transportation costs when they might want the option of spending that
money on a year of a good college for a son or daughter. It means that
people coming off welfare and eager to work, especially if they have
children, find that they don't have a way to reach an available job and
still pick a child up from day care.
It means mothers isolated with small children far from play-mates,
and old people stuck in their homes alone. Air and water quality go
down; taxes go up; there are no sidewalks, and even if there were, there
is nowhere to walk to.
We gather at the mall, but there is nowhere to sit outside with
family on a fine day. Suddenly we see: this is not the community we
were looking for.
I often refer to the well-known theory called "broken windows."
When a criminal sees a community with broken windows, garbage strewn on
the street, and graffiti on the walls, there is a powerful but unspoken
message: if you're looking for a place to commit a crime, it's here,
because we have a high tolerance for disorder.
If a young family is looking for a place to live, or an
entrepreneur is looking for a place to start a business, what kind of
message does a community send if there are no parks and green spaces;
nowhere to shop and walk and play with your children; no running paths
to help people stay well and productive; no nearby countrysides or
family farms?
The message is clear: you'd better not raise your family here,
because we don't value the quality of life you want. But a liveable,
walkable, playable community - like a safe community or a good, modern
classroom, sends a very different message: we care about this place, and
you should, too.
So many generations moved out to the suburbs to find the good life
-- more space, more safety, more privacy, and a better quality of life.
Today, it is where the vast majority of new jobs are created. We should
be able to reclaim that dream.
We're starting to see that the lives of suburbs and cities are not
at odds, but intertwined. No one in a suburb wants to live outside a
dying city.
No one in the city wants to be trapped by surrounding rings of
parking lots instead of thriving, liveable suburban communities. And no
one wants to do away with the open spaces and farmland that give food,
beauty, and balance to our post-industrial, speeded-up lives.
Fortunately, all across America, communities are coming together to
meet these new challenges of growth -- to restore historic
neighborhoods, to protect centuries-old farmland, to turn shopping malls
into village squares, to preserve both our natural and our cultural
heritage. These communities are proving that America can grow according
to its values which include goodness, but also include beauty. By
working together, they show us we can build an America that is not just
better off, but better.
What is being gained is not just liveability, but new life for our
democracy.
As citizens come together to plan their common future -- as they
realize that they can make a difference right in their own neighborhoods
-- we open the door to more vibrant civic life and self-government on a
much broader scale. That is why smart, green growth must happen at the
local and community level.
The American Heritage Rivers initiative rewards communities that
restore their rivers and waterfronts. Empowerment zones unite
communities to revitalize central cities. These initiatives reveal that
rediscovering the pride of place, the delight of home, has an
unparalleled power.
In the words of Daniel Kemmis, who was one of several thinkers who
joined Tipper and me at our home early in 1997 for a series of
discussions on this subject, "what holds people together long enough to
discover their power as citizens is their common inhabiting of a single
place." In other words, to paraphrase the TV show: "everyone needs a
place where everybody knows your name." When I was a child, I lived in
a community just like that -- Carthage, Tennessee. I've often described
it as a place where people know about it when you're born, and care
about it when you die. There are a lot of Americans who want to live in
a community that has that feeling.
Let me share a few examples of what is happening across the
country:
Consider Chattanooga, a city of black and white families, both
affluent and working class, in my home state of Tennessee. Like the
Spanish settlers who made their home on the Buena Vista, Chattanooga's
founders were entranced by the beauty of the land that lies between two
majestic mountains and a sweeping bend of the Tennessee River. Each
feature of the landscape speaking to the soul, in Wordsworth's memorable
phrase, "like a mighty voice." But by the time I was growing up, that
voice had grown hoarse. The smog was so thick people couldn't even see
the mountains. The air was so polluted that on some occasions, when
women wore nylon stockings outside, their legwear would actually
disintegrate from the pollution. The riverfront was littered with
dilapidated warehouses and a vacant high school, and the town's oldest
bridge was considered so unsafe the state wanted to tear it down.
According to one council member, in Chattanooga, "the prosperity of one
generation became the burden of the next one."
Then the people of Chattanooga decided to reclaim the natural
beauty of the place. More than 2,500 people turned out for public
meetings and listening sessions. They looked at pictures of different
neighborhoods and communities, and were consulted for their ideas and
preferences. Students proposed turning the old warehouses into an
aquarium that families could visit. Soon after, the vacant high school
reopened as a nationally-recognized magnet school. The old bridge was
reinforced, and reopened as the country's longest pedestrian walkway
over a river, a beautiful sight. As Tennessee?s Senator, I was proud to
help Chattanooga develop an electric bus system to give people an
alternative to all those hours in traffic. And best of all -- just as
those students had dreamed -- those old warehouse properties were turned
into the largest freshwater aquarium in the world -- attracting 1.3
million visitors every year since it has opened, making kids, fish, and
retailers very happy. Today, Chattanooga is not only cleaner than it
has been in decades -- it is led the entire state in job growth for the
first half of last year.
In St. Paul, people like Mary Gruber are showing us the power of
citizen action. She is a nurse living with her husband -- a pipe fitter
-- in the working class north end of St. Paul. She is also active in
the St. Paul Ecumenical Alliance of Congregations. In the early
1990's, she met a social worker who told her that she spent the first
six weeks of every school year looking for shoes for kids. She saw that
poverty was undermining their community's efforts to provide a good
education. But when she wondered where all the jobs would come from,
all she saw in her neighborhood were abandoned old factories. Doing a
little research, she found that there were more 4,000 acres of abandoned
factories in inner cities, barring job growth.
