Message to the Congress Transmitting Annual Report of the Council on Environmental Quality.

To the Congress of the United States:

I am pleased to transmit to the Congress this Fourth Annual Report of the Council on Environmental Quality.

The year 1970, when I transmitted the Council's First Annual Report, signalled a time of great environmental awakening in the United States. Much has been accomplished in the succeeding three years.

In place of organizational disorder and fragmentation, we have developed institutions capable of dealing with environmental problems in a systematic and effective way. At the Federal level, the Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency were established in 1970. Most States have created similar offices, giving greater prominence and coherence to their own environmental programs.

We have also enacted new and stronger environmental protection laws and have made substantial progress in defining problems, establishing goals, and designing strategies for abating pollution and preserving our natural heritage. The chapter in this report entitled "Perspectives on Environmental Quality" describes the important progress we have made. In some instances, such as air pollution, a national program is well advanced. In other areas, such as noise pollution, our work is just beginning. But in all areas, our knowledge about the environment and our capacity to protect and preserve it increase day by day.

Our energies have not been confined to domestic environmental problems. In the world community we have provided strong leadership in responding to environmental concerns and in fostering international efforts to solve problems which transcend national boundaries. The chapter "International Action to Protect the Environment" summarizes the progress made in recent years in protecting the oceans, controlling transboundary pollution, and preserving the fragile natural heritage of our planet.

Other chapters in this report further illustrate the gains that have been made. American initiative--our ability to solve problems rather than simply bemoaning them--has increasingly been turned to environmental improvement in recent years and the results are becoming evident in one area after another.

The chapter on "Cleaning Up the Willamette," for example shows that a grossly polluted river can be restored to purity and health. Fifty years ago this Oregon river was offensive to the senses. Today the waters are clean and salmon migrate upstream in the fall. The people of Oregon, whose determination brought about the cleanup, are now taking action to preserve and assure public access to the shoreline of this restored river.

The chapter entitled "The Urban Environment: Toward Livable Cities" describes new signs of life and vigor in our cities and shows what private citizens can do to create urban environments that enhance the quality of life.

The chapter on "Environmental Status and Trends" indicates that the air quality in our cities is improving. Further progress will occur as the Clean Air Act continues to be carried out.

As in so many other areas of national concern, our progress should inspire us to get on with the job that still remains. In my National Resources and Environment Message in February, I resubmitted 19 bills for Congressional action and also submitted several new proposals. Some of the most important measures--including proposals for the regulation of land use and the control of toxic substances-have been before the Congress for 2 1/2 years. Passage of these measures is crucial to the environmental well-being of America. The time for action is upon us.

Land use control is perhaps the most pressing environmental issue before the Nation. How we use our land is fundamental to all other environmental concerns. There is encouraging evidence that the American people have reached a new perception and appreciation for this challenge. In our past, we wrestled a nation out of wilderness. We cleared and developed the land. If we despoiled it, there was always fresh land over the horizon, or so it seemed. But now we know that there must be limits to our use of the land, not only limits imposed by nature on what the land can support, but also limits 'set by the human spirit--for we need beauty and order and diversity in our surroundings.

I believe that land use regulation should be primarily a responsibility of local governments, where responsive leaders are most likely to understand the choices that have to be made. Nevertheless, I am also convinced that Federal legislation is needed now both to stimulate and to support the range of controls that States must institute. I urge the Congress to enact my proposal for land use control, a proposal which would authorize Federal assistance to encourage the States-in cooperation with local governments-to protect lands of critical environmental concern and to control growth and development which has a regional impact.

I also urge the Congress to act quickly to prevent continued ravaging of our land and water through uncontrolled mining. My proposed Mined Area Protection Act would establish Federal requirements to regulate surface and underground mining. By requiring mining operators to post adequate performance bonds and satisfy stringent Federal reclamation standards, this legislation would require that mined lands be restored to their original condition or to a condition that is equally desirable. We need the fuels and minerals that are now in the earth, but we can--and must--secure them without despoiling and devastating our landscape.

There is other important land use legislation pending before the Congress which also deserves prompt enactment. The Power plant Siting Act would assure that needed generating facilities are constructed on a timely basis with full consideration of environmental values. The Natural Resource Land Management Act would provide a management policy emphasizing strong environmental safeguards for one-fifth of our Nation's land area that is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Because a number of differing values and perspectives must be reconciled, the regulation of land use will never be a simple matter. The "Perspectives" chapter of this report describes the anti-growth sentiment emerging in some communities and points to the need to reconcile controls on unwanted growth with provision for essential regional development. The chapter on "The Law and Land Use Regulation" discusses the balance which must be struck between the need to protect private property and the need to preserve the environment. This is not a question to be dealt with from Washington, however, but one that State and local governments and courts must work out. The Council's chapter on this subject should be helpful to these groups, the legal profession and private citizens in developing a more complete understanding of this important issue.

In the final analysis, the struggle for environmental quality rests with the citizens of our Nation. The chapter on "The Citizens' Role in Environmental Improvement" shows that concern for the environment is not merely a passing fad but rather has become an integral part of American life.

The Fourth Annual Report of the Council on Environmental Quality demonstrates our considerable progress in arresting environmental decay. It also helps to chart the path we must follow if we are to continue this progress in the future. I commend the members and staff of the Council for their efforts in producing this valuable document, and [ urge the Congress and the public to give this report their full and careful consideration.

RICHARD NIXON

The White House,

September 17, 1973.