Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
323153502
label
Grand Canyon 9/18/91 [OA 8328] [1]
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
323153502
contentType
document
title
Grand Canyon 9/18/91 [OA 8328] [1]
citationUrl
identifierLocal
13769-005
collections
Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Backup Chronological Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
323153502
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
eec830fa7ca5f79d
ocrText
Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Backup Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13769
Folder ID Number:
13769-005
Folder Title:
Grand Canyon 9/18/91 [OA 8328] [1]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
21
6
1
a
UNITED STATES.
PROTECTION AGENCY
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
SEP 6 1991
THE ADMINISTRATOR
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Phil Brady
Dave Demarest
Bob Grady
Boyden Gray
Roger Porter
Tony Snow
SUBJECT:
President's Grand Canyon Remarks, September 18
Attached is a redrafted outline for the President's speech that includes some new
language.
In my view, this event and the President's remarks afford us the opportunity to obtain
significant credit for the Administration's environmental record.
Bie
William K. Reilly
Printed on Recycled Paper
I.
INTRODUCTION
-
Thanks to all; beautiful view; just visited some of the
visibility monitoring equipment; look forward to hike
this afternoon.
II. PROTECTING THE GRAND CANYON
-
One of America's greatest natural treasures, the crown
jewel of our national park system, and a source of
pride and enjoyment for millions of Americans. But over
the years, the Grand Canyon has been subjected to
pollutants from many sources that increasingly befoul
its air -- and that obscure and diminish its
magnificent vistas.
-
Today we have come to make amends, to reverse this
wrong, and to return this precious natural resource to
its original state. We are here to begin the process of
cleaning up the air in the Grand Canyon. And I am proud
to say that we are taking this major step as a result
of a remarkable agreement among industry, government,
and the environmental community.
-
Unparalleled agreement resolving over a decade of legal
battles, should serve as a model. Opposing parties came
to the bargaining table, honestly and openly discussed
their differences, and found solutions that protect the
environment at a cost that all can afford.
-
These parties included John McNamara of Salt River.
Project, Ed Norton of Grand Canyon Trust, and Bob
Yuhnke of the Environmental Defense Fund and
assisted by other leaders, such as Mark DeMichele of
the Arizona Public Service Company. Their efforts were
facilitated by Bill Reilly and his staff at EPA, and
their agreement was endorsed by many in the
environmental and industrial community. To all of you,
my thanks and the thanks of your countrymen.
-
It is worth noting that Federal clean air laws are
explicitly written, not just to protect the health of
the American public, but also to promote visibility.
It's been the law for some time now, but this
Administration is making it happen.
-
And so to our critics who ask, "Where's the vision of
the Bush Administration?," I say, "Come to the Grand
Canyon. And I ask them, "How's this for vision?" We
are the Administration that, quite literally, is going
to insure that you can see better and farther in this
great national park than at any time in recent history.
I'm talking about real improvements in vision and
visibility, a bluer, clearer sky, and more stars at
night.
But protecting the Grand Canyon requires more than
controlling the emissions of one power plant. Urban
smog -- coming over the mountains from Los Angeles --
nearby industries, and automobiles all contribute to
the Canyon's haze.
-
Our program, under the new Clean Air Act, will address
all of these problems:
Autos: clean cars, clean fuels, and better
maintenance; we will soon be announcing a new
proposal on reformulated gas, also developed
through a negotiation process, that will greatly
reduce the pollution from Los Angeles that now
contributes to the Grand Canyon haze.
Urban smog: joint effort by EPA, States,
industries, and the public to ensure steady
progress toward meeting all air quality standards
When we're finished, this Clean Air program will
reduce the amount of pollution entering the air
every year by 52 billion pounds -- 224 pounds per
year for every man, woman, and child
-
The Clean Air Act will also make the nation safe for
industrial growth. It will get business "off the hook,"
and off the defensive, and allow for good and healthy
growth.
III. THE CLEAN AIR ACT IN ACTION
-
Summarize CAA regulations already released
-
Keys to our success:
Developing regulations by consensus: The vote to
enact the Clean Air Act of 1990 was overwhelming
in both Houses. It reflected a national consensus.
This Administration has built that consensus right
into its regulatory decision-making process in two
landmark regulations (Navajo and Reformulated
Gas).
I should emphasize here that The Bush
Administration believes in rigorous enforcement of
environmental laws. Our numbers show a record
level of enforcement activity. But we also believe
in searching for alternatives to confrontation.
This Navajo/Grand Canyon agreement is a product of
that search -- and a payoff for those efforts. It
clearly shows that consensus building can be the
best way to make environmental programs work.
-
Market-based regulations:
Reduce cost and achieve more environmental
protection: We will propose next week Acid Rain
rules that will make it possible to reduce the
cost of environmental controls at the Navajo plant
by several hundred million dollars.
Unleash American ingenuity and know-how from all
sectors of the economy, large and small:
-
Ethanol derived from American grain and
methanol from natural gas to control carbon
monoxide in cities like Denver
-
ARCO's new clean gasolines in California
-
Monsanto, the St. Louis-based chemical
company, voluntarily reducing air toxic
emissions by 90 percent.
-
It's a "regulatory revolution" and there's more to come. I
compliment the key actors: business for recognizing that the
Clean Air Act reflects the deeply held aspirations of the
American people, environmentalists for recognizing that
there are sometimes better alternatives for faster progress
than confrontation and litigation, and especially our own
EPA for breaking with traditional regulatory approaches, and
taking the risks of opening up its processes -- consulting,
listening, and leading to results that benefit everyone.
Everybody wins, especially the American people!
IV.
CONCLUSION:
-
Every American has the right, not only to breathe clean,
fresh air, but to experience the mysteries of the heavens on
a starry night, and to enjoy the full magnificence of this
majestic canyon on a bright summer's day -- and every other
day of the year.
SENT BY:CEQ Jackson PI.
; 9-12-91 :11:33AM ;
2023953744->
6218;# 1
7 pages
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
HAVE
September 12, 1991
MEMORANDUM TO TONY SNOW
FROM:
DALE CURTIS m
RE:
GRAND CANYON SPEECH
Here is a top-of-the-head rundown of some concepts for the Grand
Canyon speech. I assume you have a copy of Fitzwater's statement
of August 9 with basic info.
Grand Canyon specific:
Some people approach environmental problems as though either
business or the environment have to suffer. In this case, both
of them won. This is a "win-win" solution, getting greater
emissions reductions at less cost than the federal bureaucrats
initially proposed.
The resolution of this problem illustrates at least three themes
of our environmental agenda:
--
Creative local partnerships (applying the expertise and
commitment of local folks, who usually come up with
better, more amicable solutions than bureaucrats in
Washington) 1
-
Stewardship of the outdoors (Bush has sharply increased
funds for parks, recreation areas, wildlife refuges,
etc.) with an emphasis on recreation areas) ; and
--
The clean air promise.
Also note the pioneering use by this Administration of
"regulatory negotiation" ("reg-neg") : getting all the parties in
a room to hammer out consensus in advance of rulemaking.
FYI: The Interior Department, under pressure from Congress, is
studying the ecological benefits that might result from changed
water flows through the Glen Canyon Dam.
The Grand Canyon is as well-known and evocative a symbol of
America as the Statue of Liberty.