Together with the members of her religious coalition, she helped
bring together 45 inner-city and suburban churches, environmental
groups, developers, and government officials to clean up those old sites
and bring jobs back. They came up with their own slogan: "Turn Polluted
Dirt Into Paydirt." They held rallies, they sent letters, they met with
state legislators. And they persuaded the legislature to pass a
seven-year plan to reclaim 175 acres of polluted sites, create more than
2,000 new jobs there, and leverage up to $70 million in private
investment in the once-neglected community. One of them summed it up
this way: "I hate to sound like a civic cheerleader, but you come away
thinking that this is worth your time." In St. Paul, changing the
physical landscape meant a change for the better in people's lives.
In Routt County, Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains, residents and
businesses became concerned that an explosion of year-round resorts and
tourism could degrade the character of their small ranching and mining
community. On summer weekdays, in a town with a population of just
15,000, it wasn't unusual for 28,000 cars to crowd the main street. One
bank president said: "It's not a question of whether we are going to
grow. It's a question of how we're going to manage that growth to
maintain the things we all came here for." They also realized that
destroying their rural way of life would only hurt tourism. So more
than 1,000 residents worked on a plan called "Controlling Our Own.
Destiny," which led to plans for affordable housing, more open space,
and better transportation and schools.
More than 10,000 acres have been set aside as permanent
land-ranches that the town can grow around. And former adversaries,
from ranchers to business people to conservationists, are now working
together for strong, sustainable, and beautiful growth.
Then there is the City of Detroit. We all remember how Detroit
seemed to be in a free-fall just a few years ago losing jobs, losing
businesses, gaining crime and poverty. Distrust between the city and
the surrounding suburbs was the norm. Today, Detroit is experiencing an
economic renaissance and much of that progress is due to Mayor
Archer's efforts to work with the surrounding counties.
Our Empowerment Zone in Detroit not only helped to attract $4
billion in private investment and thousands of jobs to the once-ravaged
city core, it also linked the zone's residents with available jobs out
in the suburbs. The natural surroundings benefit, too. Communities have
come together to protect and preserve the Detroit River as one of our
new American Heritage Rivers. Thirteen communities, three counties, and
the state have banded together to fight urban blight along Detroit's
northern border. And last year, city residents even approved $38
million in improvements for recreational facilities located out in the
suburbs. Diverse religions are seeing a common interest. They all
realize that the only way to achieve growth and prosperity for everyone
is to work together.
In the 1970's, Portland, Oregon was consuming 30,000 acres of its
rich agricultural land every year, and threatening the pristine forests
leading to Mount Hood. To protect the land, Portland passed a smart
growth plan -- creating a more walkable, liveable community while
preserving historic areas rather than builder farther and farther out.
They were told that it would be impossible that the new emphasis on
quality of life would force out businesses and force down property
values. Instead, the opposite has come to pass: high-tech campuses
sprung up, home values have increased, Portland's population swelled
with families fleeing sprawl and congestion elsewhere -- and a new light
rail system has attracted 40% of all commuters.
Today, the environment is better protected; developers advertise
"not sprawl but community villages;" new developments, crafted with
care, boast community spaces, light rail stations, and on-the-block day
care; and Portland?s community spirit is one of joy.
As one newspaper described: "many of the newer companies in Oregon
-- like Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and Hyundai -- say they moved here
because there are forests, fruit orchards and meandering creeks just
across the street from the contained urban areas. The employers said
they wanted to locate in an area that could attract educated workers who
were as interested in quality of life as a paycheck." Or as one Intel
employee put it: "companies that can locate anywhere they want will go
where they can attract good people in good places." Coming together as
a community made good common sense.
And we see this kind of success across the nation -- from Chicago
to Fresno to South Florida to Indianapolis to San Antonio.
How, then, can the federal government encourage and strengthen
smarter, more liveable, sustainable growth? Again, smart growth is
about local and community decisions, and we don't want to tell anyone
where to live, or where to locate a business. But I believe there is an
important role for federal support for local energies.
We, the federal government, can start by getting our own house in
order, and making it look good. We should start paying closer attention
to liveability and smart growth in the building and planning we provide
to taxpayers -- such as where we locate new libraries, post offices, and
so on, and whether we should fix up old beautiful old buildings in
historic areas before rushing to build bland new ones farther out.
Secondly, we can get our own house in order by reexamining federal
policies that may have been well-intentioned, but have encouraged the
wrong kind of growth and runaway sprawl.
For example, in some cases, federal subsidies actually encouraged
communities to extend sewage lines far out into undeveloped areas,
rather than improving and expanding them in places where families
already relied on them. And until we changed the policy, the federal
government gave employers big subsidies to offer parking spaces to their
employees, but much less help in covering their mass transit costs. We
need a national dialogue on these kinds of policies.
Third, we can provide carefully targeted incentives to encourage
smarter growth such as support for mass transit and light rail
systems -- not to restrict growth in any way, but to reward growth that
strengthens family-friendly communities.
Fourth, we can play an enormously positive role as a partner with
cities, suburbs, and rural areas, as we have already started to do
through our empowerment initiative and through out work with the U.S.
Conference of Mayors and the National Association of County
Organizations on their Joint Center for Sustainable Communities. That
way, whole regions can create a vision and build together for their
common future.
