ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Fact Sheet - 9/14/92 September 14, 1992 PRESIDENT BUSH: ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS o AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: President Bush has added over 1.5 million acres to our Nation's treasury of parks, forests, and wildlife refuges, and 6.4 million acres to our vast wilderness system. The President has dramatically expanded programs to enhance fisheries and recreational opportunities for campers, hikers, boaters, and other outdoor enthusiasts; and has protected wetlands, migratory bird flyways, and endangered species. o ANTARCTICA PROTECTION: The President signed legislation and an international accord which will strengthen environmental protection and prohibit mineral exploration and development in Antarctica indefinitely. o CLEAN AIR: The President proposed, negotiated, and has begun implementation of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the world's most comprehensive, innovative, and market-oriented clean air laws. The new Clean Air Act will cut acid rain emissions in half, improve urban air quality, and reduce toxic pollutants by 90 percent. The Bush Administration has also fostered agreements between industry and environmental groups to require, for example, cleaner-burning gasoline. o COASTAL STEWARDSHIP: President Bush announced a moratorium on offshore oil and gas development until after the year 2000 for 99 percent of the California coast and the entire coasts of Washington, Oregon, southern Florida, and New England. The President has proposed to spend $340 million to accelerate construction of sewage treatment plants in six key coastal cities including Boston, New York, Baltimore, San Diego, Los Angeles and Seattle, and has secured agreements with local governments which have halted ocean dumping of sewage sludge. President Bush has designated four new National Marine Sanctuaries, the marine equivalent of national parks. o DEVELOPING COUNTRY ASSISTANCE: The Bush Administration has provided assistance to Poland and to the East European Environmental Center in Budapest, Hungary. President Bush also established a U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership, which emphasizes technology cooperation. o EDUCATION: President Bush signed the National Environmental Education Act of 1990, aimed at teaching Americans of all ages environmental awareness. Environment -- page 2 o ENDANGERED SPECIES: Since taking office, President Bush has more than doubled funding to protect endangered species. Since 1989, the Bush Administration has completed recovery plans for more than 110 species. o ENFORCEMENT: During the Bush Administration, more indictments have been sought; more civil, criminal, and administrative fines have been imposed; and more prison sentences for violators have been secured than in the previous 18 years combined. The Administration has filed landmark suits to protect the Everglades, Chesapeake Bay, and the Great Lakes. The Bush Administration has tripled the rate of toxic waste site cleanups. Costs of the cleanups mainly have been born by the parties responsible for the pollution and were enforced under the Superfund program. o ENTERPRISE FOR THE AMERICAS INITIATIVE: President Bush has begun to implement debt-for-nature swaps and the creation of environmental trust funds to strengthen long-term conservation efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean. o EXECUTIVE ORDERS: The President has signed Executive Orders to boost recycling, waste reduction, and energy efficiency at all federal agencies and the White House. o FARM BILL: President Bush signed the most environmentally- progressive farm bill ever -- the 1990 Farm Bill. It addresses wetlands protection, tree planting, pesticide use, and water quality. The President supports full funding (which Congress has thus far refused to enact) for a voluntary "wetlands reserve" of up to one million acres established by the bill. o FEDERAL FACILITIES: The Bush Administration requested a record $5.5 billion in fiscal year 1993, three times 1989 funding, to clean up Department of Energy atomic weapons facilities and to bring them into compliance with environmental laws. The Administration has requested increased funding for cleanup of facilities owned by the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, and Commerce, and by NASA. o GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: President's National Energy Strategy and other measures, if implemented, will restrain greenhouse gas emissions without sacrificing economic growth. The President's interdisciplinary Global Change Research Program (GCRP), begun in 1989, invests more in climate research -- $2.7 billion in the last three years -- than the rest of the world. President Bush has requested $1.4 billion for the GCRP in 1993. o GREEN FUND: The United States has pledged $150 million over three years (linked to contributions from other nations) for the World Bank Global Environmental Facility to help developing countries address worldwide environmental concerns such as ozone depletion and global climate change. Environment -- page 3 o MARKET-ORIENTED SOLUTIONS: The Bush Administration has proposed and implemented innovative initiatives that use the power of the marketplace to cut sulphur dioxide, ozone depleting substances, and toxic pollutants. For example, the Administration's "Cash-for-Clunkers" plan helps states reduce air pollution in the most cost effective way by allowing factories and companies to purchase and retire older, more polluting cars in order to meet pollution reduction targets. o NAFTA: On August 12, 1992, the President completed negotiations for a job-creating NAFTA which will also enhance environmental protection in both the U.S. and Mexico. President Bush has launched efforts to increase and coordinate joint U.S.