Any local Indian lore?
Recycled Paper
SENT BY:CEQ Jackson PI.
; 9-12-91 11:34AM ;
2023953744-
6218;# 2
Broader environmental policy context:
To address the perception that Bush is "all hat and no cattle" on
the environment, it's effective to refer briefly to other
accomplishments (see attached propaganda).
For example, you might point out the "America the Beautiful"
initiative (sharply increasing funds for parks, recreation
areas, and tree planting), or our wetlands initiatives,
moving toward "no net loss" in a workable, scientifically
sound way.
In harmony with the current Congress-bashing for failure to enact
the President's domestic proposals, you might call attention to
the EPA-Cabinet bill or the national energy strategy, which
encourages energy efficiency, cleaner fuels, and responsible
development of all resources.
Conversely, you might do a little jujitsu to the President's
advantage, commending Congress for enacting much of his
domestic environmental agenda and emphasizing that the major
challenges on the horizon now are international (helping
Eastern Europe and Mexico, preparing for the Rio conference,
boosting environmental technology exports).
Even broader, "balancing" economy and environment
I dislike the term "balance" in speeches; it evokes an image of
policy-analyst bureaucrats measuring how much sacrifice to exact
from powerless subjects.
I prefer the President's rhetoric that we need "a new kind
of environmentalism" or this gem by Mark Lange: "To those
who suggest we're only trying to balance economic growth and
environmental protection, I say they miss the point. We are
calling for an entirely new way of thinking to achieve both
while compromising neither."
or this one from the CEQ Annual Report: "the goal of a
healthy environment may not be provided by markets acting
alone. But government regulations are blunt tools that
impose unforseen human costs. That's why we need to " use
market incentives, find least cost solutions, etc.
The corporate executives chosen for the President's new
Commission on Environmental Quality were chosen for their
demonstrated ability to improve the environment and make money
doing it, and we can supply facts and figures for any of the
companies on the Commission (e.g., on his western tour in fall
1989, the President praised the 3M Company's pollution prevention
program).
/ hope This is helpful - I'm available
to drop by today around 3:00 - Dr
SENT BY:CEQ Jackson PI.
; 9-12-91 :11:34AM ;
2023953744-
6218;# 3
THE PRESIDENT PROPOSES AND CONGRESS DISPOSES
Bush Proposal
Congressional Action
Elevate Environmental
Languishes behind the scenes,
Protection Agency (EPA) to
weighted with unrelated "rider"
Cabinet status
amendments
Increase Superfund budget
Cut the President's request by almost
by 23 percent over fiscal
10 percent every year for the last
1989 level
three years; Congress still has not
matched the President's original
proposal (for fiscal 1990) of $1.74
billion.
Increase funds for land
Cut the President's request for
purchases for national
1992 by more than 25 percent --
parks and forests by
including a 60 percent cut in the
69 percent over fiscal 1989
request for state grants
level
Devote $140 million in 1992
Cut the President's request by 60
to tree planting in urban
percent last year and between 40-55
and rural areas
percent this year
Target $400 million for
Zero funding
sewage treatment in U.S.
coastal cities and Tijuana
Allocate $23 million to
Zero funding
"Coastal America," a
coordinated interagency
effort addressing coastal
pollution and habitat loss
Full funding (over $124
Zero funded by the House; cut 27
million) for 1990 Farm Bill
by the Senate
program to preserve wetlands
SENT BY:CEQ Jackson P1.
; 9-12-91 :11:35AM ;
2023953744-
6218;# 4
ADMINISTRATION ENVIRONMENTAL
1
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND INITIATIVES ARE SUBSTANTIAL
CLEAN AIR: Proposed and signed the world's most protective
and market-oriented clean air laws, addressing acid rain,
urban air quality, toxic pollutants, and global ozone layer
protection.
Fostered agreements between industry and environmental groups
to require cleaner-burning gasoline and improved visibility in
Grand Canyon National Park.
OZONE LAYER PROTECTION: signed an international agreement
requiring a total phaseout of substances that deplete the
Earth's ozone layer.
signed legislation to move the U.S. phaseout timetable ahead
of the international deadlines.
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: Called for a global climate treaty to
be signed by world leaders at a June 1992 U.N. conference.
Launched efforts that will hold U.S. greenhouse gas emissions
at the 1987 level through 2030, even with economic growth.
Accelerated research fivefold, to roughly $1 billion.
OIL POLLUTION: Proposed and signed legislation and an
international protocol to strengthen oil pollution prevention,
liability, and response.
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: Began a long-term campaign to plant
and maintain one billion new trees per year in both urban and
rural areas.
The program also will expand and improve national parks,
forests, wildlife, and recreation areas.
FARM BILL: Signed the most environmentally-progressive farm
bill ever, addressing wetlands protection, tree planting,
pesticide use, water quality, and alternative farming.
COASTAL STEWARDSHIP: Postponed offshore oil and gas
development for up to 10 years in vast areas off the West
Coast, southern Florida, and New England pending further
environmental and resource analysis.
Secured agreements to ban ocean dumping of sewage sludge by
1992, and established a pilot medical waste tracking system.
1
As of September 1, 1991. List is not all-inclusive.
SENT BY:CEQ Jackson PI.
; 9-12-91 :11:35AM ;
2023953744->
6218:# 5
CABINET STATUS FOR EPA: Endorsed legislation to create a U.S.
Department of the Environment.
ANTARCTICA PROTECTION:
Signed legislation and an
international accord to strengthen environmental protection in
Antarctica and prohibit U.S. mineral exploration and
development there.
ENFORCEMENT: Collected 40 percent of all civil penalties in
EPA's history in the last two years.
Set new records for environmental felony indictments,
convictions, and prison sentences.
Filed landmark suits to protect the Everglades, Chesapeake
Bay, the Great Lakes, and the global ozone layer.
WETLANDS: Proposed improvements to the regulatory program to
simplify administration, increase scope of activities covered,
harness market forces for wetlands protection, and seek
scientific guidance on delineation and categorization of
wetlands.
Increased funds for research, protection, and enhancement from
$295 million in 1989 to $480 million in 1991, with a proposed
increase of 48 percent, to $710 million, in 1992.
Began purchase of lands to implement the U.S-Canada Waterfowl
Management Plan and expanded Everglades National Park by
106,000 acres.
ENTERPRISE FOR THE AMERICAS: Proposed new debt-for nature
swaps and creation of environmental trust funds to strengthen
long-term nature conservation efforts in Latin America and the
Caribbean.
MARKET-ORIENTED SOLUTIONS: Established economic incentives to
cut sulfur dioxide, ozone-depleting substances, and toxic
pollutants.
Launched the President's Commission on Environmental Quality
and EPA's "33-50" and "Green Lights" projects to protect the
environment through innovative, voluntary private sector
initiatives.
WILDLIFE: Enhanced wildlife protection on federal lands and
outlined a strategy for conservation of domestic biodiversity.
Led the international ban on international trade in African
elephant ivory, and persuaded nations to stop importing sea
turtle shells.
Led efforts to ban driftnet fishing and save marine mammals.
SENT BY:CEQ Jackson PI.
; 9-12-91 :11:36AM ;
2023953744-
6218;# 6
EDUCATION:
Adopted national education gaols, signed
legislation, and began interagency efforts, all of which will
improve environmental education in grades K-12 and colleges.