President Clinton and I have already done a lot to make the federal
government a better partner part of the solution. We are cleaning up
old Brownfield sites and toxic waste dumps, and replacing them with
parks, new businesses, and new homes. The President's Council on
Sustainable Development has worked very hard to encourage better, more
liveable communities. Our community empowerment strategy is bringing
billions of dollars in new private investment to central cities, and
breathing new life into America's central cities. We have passed
targeted tax cuts for families, small businesses, and communities. We
are rebuilding and modernizing crumbling schools. Under our new
transportation bill, we are giving local communities an unprecedented
local control over the kind of infrastructure they choose, and we will
make sure that control is preserved. We are putting 100,000 community
police on the streets -- police who walk a neighborhood beat and know
the kids on the sidewalk by name. We have taken new action to help
local communities protect their farmland, wetlands, and private forests.
Today, on behalf of President Clinton, I am pleased to announce
three additional steps we will take to help encourage smarter growth and
more liveable communities all across America.
First, today I am announcing that FANNIE MAE will launch a new $100
million pilot program that will recognize an economic reality that has
long been ignored by our mortgage system: families that live near mass
transit save as much as hundreds of dollars a month, and therefore
should qualify for larger mortgages. These new location-efficient
mortgages, which come with a 30-year transit pass, will give families
more choices, by enabling them to live in more desirable neighborhoods,
with higher property values. They will also illuminate whether this
financial innovation will encourage smarter growth nationwide.
Second, I am announcing two new initiatives to give more
information to communities. We will offer grants that enable
communities to get and display federal information on easy-to-understand
computerized maps, to see all the parks and buildings and farmlands in
the region, and even predictions of future growth. This will make it
dramatically easier to envision and plan smarter, more liveable growth
for the future.
Third, we are taking new action to protect our farmland. On my
family's farm in Carthage, I learned a simple truth: if you lose an acre
of fertile farmland, you lose it forever. That's why, two years ago, we
reached out to states, tribes, and local governments and asked them to
help us protect our farmland through the purchase of easements. Today,
I am proud to announce today that we are awarding more than $17 million
to 19 states to ensure that thousands of acres of our best farmland are
preserved for generations to come. This investment will protect more
than 53,000 acres of precious farmland on 217 farms across America. Our
kids will see horses, cows, and farms outside books and movies.
This is just the beginning of a renewed federal commitment to
smarter, more liveable growth -- and I will be announcing additional
actions in the coming months. But in every case, our goal will be to
put more control, more information, more decision-making power into the
hands of families, communities, and regions -- to give them all the
freedom and flexibility they need to reclaim their own unique place in
the world. That is why I will begin this fall by holding several
listening sessions on smart growth and liveability, to hear first-hand
what is working, and what the federal government can do to become a
better partner. In the coming months, members of the President's
Cabinet will hold several additional sessions around the country as
well.
What is clear to the local and federal governments, more and more,
is something any parent has known when struggling to afford and then
protect a home: places matter to people; they shape people, for good or
ill. Our communities must be more than mere plots of bulldozed land,
more than mere networks of roads and soulless buildings. They must
allow us to come together, to walk and bike and play with our children,
and to know that we can shape the communities we want for their
children. They are a reflection of who we are as a people.
We must preserve and protect what is special about our natural
landscape, and about our man-made landscape as well. That is why
America must always seek strong and aggressive growth -- but growth that
is consistent with local values.
Wallace Stegner once reminded us that, as deeply as we treasure the
mythic cowboys and pioneer men and women and lone rangers who tamed
America's great frontier, we treasure our traditions of homesteading and
community-building just as much. As Stegner wrote: "This is the native
home of hope. When [America] fully learns that cooperation is the
pattern that most characterizes and preserves it, then it will have
achieved itself and outlived its origins. Then, [we have] a chance to
create a society to match [our] scenery."
All across America, you and your neighbors have started to do just
that. And it's high time. Because this land is your land. From
California to the New York island -- from the Redwood Forests to the
Gulf Stream waters -- this land was made for you and me. Thank you --
and God bless our most beautiful nation, America.
http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.oma.eop.gov.us/1999/1/11/14.textl
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
For Immediate Release
January 11, 1999
CLINTON-GORE LIVABILITY AGENDA:
BUILDING LIVABLE COMMUNITIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
"In the 21st century, increasingly, a livable community will
be an economically powerful one.
-- Vice President Gore, Sept. 2, 1998
Vice President Gore is today launching a comprehensive Livability
Agenda to help communities across America grow in ways that ensure a
high quality of life and strong, sustainable economic growth. This
billion dollar initiative will strengthen the federal government's role
as a partner with the growing number of state and local efforts to
build "livable communities" for the 21st century.
Key elements of the interagency initiative -- to be included in
President Clinton's proposed FY 2000 budget -- will provide communities
with new tools and resources to preserve green space, ease traffic
congestion, and pursue regional "smart growth" strategies. As part of
the Livability Agenda, the Administration will continue to work with
and learn from states, communities, and other stakeholders, and to
develop new strategies to provide them with additional tools and
resources.
Livability Goals
The Clinton-Gore Livability Agenda aims to help citizens and
communities:
Preserve green spaces that promote clean air and clean water,
sustain wildlife, and provide families with places to walk, play
and relax.
Ease traffic congestion by improving road planning,
strengthening existing transportation systems, and expanding use
of alternative transportation.
Restore a sense of community by fostering citizen and private
sector involvement in local planning, including the placement of
schools and other public facilities.
Promote collaboration among neighboring communities -- cities,
suburbs or rural areas -- to develop regional growth strategies
and address common issues like crime.
Enhance economic competitiveness by nurturing a high quality of
life that attracts well-trained workers and cutting-edge
industries.
