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Skriven 2005-05-23 23:33:10 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (050523a) for Mon, 2005 May 23
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President Honors and Congratulates EPA Administrator Steve Johnson
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 23, 2005

President Honors and Congratulates EPA Administrator Steve Johnson
Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D.C.



1:48 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I'm proud to visit the headquarters of the
Environmental Protection Agency. (Applause.) I am honored to be here to
congratulate Steve Johnson on becoming America's 11th EPA Administrator.
Congratulations. (Applause.) It is good to be up here with Debbie, your
wonderful family, as well as your dad, Bill.

I'm sorry that Laura couldn't join us, but today she's been touring the
Egyptian desert. (Laughter.) She tells me that if you take away the
pyramids, it just looks like West Texas. (Laughter.)

I want to thank Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta for joining us. I
want to thank the former EPA Administrator, the former governor of New
Jersey, Christie Todd Whitman, for coming today. (Applause.) I thank
Congressman Charlie Taylor of North Carolina for joining us today.
Congressman, I'm proud you're here. He happens to be the Chairman of the
Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies. Welcome. (Applause.)

My administration is fulfilling our responsibility to be good stewards of
the Earth. Today, America's air, land and water are cleaner than they were
in 2001. We've reduced air pollution by more than 10 percent. We put in
place clean diesel rules that will cut emissions from heavy-duty vehicles
by more than 90 percent over 10 years. We've restored nearly 1,200
abandoned industrial sites to productive use. We've worked to pass the
Healthy Forest Restoration Act, to protect forests and wildlife and
homeowners against catastrophic fires. We've substantially increased
funding to improve water quality in the Great Lakes.

Our policies are protecting the environment while also promoting growth.
And I want to thank each employee of this agency for helping make this
progress possible. (Applause.)

Steve Johnson is the right man to build on this progress. He has 24 years
of experience here at the EPA. He is the first career EPA employee to hold
the office of Administrator. (Applause.) Steve is also the first
professional scientist to lead the agency. With this background, Steve will
help us continue to place sound scientific analysis at the heart of all
major environmental decisions.

The EPA recently finalized a rule that places the first-ever national cap
on mercury emissions from power plants, which will result in a nearly
70-percent decrease in these emissions. And we issued the Clean Air
Interstate rule to reduce air pollution from power plants by 70 percent.
These rules are a good start, but they are not a substitute for effective
legislation. So one of Steve's first tasks -- and I look forward to joining
you on this task -- to further reduce air pollution is to work with
Congress to pass the Clear Skies legislation. (Applause.) Clear Skies is a
common-sense, pro-environment, pro-jobs initiative. And Congress needs to
pass the bill this year. (Applause.)

Steve will also build on EPA's work to improve the quality and security of
our drinking water. We're enforcing strict standards to bring cleaner water
to communities across our country. The budget I submitted this year to
Congress includes a $44-million pilot program to develop tools to better
monitor urban water systems so we can detect contamination as quickly as
possible. The budget also increases support for EPA homeland security
programs by more than 70 percent next year. Under Steve's leadership, we
will work to ensure that every American community continues to have a water
supply that is clean and is safe.

We must build on our progress and the conservation and protection of our
wetlands, soil, and wildlife habitats. On Earth Day last year, I announced
a new goal to restore, improve and protect at least 3 million acres of
wetlands by 2009. After one year, we've already enhanced over 800,000 acres
of wetlands. And that puts us on a pace to meet our goal.

And finally, we will continue our enforcement strategy which focuses on
achieving real environmental improvements that benefit everyone. Since
2001, the EPA has increased compliance inspections by 19 percent, and civil
investigations by 24 percent. And last year, the agency provided compliance
assistance to over 730,000 individuals and businesses.

Our strategy is working. Last year we obtained commitments to reduce future
pollution by an estimated 1 billion pounds, an increase of 50 percent over
the 2001 level. And I want to thank all the EPA employees who work in the
field to work on this collaborative effort.

Steve leads -- as Steve leads the EPA, he will maintain our common-sense
approach of collaborating with leaders and volunteers at the local level to
find the best solutions to meet our national goals. We'll continue to
vigorously enforce our environmental laws. We'll encourage good stewardship
of natural resources, and we will focus on results. We'll continue to
protect the health of our citizens, and help guarantee the quality of our
air, water and land for generations to come.

I'm looking forward to working with this good man as he leads this
important agency. Steve, congratulations. God bless.

MR. JOHNSON: Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Mr. President, members of the Cabinet, Chairman Taylor, my family, friends
and distinguished colleagues: I welcome you to EPA Headquarters. Mr.
President, you are the first President to visit EPA Headquarters here at
Ariel Rios. Your visit today highlights to the nation and to the world the
importance of protecting our environment.

As a career scientist, I spent the majority of my adult life working
side-by-side with the world's experts in the field of environmental
protection. Today, I am proud and honored to stand side-by-side with you,
Mr. President, together, reaffirming our nation's commitment to protecting
public health and the environment.

As I prepared for today, I thought about how I felt when the President
asked me to lead the EPA. Even after years of Latin, German, scientific
training, the only word that I could think of was, "wow" -- (laughter) --
wow. (Laughter.) That's exactly how I felt then, and it's exactly how I
feel today -- wow. (Laughter.)

Mr. President, I approach the task of leading the Environmental Protection
Agency with great enthusiasm and profound optimism. Your selection of a
career scientist to serve as Administrator has clearly demonstrated your
dedication to science on which agency decisions are based.

Over the past 35 years, EPA has been a significant part of our nation's
many environmental accomplishments. These experiences have taught us that
sound science is the basis of our achievements and the genesis for our
future successes. And that is why we're here, to accelerate environmental
progress and to deliver better, more efficient results while maintaining
our economic competitiveness.

When my daughters call, they ask if my grandchildren's playgrounds are
safe, if their water is healthy to drink, if their houses are built on safe
ground. They look to EPA to provide them with a peace of mind which comes
from knowing that their children's natural environment is being watched
over.

Mr. President, under your leadership, our country has made great strides in
cleaning our air, water and land in a way that allows our nation to
continue to grow and prosper. Today the air across our country is the
cleanest it has been in three decades; our food and drinking water supplies
are safer; our land is better protected.

These past successes are the solid foundation for future advancements in
environmental stewardship. Just as we live in a global marketplace, we now
understand that many of our environmental challenges are not confined to
political or physical boundaries. By expanding the roles of technology,
collaborative partnerships and flexible policies, we will be able to engage
broad interests and deliver results quicker and more effectively than ever
before.

None of these objectives can be achieved without the commitment of our
professional staff. The success of EPA and the health of our nation's
environment cannot be separated from the productivity and creativity of my
colleagues. I would like to thank them for their continued hard work and
devotion to our mission.

Mr. President, thank you again for this opportunity. I am humbled by the
trust you have placed in me, and look forward to working together to
provide the next generation a cleaner, safer environment in which to live,
work and play.

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Congratulations.

END 1:59 P.M. EDT

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