DEVELOPING COUNTRY ASSISTANCE: Provided assistance to Poland
and to the East European Environmental Center in Budapest,
Hungary.
Launched efforts to increase and coordinate joint U.S. -Mexico
environmental and economic programs.
Provided $150 million to the World Bank Global Environment
Facility and signed legislation to spur environmental impact
assessment by multilateral development banks.
SENT BY:CEQ Jackson PI.
9-12-91 :11:36AM
2023953744->
6218;# 7
SINCE 1989, MAJOR BUDGET INCREASES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
PROGRAMS
Table 1-1.-U.S. Budget for major environmental initiatives, 1989-1991.
SUMMARY OF
ACTUAL
ENACTED
MAJOR INITIATIVES
1989
1990
1991
million $
America the Beautiful
363
411
659
Land acquisition
206
237
342
Reforestation
-
I
70
Resource protection/recreation:
Department of the Interior
157
174
247
Legacy '99: DOI
517
563
819
Maintenance
347
373
435
Rehabilitation
50
84
221
Dam safety
78
62
104
Cleanup
42
44
59
Protecting America's wetlands*
201
283
299
Department of the Interior
94
126
181
Department of Agriculture
79
128
107
Environmental Protection Agency
9
13
22
Army Corps of Engineers
98
124
150
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Adm.
15
18
20
EPA operating budget
1,752
1,938
2,313
Superfund
1,410
1,530
1,616
Cleanup
532
651
753
Enforcement
176
187
209
Support
702
692
654
Federal facility cleanup:
Department of Energy
1,762
2,354
**3,687
Department of Defense
1,155
1,282
1,923
Other agencies
107
147
172
Global change research
-
659
954
Natural resources research
680
710
844
Total
7,947
9,877
13,287
Total adjusted to eliminate double counting of DOI Wetlands already included in America the Beautiful,
wetlends, Coastal America, and global change research in EPA operating budget.
**Includes a proposed $340 million 1991 supplemental for environmental restoration and waste man-
agement.
Source: Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, Budget of U.S. Gov-
ernment, (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991).
Snow/Simon
CANYON.TS
September 12, 1991
Draft One
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: GRAND CANYON
SEPTEMBER 18, 1991
TIME??
[INTRODUCTORY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS]
I love returning to this area. As many of you know, I love
the outdoors -- the sports, the recreation, the beauty. Let me
tell you, just can't find better outdoor attractions than this.
[joke]
Many times, what you don't see is as impressive as what you
do. Here, as we look over the North rim of the world's greatest
natural wonder, we see skies, we see the kaleidoscopic beauty of
the Grand Canyon, we see a place that has made even the most
calloused observer gasp with awe. We don't see smog.
We're here to make sure that the skies stay that way.
Today, we celebrate an agreement that honors Teddy Roosevelt's
admonition: "Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The
ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you
can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children,
and all who come after you, as one of the great sights which
every American if he can travel at all should see."
The Navajo generating agreement ensures that tourists here
will always enjoy clear skies -- and breathtaking vistas. It
preserves this spectacular treasure without shutting down the
2
electricity generation industry, without forcing people to choose
between the environment and their jobs.
If people think the revolution in the Soviet Union was
spectacular, they ought to come here. Who ever thought that we'd
be able to get the Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, the
then
request
Environmental Defense Fund, the Salt River Project and the Grand
the spothght
not be on
Canyon trust to share a dais with representatives of the utility a dais
-allas parties to
industry -- including the Arizona Public Service Company. [It
an Custoric
used to be, you could only get these parties together in a
agreement
courtroom //
Well, the view certainly is better than in a courtroom //
and people deserve to congratulate themselves on a job well done.
Bill Reilly, our EPA administrator, has become something of
a goodwill ambassador to the outdoors. Thanks to his own kind of
personal shuttle diplomacy, these once-warring parties have made
peace. And the agreement that he helped negotiate illustrates
this Administrations
part of my vision for this nation's future.
our
You know, this administration has taken some heat -- some
unjustifiable heat -- over domestic policies. We've got a great
domestic program, and a vision that supports them. And to those
who complain, I say: How's this for a vision thing? [ponts whild to Cauyon stage]
Now, this isn't just a sound-bite. This event symbolizes
the kind of civility and cooperation our Administration has
promoted in a number of areas. For too many years, Americans
have divided our society into feuding camps -- people for some
cause, and those against; liberals versus conservatives, and so
3
on. We have overlooked the fact that most Americans share a set
of common goals and beliefs, and that all of us, regardless of
party, background or ideology really want the same things.
Here, for instance, everyone wanted to find ways of
preserving this vast canyon while also protecting the jobs of men
and women throughout this region. We don't want an environmental
the
destruction of
policy that allows people wanton to destroy our natural
treasures. But we also don't want one that makes the American
promote iconoming growth,
worker an endangered species. Our policies should let workers create
keep their jobs and enable everyone to appreciate and enjoy
new goos
the joys and beauties of the outdoors.
As a Nation, we need to understand that we can achieve our
most important goals only if spend our energy working together -
- taking advantage of our diverse skills, abilities, commitments
and passions. If we try to divide up like Hatfields and McCoys,
we don't achieve anything worth achieving. We just destroy
ourselves and the causes we hold dear.
is one more dramatic
This agreement demonstrate the special strength of
tast year I signedo the landmark clean air Act, preding
cooperation, and I hope it provides a working model for other
a logjam of 12 years. Just this past summer EPA key environment also
agreements agreements that harness the genius of the and the petroleum
The appoach common to These achieve ments is
industry reached
marketplace to clean our water and air, agreements that preserved an
while at
same time
our natural resources while encouraging innovation and economic agreement
They growth. also promote innovation and economic growth
and that 's good news america's for all workers. americans, particularly gasoline on reformular
Recent events around the world make it clear that free
markets, economic growth provide the foundation for effective
Another
grant
environmental stewardship. The poorest nations on our planet
Cleaner
step toway
an
4
suffer the worst and most sweeping environmental degradation.
Nations weighed down by centrally planned economies have
experienced horrendous pollution and environmental devastation.
In
Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, the former socialist world
clean air and water have been more scarce than consumer goods in
that part of the world. In contrast, the economic expansion of
the 1980s was accompanied by an unprecedented improvement in air
quality throughout the United States. EPA figures show, for
good
instance that sulphur dioxide emissions fell 24 percent; carbon
monoxide levels dropped 25 percent; suspended particulates
concentrations decreased by 47 percent; and we had 87 percent
less lead in our air at the decade's end than we did in 1980. //
and I promise you: the 1990's will do even better
We should understand that science and technology give us
newer and better tools for cleaning our environment and keeping
it clean. They help us identify our problems precisely, and help
us develop efficient solutions to them. And economic growth
makes such innovation possible.
Knowledge always will provide our most formidable weapon
against pollution. Our Administration has devoted significant
resources to the Global Change Research Program, for instance, in
order to gather crucial data on global warming, deforestation,
ozone depletion and polar icecap melting. We just don't know
enough about these problems to address them effectively. Many of
the models we now use for assessing them matters are too crude to be
of help. We have begun using satellites to develop far subtler,
more sophisticated and more useful models for studying our planet
5
-- for determining just what problems exist, and suggesting ways
in which we can address them. That's the key to sensible solutions.