FY 2000 Livability Initiatives
The President's FY 2000 budget request to Congress will propose
significant new investments to support major Livability programs:
1 of 2
4/6/99 10:14 AM
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Better America Bonds -- To help communities reconnect with their
land and water, preserve green space for future generations,
and provide attractive settings for economic development, the
Administration is proposing a new financing tool generating
$9.5 billion in bond authority for investments by state, local
and tribal governments. The President's budget will propose tax
credits totaling more than $700 million over five years -- to
support Better America Bonds, which can be used to preserve
green space, create or restore urban parks, protect water quality,
and clean up brownfields (abandoned industrial sites) The
program will be coordinated through an interagency process.
Community Transportation Choices -- To help ease traffic
congestion, the proposed Department of Transportation budget for
FY 2000 will include a record $6.1 billion for public transit and
$2.2 billion -- a total 16 percent increase over FY 1999 -- to
aggressively implement innovative community-based programs in the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century: Such programs
provide flexible support to help communities create regional
transportation strategies, improve existing roads and transit,
and encourage broader use of alternative transportation. This
includes $1.6 billion for the Congestion Mitigation and Air
Quality Improvement Program, which supports state and local
projects that reduce congestion and improve air quality.
Regional Connections Initiative -- To promote regional "smart
growth" strategies and to complement the Administration's other
regional efforts, the Department of Housing and Urban Development
will provide $50 million as matching funds for local partnerships
to design and pursue smarter growth strategies across
jurisdictional lines. Strategies will include compact development
incentives, (b) coordinated reinvestment in existing
infrastructure, and (c) ways to manage reinforce the region's
overall development strategy.
Other Livability Initiatives -- The President's proposed FY 2000
budget will include funding for several other initiatives
supporting local livability efforts:
Community-Centered Schools -- A new $10 million grant program
administered by the Department of Education to encourage school
districts to involve the community in planning and designing new
schools.
Community-Federal Information Partnership -- A new $40 million
program funded by several agencies to provide communities with
grants for easy-to-use information tools to help develop
strategies for future growth.
Regional Crime-Data Sharing -- $50 million will be provided to
expand programs to help communities share information to
improve public safety. These programs will: (1) improve and
continue to computerize national, state, and local criminal
history records; and (2) develop or upgrade local
communications technologies and criminal justice identification
systems to help local law enforcement share information in a
timely manner.
The Livability Agenda integrates the commitments of more than a
dozen Federal agencies. The Agenda also supplements the various
programs that make up the Administration's Community Empowerment Agenda,
which is designed to encourage reinvestment in existing communities and
provide greater opportunity for their residents.
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
January 12, 1999
PRESIDENT CLINTON'S LANDS LEGACY INITIATIVE:
Forging a Conservation Vision for the 21st Century
January 12, 1999
President Clinton, in the FY 2000 budget he will submit to Congress, is
proposing a $1 billion Lands Legacy initiative to expand federal
protection of critical lands across America, help states and communities
preserve local green spaces, and strengthen protections for our oceans
and coasts.
This landmark initiative -- a 125 percent increase over FY 1999 funding
-- represents the largest one-year investment ever in the preservation
of America's lands legacy. It includes $900 million from the Land and
Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), marking the first time any
Administration has requested full funding from LWCF, which draws
revenues from federal offshore oil sales. To sustain these efforts in
the new century, the President commits to work with Congress to create a
permanent funding stream beginning in FY 2001.
The Lands Legacy initiative continues the Clinton-Gore Administration's
vigorous efforts to save America's natural treasures. And, by providing
significant new resources to states and local communities, it forges a
new conservation vision for the 21st century -- one that recognizes the
importance of preserving irreplaceable pieces of our natural legacy
within easy reach of every citizen.
Lands Legacy will be administered by the Department of the Interior
(DOI), $579 million; the Department of Agriculture (USDA), $268 million;
and the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), $183 million. It will be coordinated with the
$1 billion Livability Agenda announced by Vice President Gore of
January 11 through interagency cooperation and consultation.
In addition, the President is calling on Congress to extend permanent
wilderness protection to more than 5 million acres in 17 national parks
and monuments, including Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Great Smoky
Mountains and Cumberland Gap.
Saving America's Natural Treasures
Federal Acquisitions - The initiative increases federal land acquisition
funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund by 26 percent to a
total of $413 million ($295 million for DOI, and $118 million for USDA)
In recent years, the Administration has dedicated LWCF funds to
protecting Yellowstone National Park from mining, saving ancient
redwoods in California's Headwaters Forest, preserving Civil War
battlefields, completing the Maine-to-Georgia Appalachian Trail, and
acquiring more than 100 other natural and historic sites across the
country. Priorities for FY 2000 include acquisition of over 450,000
acres in California's Mojave Desert, 100,00 acres for addition to New
England wildlife refuges and national forests, and lands critical to the
ongoing restoration of Florida's Everglades.
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Protecting Our Parks - The President also is calling on Congress to
grant permanent wilderness protection to over 5 million acres within
Arches, Big Bend, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Crater Lake,
Glacier, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone
and Zion National Parks; Cedar Breaks, Colorado and Dinosaur National
Monuments; Assateague Island National Seashore/Chincoteague National
Wildlife Refuge; and Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. Granting
these areas the highest level of federal protection available would, in
the words of the Wilderness Act of 1964, recognize them as areas "where
the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man
himself is a visitor who does not remain.'
Helping States and Communities Preserve Green Spaces
Land Acquisition Grants - Lands Legacy includes $150 million through
LWCF for matching grants to state, local and tribal governments, and
nonprofit land trusts, for acquisition of land and easements for urban
parks, greenways, outdoor recreations, wildlife habitat, and coastal
wetlands. The DOI program retools the LWCF state grants program for
"smart growth" and open space preservation. Grants will be awarded on a
competitive basis, with priority going to projects consistent with
statewide "smart growth" plans.