-Mexico environmental programs. With President Salinas of Mexico, President Bush developed a joint border action plan to address environmental concerns along the border including construction of sewage treatment plants, improved treatment of wastewater, and improved enforcement of air pollution and hazardous waste standards. Though the President has more than doubled his 1993 request for these initiatives to $241 million, Democrats in Congress have slashed the request in half. o NATIONAL ENERGY STRATEGY: The President's National Energy Strategy (NES) includes budget proposals to increase research and development initiatives to improve transportation efficiency and develop new fuel sources, from ethanol to natural gas. The Bush Administration has requested $462 million for these initiatives in fiscal year 1993, an increase of 42 percent over 1992 and almost triple the 1989 level. The President's budget request for R&D for increased energy efficiency in buildings and industry has more than doubled in the last four years, from $64 million in 1989 to $160 million in 1993. o OIL POLLUTION: President Bush proposed and signed legislation and an international protocol to strengthen laws governing oil transport. The new law requires a phase-in of double-hulls on new tankers, improves the ability of the Coast Guard and industry to respond to spills quickly, and increases the liability of those responsible for spills. o OZONE LAYER PROTECTION: President Bush unilaterally accelerated the U.S. phaseout of ozone-harming substances to the end of 1995, four years ahead of international deadlines, and called on other nations to match the U.S. commitment. The President also implemented a fee on U.S. production of CFCs, lowering U.S. CFC production levels 42 percent below the level allowed by the Montreal Protocol. Environment -- page 4 o PRIVATE SECTOR INITIATIVES: The President has encouraged voluntary private sector initiatives to improve the environment, including the President's Commission on Environmental Quality, the "Green Lights" efficient lighting program, the "33/50" toxic emissions reduction program, and the first-ever President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards. o TREE PLANTING: President Bush has proposed an ambitious reforestation program to plant one billion trees per year across America. The program will help to displace carbon dioxide in our air and improve water and air quality. The President also proposed a Worldwide Forestry Convention to improve protection of the world's forested areas, and has increased international forestry assistance through his "Forests for the Future" Initiative. o WETLANDS: President Bush has more than doubled funding for research, protection and enhancement of America's wetlands. The United States has also begun to purchase lands as part of the U.S.-Canada Waterfowl Management Plan. The Everglades National Park has been expanded by 106,000 acres. o WILDLIFE: The Bush Administration has enhanced wildlife protection on federal lands and outlined a strategy to conserve biological diversity. President Bush led the international ban on trade in African Elephant ivory and persuaded Japan to stop importing sea turtle shells. The President also urged Japan to ban driftnet fishing on the high seas, which paved the way for an international moratorium on driftnet fishing. PROPOSALS BY THE PRESIDENT NOT MATCHED BY CONGRESS o Border Protection: The President proposed $100 million in fiscal year 1992 to address U.S.-Mexican border pollution problems by building a sewage treatment facility. -- Congress cut the President's request in half in the 1992 appropriations bill. o President Bush's fiscal year 1993 budget proposal includes $241 million for environmental protection on the border, more than double the amount allocated in 1992. -- Congress has cut the President's request in half in this year's appropriations bill. Environment -- page 5 o Coasts: The President proposed to allocate $23 million to "Coastal America," a coordinated interagency effort to stem coastal pollution and habitat loss. -- Congress allocated no funds for this initiative in the fiscal year 1992 appropriations bills. o Parks and Forests: President Bush proposed to increase funds for expansion of national parks and forests by 69 percent over the 1989 level. -- Congress cut the President's request for fiscal year 1992 by more than 25 percent, including a 60 percent cut for grants to states for purchasing parks and recreation lands and preserving open space. o Tree Planting: The President proposed to devote $152 million in fiscal year 1992 to plant trees in urban and rural areas, thus helping to address the problem of global climate change. -- Congress has cut funding for this program in each of the last two years. o Superfund: The President's fiscal year 1993 budget proposes to increase the Superfund budget by 23 percent over the 1989 level. -- Congress has cut the President's request by almost 10 percent each year for the last three years; Congress still has not matched the President's original proposal (fiscal year 1990) of $1.74 billion. o Wetlands: The Bush Administration has proposed full funding (over $124 million) for the new 1990 Farm Bill program to preserve wetlands -- the "Wetlands Reserve." -- Congress cut the President's request by more than half, providing only $46 million for the 1992 wetlands reserve program. -- Congress has zeroed-out the President's fiscal year 1993 request for the Wetlands Reserve program. # # #