The space shuttle Columbia just this week placed in orbit a
satellite that will measure ozone depletion. This launch got our
Mission to Planet Earth off the ground, so to speak. 11
And the National Space Council, chaired by Vice President
Dan Quayle, has pushed for ways to get research going now -- not
ten years from now -- so we won't have to wait for answers.
Bill Reilly put it best in a recent newspaper piece: "In my
opinion,' he wrote, "the enviornmental debate has long suffered
from too little science. There has been plenty of emotion and
Guote
politics, but scientific data have not always been featured
prominently in environmental efforts, and ahve sometimes been
11
Bill's right.
ignored even when available. As major new environmental problems
sholors
long
arise, I propose we approach them as scientifically as possible,
asking: 'How much do we know? What are the critical questions to
which we need answers? Are we organizing to get key information?
What do the data tell us about the seriousness of the problem and
the magnitude of the appropriate response?"
But as he also
must not
As Bill has noted, good science can't stall progress toward
As a matter of fact we both know,
a cleaner planet. A It will hasten it. And we ought to use our
genius to explore new frontiers of clean energy: nuclear power,
solar, geothermal, and others that exist only in the imaginations
of our dreamers and innovators.
Americans have a genius for doing surprising and great
things, and we need to encourage even more. Today, that spirit
6
of genius has inspired a revolutionary agreement to preserve this
breathtaking canyon.
[quote]
Thank you all, and may God Bless America.
And now, I'd like to turn the podium over to Bill Reilly,
and his colleagues here on the podium, for the signing of the
Navajo Generating Station agreement.
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
Snow/Simon
WASHINGTON
CANYON.TS
September 12, 1991
Draft One
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: GRAND CANYON
SEPTEMBER 18, 1991
TIME??
[INTRODUCTORY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS]
A lot of people have asked me in the past about that Vision
Thing. Well, how's this for a vision thing?
Many times, what you don't see is as impressive as what you
do. Here, as we look over the North rim of the world's greatest
natural wonder, we see skies, we see the kaleidoscopic beauty of
the grand canyon, we see a place that has made even the most
calloused observer gasp with awe. We don't see smog.
We're here to make sure that the skies stay that way.
Today, we celebrate an agreement that honors Teddy Roosevelt's
admonition: "Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The
ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you
can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children,
and all who come after you, as one of the great sights which
every American if he can travel at all should see."
The Navajo generating agreement ensures that tourists here
will always enjoy clear skies -- and breathtaking vistas. It
preserves this spectacular treasure without shutting down the
electricity generation industry, without forcing people to choose
between the environment and their jobs.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
If people think the revolution in the Soviet Union was
spectacular, they ought to come here. Who ever thought that we'd
be able to get the Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, the
Environmental Defense Fund, the Salt River Project and the Grand
Canyon trust to share a dais with representatives of the utility
industry -- including the Arizona Public Service Company. It
used to be, you could only get these parties together in a
courtroom. //
Well, the view certainly is better than in a courtroom //
and people deserve to congratulate themselves on a job well done.
Bill Reilly, our EPA administrator, has become something of
a goodwill ambassador to the outdoors. Thanks to his own kind of
personal shuttle diplomacy, these once-warring parties have made
peace. And the agreement that he helped negotiate illustrates
part of my vision for this nation's future.
For too many years, we have divided our society into feuding
camps -- people for some cause, and those against; liberals
versus conservatives, and so on. We have overlooked the fact
that most Americans share a set of common goals and beliefs, and
that all of us, regardless of party, background or ideology
really want the same things.
Here, for instance, everyone wanted to find ways of
preserving this vast canyon while also protecting the jobs of men
and women throughout this region. We don't want an environmental
policy that allows people wantonly to destroy our natural
treasures. But we also don't want one that makes the American
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
worker an endangered species. Our policies should let workers
keep their jobs -- and enable everyone to appreciate and enjoy
the joys and beauties of the outdoors.
As a Nation, we need to understand that we can achieve our
most important goals only if spend our energy working together -
- taking advantage of our diverse skills, abilities, commitments
and passions. If we try to divide up like Hatfields and McCoys,
we don't achieve anything worth achieving. We just destroy
ourselves and the causes we hold dear.
This agreement demonstrates the special strength of
cooperation, and I hope it provides a working model for other
agreements -- agreements that harness the genius of the
marketplace to clean our water and air, agreements that preserve
our natural resources while encouraging innovation and economic
growth.
Recent events around the world make it clear that free
markets, economic growth provide the foundation for effective
environmental stewardship. The poorest nations on our planet
suffer the worst and most sweeping environmental degradation.
Nations weighed down by centrally planned economies have
experienced horrendous pollution and environmental devastation.
Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, the former socialist world:
clean air and water have been more scarce than consumer goods in
that part of the world. In contrast, the economic expansion of
the 1980s was accompanied by an unprecedented improvement in air
quality throughout the United States. EPA figures show, for
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
instance that sulphur dioxide emissions fell 24 percent; carbon
monoxide levels dropped 25 percent; suspended particulates
concentrations decreased by 47 percent; and we had 87 percent
less lead in our air at the decade's end than we did in 1980. //
We should understand that science and technology give us
newer and better tools for cleaning our environment and keeping
it clean. They help us identify our problems precisely, and help
us develop efficient solutions to them. And economic growth
makes such innovation possible.
Knowledge always will provide our most formidable weapon
against pollution. Our Administration has devoted significant
resources to the Global Change Research Program, for instance, in
order to gather crucial data on global warming, deforestation,
ozone depletion and polar icecap melting. We just don't know
enough about these problems to address them effectively. Many of
the models we now use for assessing them matters are too crude to
of help. We have begun using satellites to develop far subtler,
more sophisticated and more useful models for studying our planet
-- for determining just what problems exist, and suggesting ways
in which we can address them.
The space shuttle Columbia just this week placed in orbit a
satellite that will measure ozone depletion. This launch got our
Mission to Planet Earth off the ground, so to speak. 11
And the National Space Council, chaired by Vice President
Dan Quayle, has pushed for ways to get research going now -- not
ten years from now -- so we won't have to wait for answers.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Bill Reilly put it best in a recent newspaper piece: "In my
opinion,' he wrote, "the enviornmental debate has long suffered
from too little science. There has been plenty of emotion and
politics, but scientific data have not always been featured
prominently in environmental efforts, and ahve sometimes been
ignored even when available. As major new environmental problems
arise, I propose we approach them as scientifically as possible,
asking: 'How much do we know? What are the critical questions to
which we need answers? Are we organizing to get key information?
What do the data tell us about the seriousness of the problem and
the magnitude of the appropriate response?"
As Bill has noted, good science can't stall progress toward
a cleaner planet: It will hasten it. And we ought to use our
genius to explore new frontiers of clean energy: nuclear power,
solar, geothermal, and others that exist only in the imaginations
of our dreamers and innovators.
Americans have a genius for doing surprising and great
things, and we need to encourage even more. Today, that spirit
of genius has inspired a revolutionary agreement to preserve this
breathtaking canyon.
Snow/Simon
CANYON.TS1
September 16, 1991
Draft Four
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: GRAND CANYON
SEPTEMBER 18, 1991
WEDNESDAY 9:50 A.M.