Open Space Planning Grants - The initiative proposes a new $50 million
program of matching grants to states to develop open space preservation
and "smart growth" strategies. States would use a variety of data and
tools to identify priority areas for urban development, farmland, and
conservation. The program, administered by DOI, would award grants
competitively, with priority going to proposals that tie state plans to
regional strategies for managing the economy, job growth, and
infrastructure development.
Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund - The initiative
proposes $80 million -- a $66 million increase -- for state and local
land acquisition to protect threatened and endangered species. By
supporting Habitat Conservation Plans and other flexible tools under the
Endangered Species Act, the Fund promotes collaborative strategies that
sustain both wildlife and economic development. The program is
administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Forest Legacy Program - To protect private forest land that provides
critical wildlife habitat and is threatened by development, the
initiative proposes $50 million -- an increase of more than six-fold --
for matching grants to states for the purchase of permanent conservation
easements. Use of protected lands for forestry and compatible
activities is permitted. The program is administered by the U.S. Forest
Service (USFS), and the proposed funding would protect roughly 135,000
acres.
Urban and Community Forestry - The initiative proposes $40 million -- a
29 percent increase -- for matching grants to states and communities to
establish, maintain, and expand urban and community forests and related
green spaces. The program, administered by USFS, operates in
partnership with 8,000 volunteer organizations in more than 10,000
communities. The proposed funding would support 75,000 projects in
more than 10,000 communities.
Farmland Protection Program - To protect farmland and sustain rural
economies, Lands Legacy would provide $50 million in matching grants to
states, communities, tribes and land trusts for the purchase of
permanent conservation easements on farmland threatened by development.
The program, administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) was created by the 1996 Farm Bill. Through mid-1998,
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$35 million in federal funding had leveraged an estimated $230 million
in easements, protecting about 127, 000 acres.
Smart Growth Partnership - Lands Legacy proposes a new revolving loan
program to support acquisition of land and easements in rural areas.
The Partnership, administered by USDA, would make loans to intermediate
borrowers (state, local and tribal governments, and nonprofit
corporations), which in turn would loan funds to rural businesses; land
trusts and other nonprofit organizations. Proposed funding of $10
million would support $50 million in loans. Priorities are supporting
"smart growth" strategies and helping owners of underproducing forest
land at risk of sale improve forest productivity.
Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery - The initiative proposes $4 million
in matching grants and technical assistance for the restoration of parks
in economically distressed urban communities. The program, administered
by the National Park Service, awarded over 1200 grants from 1978 to 1995
but has remained unfunded since 1995.
Protecting Our Oceans and Coasts
National Marine Sanctuaries - Lands Legacy proposes $29 million -- a 107
percent increase -- to strengthen protections at 12 marine sanctuaries
off California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts,
North Carolina, Texas, Washington, and American Samoa, and to plan for
future marine sanctuaries. The funding will allow NOAA to accelerate
the adoption and implementation of management plans for existing
sanctuaries and expand outreach activities with coastal communities.
Coastal Zone Management Act Program - To help promote "smart growth"
strategies along America's coasts, the initiative proposes $90 million,
a 55 percent increase, to help states implement Critical Coastal Area
Management and Restoration Plans. The matching grants can be used to
acquire lands or to undertake other efforts to protect wildlife habitat,
protect life and property from coastal hazards, and revitalize ports and
urban waterfronts.
National Estuarine Research Reserves System. - The initiative proposes
$19 million, a 375 percent increase, to expand a network of critical
estuaries representing all the biological regions along America's
coasts. NOAA provides guidance and matching funds to states to acquire
land, protect resources and conduct research and education. Twenty-two
reserves in 19 states and territories manage about 500,000 acres. The
proposed funding would double the protected acreage.
Coral Reef Restoration - Lands Legacy proposes $10.3 million -- a $10
million increase -- to protect fragile coral reefs from pollution and
other human impacts. NOAA, in conjunction with DOI, would restore
injured reefs in Puerto Rico, Florida, Hawaii and U.S. territories, and
develop a coral nursery to grow donor material for restoration projects.
Coastal Dredge Area Restoration - The initiative proposes $10 million
for NOAA to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use material
dredged from ports and shipping channels to restore coastal habitats.
Dredging is critical to keep shipping lanes open and deepen channels to
accommodate larger ships. Reusing dredge spoils benefits the
environment and reduces disposal costs.
Fisheries Habitat Restoration - To restore declining fisheries, the
initiative proposes $25 million for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries
Service to acquire and protect critical habitat. Efforts would focus
on Northeast and Middle Atlantic coast, the Gulf Coast, the West Coast,
Alaska, and other regions that participate in the National Estuary
Program or have multiple threatened or endangered species.
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
For Immediate Release
January 11, 1999
REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY BY
VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE LIVABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT
Monday, January 11, 1999
I am here today to announce a bold new initiative to support
America's communities in their goals of growing according to their best
values. It is an initiative that will help us build more livable
communities in which to raise our families -- places where young and old
can walk, bike, and play together; places where we not only protect
historic old neighborhoods, but where farms, green spaces, and forests
can add life and beauty to the newest of suburbs; places where we can
work competitively, and still spend less time in traffic and more time
-- that most precious of commodities for the families we really are
with our children, our spouses, our friends.
Across America, we are discovering that livable communities --
places with a high quality of life -- are more economically competitive
communities. That may be why Nobel prize-winning economist Robert Solow
calls livability "an economic imperative.'
