CONGRESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT UPDATE
On April 22, 1970, our nation celebrated the first Earth Day. As we celebrate the 32nd annual observance, I wanted to give you a congressional update on the environment.
One area of particular concern is groundwater contamination. As you may know, contamination in the San Gabriel Basin was discovered in 1979. In the last session of Congress I introduced legislation, which was subsequently signed into law, to expedite cleanup of the San Gabriel Basin Superfund site. The San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Initiative provides federal assistance to speed cleanup and deter wasteful litigation. It also funds research into new and cost-effective methods for cleaning up perchlorate pollution. Last year I worked to provide an additional $12 million to the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund in H.R. 2311, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2002. I am pleased to report that on November 12, President Bush signed this legislation into law. I will continue to work closely with the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, as well as other local officials, to expedite the cleanup process.
As a longtime advocate of environmental and natural resource protection, I supported $2.32 billion for the National Park Service in fiscal year 2002. This is a $187.8 million increase over FY 2001. In addition, over the last three years, Congress has created five national wildlife refuges and appropriated over $600 million to assist endangered and threatened species of fish. I am also pleased to report that in this session of Congress, I supported passage of the African Elephant Conservation Reauthorization Act and the Tropical Forest Conservation Act Reauthorization.
I hope you and your family have an enjoyable Earth Day.
For additional information, you may also wish to visit the EPA's Earth Day and the White House's Clear Skies Initiative Web sites.