Thank you, Gov. Symington, for that introduction. Right
now, I'd like to salute two members of my administration:
Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan and EPA Administrator Bill
Reilly. Sen. McCain, Sen. DeConcini, Rep. Bob Stump and Rep.
John Kyl, welcome. I'm glad you could join us today.
I love returning to this area. This spot in particular
reminds me of that old political adage: Never move backward.
[[When I first came West years ago, I told Barbara that I
wanted to live on the edge. But this is ridiculous. ]]
[[I'm always amazed at the sheer size of this place. Coming
from Washington, I'm tempted to say that it looks like something
that started out as a trench -- and went over budget. ]] 11
As many of you know I love the outdoors -- the sports, the
recreation, the beauty. Let me tell you, you just can't find
better a outdoor attraction than this.
Many times, what you don't see iscas impressive as what you
do. Here, as we look over the South rim of the world's greatest
natural wonder, we see Arizona skies, we see the kaleidoscopic
beauty of the Grand Canyon, we see a place that has made even the
most calloused observer gasp with awe.
2
We don't see smog today. But sometimes smoke and fumes
obscure this lovely view. We're here to say: No more.
The Navajo visibility rule -- the rule we will sign today -
- honors Teddy Roosevelt's admonition about the Grand Canyon:
"Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have
been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is
to keep it for your children, your children's children, and all
who come after you, as one of the great sights which every
American -- if he can travel at all -- should see."
The visibility rule will help ensure cleaner skies -- yand
more breathtaking vistas for visitors. It helps preserve this
spectacular treasure without shutting down the electricity
generation industry, without forcing people to choose between the
environment and their jobs.
If people think the revolution in the Soviet Union was
spectacular, they ought to come here. Who ever thought that we'd
be able to get the Grand Canyon Trust, the Environmental Defense
Fund, the Salt River Project and the Arizona Public Service
Company to share the spotlight and as partners in an historic
agreement?
It used to be, you couldn't get these people together
without a referee. //
Well, the view here certainly is better than in a courtroom,
// the atmosphere, too. For that everyone here deserves a hand.
// Sen. McCain, Gov. Symington, representatives of the
environmental community, of the utility industry. FI
3
And we owe a special thanks to Bill Reilly, our EPA
administrator. Bill Reilly's EPA has promoted a series of
cooperative ventures, based on the common sense view that you can
get further by seeking people's help than by suing them. The
EPA's Green Lights program encourages the voluntary use of energy
efficient lighting. Green Lights promotes energy conservation,
which saves electricity and cuts down on pollution.
Our voluntary program to reduce toxic emissions has enlisted
more than 200 companies, who together have promised to cut toxic
emissions by more than 200 million pounds a year
And today's agreement offers further proof that Bill's own
brand of shuttle diplomacy has helped eliminate environmental
gridlock and produce the kind of consensus that enables us to
take care of our planet -- and our economy.
These agreements illustrate a crucial element of our
administration's vision for America's future But before I go
further, I just have to ask: How's this for a vision thing? 11
Today's event celebrates the kind of civility and
cooperation our Administration has promoted for our entire
society. For too many years, Americans have divided into feuding
camps -- people sparring over causes; special interests battling
it out against special interests; and so on. We have overlooked
the fact that most Americans share a broader set of goals and
beliefs, which we call the American Dream. We need to revive
that dream and invite people to join us in pursuing it --
regardless of their party, background or ideology. 11
4
Most of us want a lot of the same things. hAround here, for
instance, everyone hoped to preserve the canyon and the docal
economy. No one wants an environmental policy that permits the
wanton destruction of our natural treasures. Nor can we afford a
policy that makes the American worker an endangered species. Our
policies should promote economic growth; create new jobse and
let everyone enjoy the grandeur of the outdoors.
We can achieve our most important goals only by working
together -- taking advantage of our diverse skills, abilities,
commitments and passions. If we divide up like Hatfields and
McCoys, we don't accomplish anything worthwhile. We just destroy
ourselves and the causes we hold dear
Ten years ago, as chairman of the Presidential Task Force on
Regulatory Relief, I called for greater use of informal
negotiation techniques instead of litigation and for
market-based approaches, to: controlling pollution, This agreement
shows that those innovations work. So does the landmark Clean
Air Act, which I signed last year and in the process broke a
logjam that hadaprevented progress for a dozen years.
Our administration has crafted a new, common sense approach
to environmental issues one that honors our love of the
environment and our commitment to economic growth. In just the
last year, we've signed bills to prevent oil spills and protect
the Antarctic. We've launched a program to plant a billion trees
a year around the country. We've launched a massive effort to
protect our public lands.
he
5
To keep progress moving, I have asked the Vice President's
Council on Competitiveness to join the EPA in minimizing the
economic costs and maximizing the environmental impact of our
Clean Air Act regulations.
Our cooperative efforts go still further. Just this summer
the EPA, key environmental groups, and the petroleum industry
reached an extraordinary agreement on reformulated gasoline
another giant step toward cleaner air and another step toward
improving visibility here at the Grand Canyon
Recent world events make it clear that free markets and
economic growth provide the firmest foundation for effective
environmental stewardship People tend to forget that
environmental stewardship is a high-tech business, and it
requires great ingenuity and insight Science and technology
give us tools for cleaning our environment and Keeping it clean.
They help us identify our problems precisely, and develop
efficient solutions.
Our genius will open up new frontiers of clean energy:
nuclear power, solar power, geothermal power, and others that
exist only in the imaginations of our dreamers and innovators.
It's no surprise that the poorest nations those not
blessed with prosperous, growing economies -- suffer the worst,
most sweeping environmental degradation.
It's also natural that Nations weighed down by centrally
planned economies -- nations that don't enjoy free markets
would experience horrendous pollution. In Eastern Europe, the
6
Soviet Union, the former socialist world: clean air and water
so
have been more scarce than consumer goods.
In contrast, our economic expansion of the 1980s was
accompanied by an unprecedented improvement in air quality EPA
figures show, for instance, that sulphur dioxide levels fell 24
percent in the Eighties; carbon monoxide levels dropped 25
percent; suspended particulate emissions decreased 15 percent
and we had 87 percent less lead in our air at the decade is end
than we did in 1980. And I promise you: We' 11 do geven better in
the 1990s. / / Today! agreement represents a good start: It will
reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from the Navajo generating plant
by 90 percent. //
In years to come, we will face tougher challenges, and our
Administration has taken steps to meet them. We have devoted
significant resources to gathering crucial data about global
warming, deforestation, ozone depletion and the polar icecaps --
all elements of global change.
We have begun using satellites to develop subtle,
sophisticated and useful models for studying our planet -- for
determining just what problems exist, and suggesting ways in
which we can address them. That's the key to sensible solutions.
The space shuttle Discovery just this week placed in orbit
satellite that will measure ozone depletion. This launch got our
Mission to Planet Earth off the ground, so to speak. 11
And the National Space Council chaired by Vice President
Dan Quayle, has pushed for ways to get space-based environmental
7
8
research going now not ten years from now so we won t have Fimb the
to wait for answers
sun
drops
to
We want to use science to help us solve our chief
environmental problems Bill Reilly put it best in a recent
Feel
newspaper piece: He wrote "the environmental debate has long of
suffered from too little science. There has been plenty of a
emotion and politics, but scientific data have not always been on this
featured prominently in environmental efforts, and have sometimes
been ignored even when available. " Bill is right.