The way we build and develop determines whether economic growth
comes at the expense of community and family life, or enhances it. Now,
we have seen a new vision of how to build and plan better so that a
strong economy energizes the strong neighborhoods that support strong
families. By helping communities pursue smarter growth, we can build an
America for our children that is not just better off -- but better.
This particular building -- the American Institute of Architects --
is a suitable setting for presenting this important issue. You have
often, through the years, been the keepers of an American treasure we
are only beginning fully to appreciate: the architecture of community.
At our best in America, we have built for people gathering together:
from the open village greens of our serene old New England towns, to the
mixed-use downtowns of our most vibrant cities, to the leafy beauty of a
safe, well-thought-out suburb -- our architects and developers have a
rich tradition of building in ways that have enhanced civic life and
family well-being.
There is now a resurgence of interest in this kind of building for
people. Better planning is moving, in a grassroots way, from community
activists to local zoning board members to visionary retail and
residential developers. All of these Americans are putting together
parts of a bigger picture -- a way of life in which economic dynamism,
green spaces, and friendly civic streets all coexist. Some call it the
movement for "livability."
You know just how important this movement is -- and I know that is
why AIA started its exciting new Center for Livable Communities just
three months ago, to help communities with their growth strategies. In
too many places across America, the beauty of local vistas has been
degraded by decades of ill-planned and ill-coordinated development.
Plan well, and you have a community that nurtures commerce and private
life. Plan badly, and you have what SO many of us suffer from
first-hand: gridlock, sprawl, and that uniquely modern evil of
all-too-little time.
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Frank Lloyd Wright once said that a doctor can bury his mistakes
but an architect can only advise his client to plant vines.
If only it were that simple to remedy the mistakes that decades of
bad zoning and planning have imposed on our cities, suburbs, and natural
landscapes.
The problems? In many older communities, walkable main streets
have emptied out, leaving a nighttime vacuum filled with crime and
disorder. As I noted at the Brookings Institution last summer, the
sprawl that has developed around our cities has transformed easy
suburbs into lonely cul-de-sacs, so distant from commercial centers
that if a family wants an affordable house, a commuting parent often
gets home too late to read a child a bedtime story. Even worse, after
all those hours stuck in traffic, the freedom of the open road can
explode into commuting-induced road rage.
Development has become something to be opposed instead of welcomed;
people move out to the suburbs to make their lives, only to find they
are playing leapfrog with bulldozers. They long for amenities that are
not eyesores -- just as they long to give their kids the experience of a
meadow, that child's paradise, left standing at. the end of a street.
Many communities have no sidewalks -- and nowhere to walk to, which is
bad for public safety as well as for our nation's physical health. It
has become impossible in such settings for neighbors to greet one
another on the street, or for kids to walk to their own nearby schools.
A gallon of gas can be used up just driving to get a gallon of milk.
All of these add up to more stress for already overstressed family
lives.
This kind of sprawl is harder on families than just the long drive
to work and back; it means working families must sink thousands of
dollars into extra commuting costs, when they may want the choice of
devoting those funds to a year of state college. It means that people
leaving welfare and eager to work have no way to get to where their new
job is, and still pick up a child in day care. It means that resources
are siphoned away from older neighborhoods to build ever more distant
new amenities in new communities. It means that air and water quality
go down, and taxes go up. We can do better.
And we are -- guided by our citizens. The good news is that many
communities are coming together from families to local activists to
mayors and county executives -- to craft solutions. I've seen it with
my own eyes. In Sacramento, townspeople and developers reclaimed an old
brownfields site and turned it into a thriving residential community.
In Denver, the community is converting the old runways of Stapleton
Airport into an appealing new neighborhood with open spaces.
In Portland, I helped dedicate the new light rail system already
beloved by its users. It is easing traffic congestion, and building a
Portland with, in the locals' own words, "fewer arteries and more
heart.
"
This truly is a movement. In the 1998 election, more than 200
communities discussed and the vast majority adopted --- measures' to
manage sprawl and enhance local livability.
The time has come to learn from this citizen ingenuity and apply it
to a bigger canvas. In the metropolitan Atlanta region, the average
working parent has to drive 34 miles a day. Taken all together,
metropolitan Atlantans are literally commuting long enough every day to
reach the sun. Atlanta is growing so far toward Chattanooga, and
Chattanooga toward Atlanta, that the joke is that the two will merge
into a huge, uninterrupted expanse of development called Chatlanta - or
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perhaps Atlantanooga. Fortunately, metropolitan Atlanta is now coming
together to seek a better way. And Chattanooga has long since become a
national and world leader in focussing its energies on smarter growth.
Of course, the federal government's role should never be that of
beauty commissar. It is not appropriate for us to get into the business
of local land use planning. But it is our job to work with states, such
as Governor Glendening's Maryland, to support their remarkable smart
growth efforts. It our job to amplify citizens' voices, and make it
easier for communities to get their hands on the tools they need to
build the way they want. It is our job to keep learning from community
successes, and do what we can to support them.
At its heart, this is about seeing the practical wisdom that lets
us leave behind false choices. It need not be citizens versus
developers, business versus the environment, cities and suburbs versus
meadows and farmlands. When we see our connectedness and craft
solutions for the common good, we see that the right solutions are good
for business, as well as for the environment and for families
The regions that have embraced livability have learned that it
doesn' just generate common sense -- it generates dollars and cents
too. Companies such as Intel and Hewlett Packard can go anywhere. As
livable communities have learned to their joy, they go where the quality
of life is high, because that is where qualified people want to live.