Good science hastens our progress toward a cleaner
environment. We ought to use it to our best advantage.
But we also must put our money where our mouth is. In this
year's budget alone, I asked for nearly one billion dollars for
acquiring parkland, protecting wetlands and endangered species
and enhancing recreation. But Congress has tentatively cut this
budget by more than 200 million dollars.
Today, I call on Congress to join me in a crusade to save
America's outdoors. On this year, the 75th anniversary of our
Park Service, politicians shouldn't fund special interest
projects at the expense of such national treasures as the Grand
Canyon.
But after we talk about toxins and taxes; expenditures and
innovations, we owe it to ourselves to stop and remember just why
we're here -- why we care.
Dave Beal, for many years the chief naturalist of the Grand
Canyon national park, has offered some simple advice: "Go out
8
along the canyon rim alone to watch dark shadows climb the
colored walls as the sun drops to the horizon. Think about the
eons of time represented by rock formations exposed to your view
and the fossil record of life through the ages
Feel the bite
of the wind on your cheeks and listen for the sound of distant
rapids on the river far below. Finally, dwell for just a moment
on thoughts about yourself and the role you play on this earth.
"
A wise environmental policy enriches everyone. That's what
many of you have done. This park -- and this nation -- owe you a
great debt of thanks.
Thank you all, and may God Bless America.
And now, I'd like to ask representatives of the Grand Canyon
Trust, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Salt River Project and
the Arizona Public Service Company to witness Bill Reilly's
signing this historic agreement.
#
#
#
#
09-17-91 01:12PM DEPT INTERIORDC
P02/**
SEP 17 1991
Presidential Address
at
Grand Canyon National Park
September 18, 1991
Wednesday
[INTRODUCTORY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]
(insert following the opening jokes)
America's National Parks are treasured by the entire world as
special landscapes which capture the beauty and imagination of our
great country. An observer once wrote that the creation of
national parks was "the best idea America ever had." As we look
out at the horizon, I can think of no better place to celebrate the
75th anniversary of the stewards of our parks, the National Park
Service, than here at the Grand Canyon. I want to thank my wife,
Barbara for her efforts as the honorary chairperson for the 75th
anniversary events and public outreach.
As many of you know, I love the outdoors, sports and
recreation, and the beauty of the American landscape. National
Parks are a source of awe and inspiration. They renew us and
enrich our lives, and help us to understand and appreciate this
great country. The National Park Service is charged with an
enormous responsibility to preserve and protect our most important
1
09-17-91 01:12PM DEPT INTERIORDC
SEP 17 1991
natural landscapes and historical, cultural sites for all people to
learn from and enjoy. Congratulations!
Secretary of Interior Lujan has repeatedly stressed the need
for better stewardship of our natural and cultural resources, to
protect places like the Grand Canyon. And EPA Administrator Bill
Reilly has played a key role in the Administration in securing
agreements to improve the environment which are sensitive to
competing economic values.
Secretary Lujan tells us that stewardship means leaving the
earth better off than how you found it. He has undertaken the
initiative to improve our systems of national parks and wildlife
refuges, by increasing maintenance and creating new units for the
enjoyment of the American people. His stewardship initiative
reflects what has been said about our commitment to future
generations: We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we
borrow it from our children.
He is also promoting the Enjoy America's Outdoors recreation
initiative by Federal land management agencies to encourage people
to take advantage of our natural scenic places to participate in a
full range of activities -- hiking, camping, biking, winter sports,
and my favorite, fishing, and other activities.
Today, we celebrate not only the 75th anniversary of the
National Park Service, but an agreement that honors what Teddy
Roosevelt advised us to do with the Grand Canyon: "Leave it as it
is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it,
and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your
2
09-17-91 01:13PM DEPT
SEP 17 1991
children, your children's children, and all who come after you, as
one of the great sights which every American if he can travel at
all should see."
The Navajo generating station agreement ensures that people
will always enjoy clear skies--and breathtaking vistas. It
preserves this spectacular treasure without shutting down the
plant, without forcing people to choose between the environment and
their jobs. By sitting down and working out the concerns and
issues from all sides, we have developed a successful solution. My
thanks to Bill Reilly. Through his own brand of personal shuttle
diplomacy, the agreement he helped negotiate illustrates part of
this Administration's vision for our nation's future.
You know, our Administration has taken some heat -- some
unjustifiable heat -- over domestic policies. We've got a great
domestic program, and a vision that supports it. And to those who
complain, I say: How's this for a vision thing?
(continue with page 3, second paragraph of the draft speech)
AND
(replace the first paragraph at top of page 6 with the following)
I want to commend the Secretary of the Interior in requesting
the National Academy of Sciences to review our current state of
knowledge regarding research on winter haze in the Grand Canyon.
We all realize there is more work to be done in this new field of
air pollution research.
3
Snow/Simon
CANYON.TS1
September 16, 1991
Draft Three
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: GRAND CANYON
SEPTEMBER 18, 1991
WEDNESDAY
Thank you, Gov. Symington, for that introduction. Right
now, I'd like to salute two members of my administration:
Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan and EPA Administrator Bill
Reilly. Sen. McCain, Sen. DeConcini, Rep. Bob Stump and Rep.
John Kyl, welcome. I'm glad you could join us today.
I love returning to this area. This spot in particular
reminds me of that old political adage: Never move backward.
cut (,
[[When I first came West years ago, I told Barbara that I
wanted to live on the edge. But this is ridiculous. ]]
heep2?
[[I'm always amazed at the sheer size of this place. Coming
from Washington, I'm tempted to say that it looks like something
that started out as a trench -- and went over budget. ]] //
As many of you know, I love the outdoors -- the sports, the
recreation, the beauty. Let me tell you, you just can't find
better a outdoor attraction than this.
Many times, what you don't see is as impressive as what you
do. Here, as we look over the South rim of the world's greatest
natural wonder, we see Arizona skies, we see the kaleidoscopic
beauty of the Grand Canyon, we see a place that has made even the
most calloused observer gasp with awe.
2
We don't see smog -- today. But sometimes smoke and fumes
obscure this lovely view. We're here to say: No more.
The Navajo visibility rule honors Teddy Roosevelt's
admonition about the Grand Canyon: "Leave it as it is. You
cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man
can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your
children, your children's children, and all who come after you,
tough
as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel
to
read,
at all should see. "
The visibility rule will help ensure cleaner skies -- and
more breathtaking vistas for visitors. It helps preserve this
spectacular treasure without shutting down the electricity
generation industry, without forcing people to choose between the
environment and their jobs.
If people think the revolution in the Soviet Union was
spectacular, they ought to come here. Who ever thought that we'd
be able to get the Grand Canyon Trust, the Environmental Defense
Fund, the Salt River Project and the Arizona Public Service
Company to share the spotlight -- and as partners in an historic
agreement?
It used to be, you couldn't get these people together
without a referee. //
Well, the view here certainly is better than in a courtroom,
// the atmosphere, too. For that, everyone here deserves a hand.
//
3
That's especially true of Bill Reilly, our EPA
administrator. Bill Reilly's EPA has promoted a series of
cooperative ventures, based on the common sense view that you can
get further by seeking people's help than by suing them. The
EPA's Green Lights program encourages the voluntary use of energy
efficient lighting. Green Lights promotes energy conservation,
which saves electricity and cuts down on pollution.
??
Voluntary program to reduce toxic emissions has enlisted
more than 200 companies, who together have promised to cut toxic
emissions by more than 200 million pounds a year.
And today's agreement offers further proof that Bill's own
brand of shuttle diplomacy has helped eliminate environmental
gridlock and produce the kind of consensus that enables us to
take care of our planet -- and our economy.
These agreements illustrate a crucial element of our
administration's vision for America's future. But before I go
further, I just have to ask: How's this for a vision thing?
Today's event celebrates the kind of civility and
cooperation our Administration has promoted for our entire
society. For too many years, Americans have divided into feuding
camps -- people sparring over causes; special interests battling
it out against special interests; and so on. We have overlooked
the fact that most Americans share a broader set of goals and
beliefs, which we call the American Dream. We need to revive
that dream and invite people to join us in pursuing it --
regardless of their party, background or ideology.
asnee on what's
Most of us want a lot of the same things Around here, for
instance, everyone wanted preserve the canyon -- and the local
economy. No one wants an environmental policy that permits the
wanton destruction of our natural treasures. But we also don't
want a policy that makes the American worker an endangered
species. Our policies should promote economic growth; create new
jobs -- and let everyone enjoy the grandeur of the outdoors.
As a Nation, we need to understand that we can achieve our
most important goals only by working together -- taking advantage
of our diverse skills, abilities, commitments and passions. If
we divide up like Hatfields and McCoys, we don't accomplish
anything worthwhile. We just destroy ourselves and the causes we
hold dear.
Ten years ago, as chairman of the Presidential Task Force on
Regulatory Relief, I called for greater use of informal
negotiation techniques -- instead of litigation -- and for
market-based approaches to controlling pollution. This agreement
shows that those innovations work. So does the landmark Clean
Air Act, which I signed last year -- and in the process broke a
logjam that had prevented progress for a dozen years.
Our administration has crafted a new, common sense approach
to environmental issues -- one that honors our love of the
environment and our commitment to economic growth. In just the
last year, we've signed bills to prevent oil spills and protect
the Antarctic. We've launched a program to plant a billion trees
If this could somehow follow end of p.2s
A would seem abton the Pres. to "clains credit
5
a year around the country. We've launched a massive effort to
protect our public lands.
[[To keep progress moving, I have asked the Vice President's
Council on Competitiveness to build upon these achievements by
to
working with the EPA to minimize the economic costs and maximize
the environmental impact of regulations to implement the Clean
Air Act. ]]
Our cooperative efforts go still further. Just this summer
the EPA, key environmental groups, and the petroleum industry
reached an extraordinary agreement on reformulated gasoline --
another giant step toward cleaner air -- and another step toward
improving visibility here at the Grand Canyon.
Recent world events make it clear that free markets and
economic growth provide the firmest foundation for effective
environmental stewardship Dr. poorest nations -- those not
blessed with prosperous, growing economies -- suffer the worst,
most sweeping environmental degradation.
Nations weighed down by centrally planned economies --
nations that don't enjoy free markets -- have experienced
horrendous pollution. In Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, the
former socialist world: clean air and water have been more scarce
than consumer goods.
In contrast, our economic expansion of the 1980s was
accompanied by an unprecedented improvement in air quality. EPA
figures show, for instance, that sulphur dioxide levels fell 24
percent in the Eighties; carbon monoxide levels dropped 25
6
percent; suspended particulate emissions decreased 15 percent;
and we had 87 percent less lead in our air at the decade's end
than we did in 1980. And I promise you: We'll do even better in
the 1990s. // Today's agreement represents a good start: It
will
reduce pollution levels by 90 percent. //
by
?
People tend to forget that environmental stewardship is a
year.
high-tech business, and it requires great ingenuity and insight.
Science and technology give us tools for cleaning our environment
move
and keeping it clean. They help us identify our problems
precisely, and develop efficient solutions.
Our genius will open up new frontiers of clean energy:
nuclear power, solar power, geothermal power, and others that
exist only in the imaginations of our dreamers and innovators.
Our Administration has devoted significant resources to
gathering crucial data about global warming, deforestation, ozone
depletion and the polar icecaps -- all elements of global change.
We have begun using satellites to develop subtle, sophisticated
and useful models for studying our planet -- for determining just
what problems exist, and suggesting ways in which we can address
them. That's the key to sensible solutions.
The space shuttle Discovery just this week placed in orbit a
satellite that will measure ozone depletion. This launch got our
Mission to Planet Earth off the ground, so to speak. 11
And the National Space Council, chaired by Vice President
Dan Quayle, has pushed for ways to get space-based environmental
7
research going now -- not ten years from now -- so we won't have
to wait for answers.
Bill Reilly put it best in a recent newspaper piece: "In my
opinion," he wrote, "the environmental debate has long suffered
from too little science. There has been plenty of emotion and
politics, but scientific data have not always been featured
prominently in environmental efforts, and have sometimes been
ignored even when available." Bill's right.
Good science hastens our progress toward a cleaner
environment. No one should view it as an obstacle; we should
welcome it as our surest guide.
But we also have to put our money where our mouth is. In
this year's budget alone, I asked for nearly one billion dollars
for acquiring parkland, protecting wetlands and endangered
species and enhancing recreation. But Congress has tentatively
cut this budget by more than $ 200 million dollars.
Today, I call on Congress to join me in a crusade to save
America's outdoors. On this year especially the 75th anniversary of our
In
Park Service, politicians shouldn't fund special interest
projects at the expense of such national treasures as the Grand
Canyon.
Dave Beal, for many years the chief naturalist of the Grand
Canyon national park, urged everyone: "Go out along the canyon
rim alone to watch dark shadows climb the colored walls as the
sun drops to the horizon. Think about the eons of time
represented by rock formations exposed to your view and the
8
fossil record of life through the ages
Feel the bite of the
wind on your cheeks and listen for the sound of distant rapids on
the river far below. Finally, dwell for just a moment on
thoughts about yourself and the role you play on this earth.
=
A wise environmental policy enriches everyone. That's what
many of you have done ? This park -- and this nation -- owe you a
great debt of thanks.
ped us achieve.
Thank you all, and may God Bless America.
And now, I'd like to ask representatives of the Grand Canyon
Trust, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Salt River Project and
the Arizona Public Service Company to witness Bill Reilly's
signing this historic agreement.
#
#
#
#
Gov. supington inter POTUS
200 audince
Rep. Deconium
Stump
Snow/Simon
CANYON.TS
Ser. Malain an Pub Service Co.
September 12, 1991
Draft One
Sen. DeMichael Trust 31 SEP 13 P5: 05
Mark Norton SRP oc
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: GRAND CANYON
Ed
SEPTEMBER 18, 1991
WEDNESDAY
9:50 a.m.
[INTRODUCTORY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS] Linjan Rilly Congressonal
I love returning to this area. This spot in particular
reminds me of that old political adage: Never move backward.