Today, I am proud to take the first big step in this effort by
launching our new Livability Agenda for the 21st Century -- to help
communities have the tools and resources they need to preserve green
spaces, ease traffic congestion, promote regional cooperation, improve
schools, and enhance economic competitiveness.
First, I am pleased to announce that in the budget we will submit
to Congress next month, we are proposing $700 million in new tax credits
for state and local bonds to build more livable communities. These new
"Better America Bonds" will help communities reconnect to the land and
water around them, preserve open spaces for future generations, build
and renovate parks, improve water quality, and enhance economic
competitiveness by redeveloping old factories known as Brownfields.
We
estimate that this proposal will leverage nearly $10 billion of
investments in our communities over the next five years -- and will go a
long way toward preserving a high quality of life across America.
Second, we are taking new steps to ease traffic congestion SO
parents can spend more time with their kids and less time stuck behind
a steering wheel. Last year, President Clinton gave communities
unprecedented new opportunities to invest in mass transit and reduce
traffic congestion. Today, we are proposing the single highest
investment in public transit in history -- $6.1 billion to help
communities develop alternatives to building more clogged highways. We
are also proposing a record $1.6 billion for state and local efforts to
reduce air pollution and ease traffic congestion.
Third, we are taking new steps to promote regional cooperation, so
entire regions work together for smart growth and competitiveness.
Issues like traffic, air pollution, and jobs don't recognize defined
borders, and neither should our solutions. To promote cooperation among
neighboring communities, we are proposing a new $50 million Regional
Connections initiative -- to aid in the development of truly regional
game plans for smarter growth.
Finally, we are proposing targeted initiatives to help communities
meet the new challenges of growth in the 21st Century. In our
grandparents' day, schools and civic buildings were proud local
showpieces, and anchorstones for the architecture of community. At a
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time when too many schools are arbitrarily built in the middle of
cornfields, away from the center of communities, we are proposing a $10
million grant program to encourage school districts to involve the whole
community in planning and designing new schools -- a project the AIA
will be closely involved in as well. We are proposing nearly $40
million to provide communities with easy-to-use information and
technical assistance to develop strategies for smarter growth. And
since livable communities must be safe communities, we are proposing $50
million to promote the sharing of crime-data açross jurisdictions, to
track down criminals who cross state lines.
With the steps we are announcing today, we are taking citizens'
concerns to the top of the national agenda. With this, which is by far
the single largest investment in smart growth and sound community
planning in America's history -- we will help you build what we hear you
are asking for, and what is no less than you and your families deserve:
livable communities, comfortable suburbs, vibrant cities, and, for your
grandchildren's well-being and for their grandchildren's too, green
spaces all around and in between. Thank you all.
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Page 1
REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE
LIVABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT
Tuesday, January 12, 1999
We are here today to support America's communities in their goal of smarter
growth, while preserving the open spaces that make this nation so special -- and in
a minute, I will introduce President Clinton, who will make two announcements to
do just that.
It's a special honor for me to be introduced this morning by the
great-grandson of one of America's greatest conservationists, Theodore Roosevelt.
We all know Teddy Roosevelt as a great President. To me, he was more
than that. He was also a great Vice President.
When Teddy Roosevelt was Vice President, he was once caught in a hotel
fire, and ordered down to the lobby with the other guests. A clerk prevented him
from returning to his room, and TR said, "but I'm Vice President." The clerk let him
go but then stopped him and said, "hold on -- vice president of what?" Roosevelt
said, "the United States, of course." The clerk said, "then get back down here. 1
thought you were vice president of this hotel."
Nearly 100 years ago, Teddy Roosevelt knew that preserving the beauty and
natural wonder of this great land was vital not just to the health of our
environment, but also to the health of our families, the power of our economy, and
the strength of our communities. President Clinton and I have worked very hard the
past six years to govern from that same wisdom -- to craft solutions that are good
for families, business, and the environment.
Six years later, not only do we have the healthiest economy in a generation --
we have the cleanest environment in a generation. Today, we are preserving our
nation's rivers by bringing together businesses and communities through our
American Heritage Rivers Initiative. We're redeveloping thousands of acres of
contaminated land and rundown old factories -- by leveraging up to $28 billion in
private investment and creating 200,000 jobs. One day after 1998 was named the
hottest year on record, we are working to reduce the threat of global warming -- by
working with the Big Three automakers to develop affordable cars that are three
times more fuel efficient. We're working to reduce chemical contamination --
through a voluntary partnership with chemical companies. We are proving that we
can grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time.
We know: it's not enough just to protect our natural treasures. Many of the
green places and open spaces that need protecting most today are in our own
neighborhoods. In too many places, the beauty of local vistas has been degraded
Livabity 112
Page 2
by decades of ill-planned and ill-coordinated development. In too many places,
people move out to the suburbs to make their lives, only to find they are playing
leapfrog with bulldozers. They long for amenities that are not eyesores -- just as
they long to give their kids the experience of a meadow, the child's paradise,
standing at the end of a street. Many communities have no sidewalks -- and
nowhere to walk to, which is bad for public safety as well as for our nation's
physical health. It has become impossible in such settings for neighbors to greet
one another on the street, or for kids to walk to their own nearby school. A gallon
of gas can be used up just driving to get a gallon of milk. Too often, if a parent
wants to read a child a bedtime story, their only choice is to do it from a cell phone
while they're stuck in traffic. All of these add up to more stress for already
overstressed family lives.