[[When I first came West years ago, I told Barbara that I
wanted to live on the edge. But this is ridiculous. ]]
[[I'm always amazed at the sheer size of this place. Coming
from Washington, I'm tempted to say that it looks like something
that started out as a trench -- and went over budget. ]] / /
As many of you know, I love the outdoors -- the sports, the
recreation, the beauty. Let me tell you, just can't find better
outdoor attractions than this.
Many times, what you don't see is as impressive as what you
do. Here, as we look over the North rim of the world's greatest
natural wonder, we see skies, we see the kaleidoscopic beauty of
the Grand Canyon, we see a place that has made even the most
calloused observer gasp with awe.
We don't see smog.
We're here to make sure that the skies stay that way. //
Today, we celebrate an agreement that honors Teddy
T.R.
Roosevelt's admonition about the Grand Canyon: "Leave it as it
5-6-1903
at
is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it,
Grand Gamyon
2
and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your
for
children, your children's children, and all who come after you,
as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel
at all should see."
/ isibility settlement
Tom
EPA
The Navajo generating station agreement ensures that
Kienan
tourists here will always enjoy clear skies -- and breathtaking
COLL-092
vistas. It preserves this spectacular treasure without shutting
down the electricity generation industry, without forcing people
to choose between the environment and their jobs.
If people think the revolution in the Soviet Union was
spectacular, they ought to come here. Who ever thought that we'd
draft
from
be able to get the Environmental Defense Fund, the Salt River
adm.
Project and the Grand Canyon Trust to share the spotlight with
Willion
representatives of the Arizona Public Service Company -- and as
Raily
partners in an historic agreement?
It used to be, you couldn't get these people together
without a lawsuit. //
Well, the view certainly is better than in a courtroom, //
the atmosphere, too. For that, everyone here deserves a hand. //
That's especially true of Bill Reilly, our EPA
administrator. Thanks to his own kind of personal shuttle
diplomacy, these once-warring parties have made peace. And the
agreement that he helped negotiate illustrates part of this
Administration's vision for our nation's future.
You know, our Administration has taken some heat -- some
unjustifiable heat -- over domestic policies. We've got a great
3
domestic program, and a vision that supports them. And to those
who complain, I say: How's this for a vision thing? //
Now, this isn't just a sound-bite. This event symbolizes
the kind of civility and cooperation our Administration has
promoted n all areas. For too many years, Americans have
divided into feuding camps -- people for some cause arrayed
against their opponents; liberals versus conservatives, and so
on. We have overlooked the fact that most Americans share a
large set of goals and beliefs that we call the American Dream,
and that all of us, regardless of party, background or ideology
really want a lot of the same things.
Here, for instance, everyone wanted to find ways of
preserving this vast canyon while also protecting the jobs of men
and women throughout this region. We don't want an environmental
policy that permits the wanton destruction of our natural
treasures. We also don't want one that makes the American worker
an endangered species. Our policies should promote economic
growth; create new jobs -- and let everyone enjoy the joys and
beauties of the outdoors.
As a Nation, we need to understand that we can achieve our
most important goals only if spend our energy working together -
- taking advantage of our diverse skills, abilities, commitments
and passions. If we try to divide up like Hatfields and McCoys,
we don't achieve anything worth achieving. We just destroy
ourselves and the causes we hold dear.
4
This agreement offers one more dramatic demonstration of the
Clean
Air
special strength of cooperation. Last year I signed the landmark
Statemant
Clean Air Act, breaking a logjam that had prevented progress for
11-15-90 a dozen years. Just this summer EPA, key environmental groups,
and the petroleum industry reached an extraordinary agreement on
reformulated gasoline -- another giant step toward clearner air.
These achievements each harness the genius of the marketplace to
clean our water and air, and preserve our natural resources.
They also promote innovation and economic growth -- and that's
good news for all Americans, particularly our workers.
Recent world events make it clear that free markets,
economic growth provide the foundation for effective
environmental stewardship. The poorest nations on our planet
suffer the worst, most sweeping environmental degradation.
Nations weighed down by centrally planned economies have
experienced horrendous pollution. In Eastern Europe, the Soviet
Union, the former socialist world: clean air and water have been
scarcer than consumer goods. In contrast, our economic expansion
CEQ
of the 1980s was accompanied by an unprecedented improvement in
annual
air quality. EPA figures show, for instance, that sulphur
P.320-3 Report 1991
dioxide emissions fell 15 percent in the Eighties; carbon
25.46
monoxide levels dropped 26 percent; suspended particulates
concentrations decreased by 19 percent; and we had 93 percent
less lead in our air at the decade's end than we did in 1980.
And I promise you: We'll do even better in the 1990s. //
5
Science and technology give us tools for cleaning our
environment and keeping it clean. They help us identify our
problems precisely, and to develop efficient solutions. And
economic growth makes such innovation possible.
Knowledge always will provide our most formidable weapon
Mark
against pollution. Our Administration has devoted significant
albrecht resources to the Global Change Research Program, for instance, in
Natil
order to gather crucial data on global warming, deforestation,
Space
Council
ozone depletion and polar icecap melting. We have begun using
satellites to develop far subtler, more sophisticated and more
useful models for studying our planet -- for determining just
what problems exist, and suggesting ways in which we can address
them. That's the key to sensible solutions.
USAT
The space shuttle Discovery just this week placed in orbit a
9-16-91
satellite that will measure ozone depletion. This launch got our
Mission to Planet Earth off the ground, so to speak. 11
Mark
And the National Space Council, chaired by Vice President
albrecht
Dan Quayle, has pushed for ways to get research going now -- not
ten years from now -- so we won't have to wait for answers.
wash.
Bill Reilly put it best in a recent newspaper piece: "In my
Post
opinion," he wrote, "the enviornmental debate has long suffered
8-20-91
from too little science. There has been plenty of emotion and
politics, but scientific data have not always been featured
prominently in environmental efforts, and have sometimes been
ignored even when available." Bill's right.
6
But as he also noted, good science must not stall progress
toward a cleaner planet. As we all know, it will only hasten our
progress. We ought to use our genius to explore new frontiers of
clean energy: nuclear power, solar, geothermal, and others that
exist only in the imaginations of our dreamers and innovators.
Americans have a genius for doing surprising and great
things, and we need to encourage even more. Few things can
startle men like the buttes and crags, the roaring waters and
quiet breezes of the world we call the Grand Canyon. Our own
pioneering spirit brought us to this place -- and inspired this
revolutionary agreement to preserve it.
Dave Beal, for many years the chief naturalist of the Canyon
Grand
Canyon:
national park, urged everyone: "Go out along the canyon rim alone
The
to watch dark shadows climb the colored walls as the sun drops to
story
Behind
the horizon. Think about the eons of time represented by rock
The
formations exposed to your view and the fossil record of life
Scenery
through the ages
...
Feel the bite of the wind on your cheeks and
by
Merrill David
listen for the sound of distant rapids on the river far below.
Beal
Finally, dwell for just a moment on thoughts about yourself and
the role you play on this earth.
X
That's whay many of you have done. This park -- and this
nation -- are richer for it.
Thank you all, and may God Bless America.
Tom Kiernan
And now, I'd like to turn the podium over to Bill Reilly,
Visibility Settlement
EPA for the signing of the Navajo Generating Station agreement.
260-
7400
#
#
#
#