The good news is that many communities are coming together to craft
solutions. In the 1998 election, more than 200 communities discussed -- and most
adopted -- measures to enhance livability. They understand: not only is smart
growth better for our families, but places with a high quality of life are more
economically competitive as well. We have been proud to play a role -- not by
telling communities what to do, but to help them do what they want to do.
Yesterday, I was proud to launch our new Livability Agenda for the 21st
Century, to help communities get the tools they need to preserve green spaces,
enhance economic competitiveness, and improve our quality of life. It includes a
proposed $700 million in tax credits for state and local bonds to build more livable
communities; new steps to ease traffic congestion -- including the single highest
investment in public transit in history; and new steps to promote cooperation and
sound planning among neighboring communities.
The message is clear: working together, we can build more livable
communities and protect our natural heritage for future generations while sustaining
economic growth well into the 21st Century. There is no person who understands
that better, no person who has worked harder to protect our resources and
preserve our heritage, no person who has worked harder to give our families and
communities the tools they need to make their hopes and dreams come true than
President Bill Clinton. He is here to tell us how we can build on that progress, and
to make two announcements to take the next step toward protecting our open
spaces and creating more livable communities. Ladies and gentlemen
President
Bill Clinton.
PAGE
19
4TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1997 Information Access Company,
a Thomson Corporation Company;
ASAP
Copyright 1997 American Institute of Biological Sciences
BioScience
October, 1997
SECTION: No. 9, Vol. 47; Pg. 560; ISSN: 0006-3568
IAC-ACC-NO: 20537724
LENGTH: 842 words
HEADLINE: Clinton plan - no-surprises policy; environmental policy
BODY:
97 ENVIRO
The Clinton Administration is formalizing a policy that protects property
owners from unexpected obligations under the Endangered Species Act. Called the
"no-surprises policy, it is part of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's attempt
to convince skeptics that species preservation and economic development can be
compatible.
The no-surprises policy encourages property owners to sign on to habitat
conservation plans (HCPs), which are designed to protect listed species and
their habitat on private lands. The HCPs allow developers and landowners to
destroy critical habitat or even to kill an endangered species incidental to
development, provided that they mitigate these activities so that the species as
a whole is no worse off.
A private forest owner, for example, might agree to set aside a section of
forest, plant new trees, or swap timber rights in order to protect an endangered
bird. In exchange, the federal government promises not to make more demands in
the future. "It signifies that a deal is a deal, Babbitt said in May, when he
proposed that no-surprises become a permanent regulation.
Congress created HCPs in 1982, but only 14 existed when President Clinton
took office. By 1998, they will number more than 400, covering 18.5 million
acres of private land inhabited by 300 jeopardized species. Interior Department
officials attribute this exponential growth in HCPs to the no-surprises policy.
"No-surprises was designed to aid people doing good conservation practices,"
says Ken Burton, spokesperson for the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) "It
assures them that they re not going to be held liable for something that was
unforeseen. "
"We're very pleased with the current rule, II says Roger Platt, national policy
counsel for the National Realty Committee, which represents commercial real
estate and developer interests. "The no-surprises policy tries to address the
fact that many landowners are not eager to enter into agreements with the
federal government unless they can be sure that once they have made a
substantial commitment in time, money, and land, the government will keep its
side of the bargain to allow economic development to proceed.'
is
PAGE
20
BioScience October, 1997
Many environmentalists agree that HCPs are a good idea in theory. The problem
is that no one knows if the plans, as implemented, are helping listed species.
Monitoring has been uneven at best, and not enough time has passed for
conclusive research. Moreover, many HCPs are likely to be flawed, either because
of a rush to put plans in place or because not enough is understood about each
species' survival. "What makes the no-surprises issue SO controversial and
heated is that many conservationists and scientists are looking at HCPs and
seeing major risks being taken with respect to species protection, says John
Kostyak, counsel for the National Wildlife Federation.
Consider the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, a southeastern species
threatened by habitat loss. According to Jerome A. Jackson, the Mississippi
State University biology professor who led the federal red-cockaded woodpecker
recovery team, USFWS signed off on many HCPs throughout the South that were in
reality just relocation plans designed to shift red-cockaded woodpeckers from
private to public land, with private landowners covering the costs. Essentially,
Jackson says, USFWS told landowners, "'You move the birds to federal lands, and
we'll count that as habitat conservation. Then the landowner destroys the
habitat to put in condos. That has happened again and again and again.
Researchers discovered that adult male woodpeckers refused to relocate to public
lands, Jackson says, and kept returning to original nesting sites - but the
trees were gone.
"Each time you implement any given policy, you're going to have situations
that come up that you didn't foresee," Burton says. However, the no-surprises
policy seems to shift the burden of unforeseen events from the landowner to
vulnerable species. That may be a flaw in the current policy, because although
many HCPs appear to be well designed, others do not.
By granting long-term assurances to property owners, the government may find
itself faced with a choice of watching species go extinct or coming up with
public funds to mitigate harmful activities allowed under the no-surprises
policy. "Our sense is the government needs to be realistic and sensitive to the
resources that it has available in deciding for how long a period of time they
can extend these assurances," says Michael Bean, chairman of the wildlife
program at the Environmental Defense Fund.
But the Interior Department seems to be in no mood to hear bad news. A June
press release from Babbitt announced that "Endangered species are flourishing
under our new reforms.'
The public comment period on no-surprises ended in July. Unless the comments
raise substantial concerns about the policy, no-surprises could be a federal
rule before the end of the year.
Beth Baker is a freelance science writer based in Takoma Park, Maryland.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
IAC-CREATE-DATE: November 15, 1998
LOAD-DATE: March 12, 1999