Bill Clinton photo

Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 4506 - Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill, FY 1995

June 29, 1994

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(Senate Floor)
(Sponsors: Byrd (D), West Virginia; Johnston (D), Louisiana)

This Statement of Administration Policy provides the Administration's views on H.R. 4506, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill, FY 1995, as reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Administration supports Senate passage of H.R. 4506 and will work with Congress to address the concerns described below.

Overall, the Administration is pleased with the Committee's support of the President's investment initiatives and other key programs. The Administration does have some concerns with the Committee-reported bill, the most critical of which are discussed below.

Army Corps of Engineers

The Administration requests that the Senate restore funds to the Corps' regulatory program, which the Committee has reduced by $9 million from the Administration's proposed level. This reduction would prevent full implementation of the President's August 1993 Wetlands Initiative. Restoration of $3 million would allow the Corps to make permit decisions in 90 days. An additional $3 million, or a total of $6 million restored, would allow the Corps to begin implementation of an administrative appeals process for those who are denied permits. The Administration strongly supports the restoration of $6 million for this activity.

The Committee has added roughly 100 unrequested studies and construction projects — at a cost of nearly $90 million in FY 1995 — to the President's request. While an improvement over the House-passed bill, the Committee's addition of unrequested studies and projects is unwarranted. Some of these projects are uneconomic or would expand the Corps' mission to areas that have traditionally been non-Federal responsibilities. In addition, within the total, the Committee bill would provide funding for new start construction projects for which there are no Corps reports or for which reports have not undergone Administration review. The Administration believes that funding provided by the Committee-reported bill for these unrequested studies and projects should be redirected to higher priority programs, such as the regulatory program described above.

Department of Energy

The Administration is concerned about the Committee's $41 million reduction to the President's request for solar and renewable energy and encourages the Senate to fund these activities at the House level. The Committee report accompanying the Committee bill contains numerous objectionable earmarks in the solar and other renewable energy areas.

The Administration is committed to a strong fusion program. In keeping with the Administration's request, we would support initiating construction of the Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX) in FY 1995 as a complement to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Part of the funding for TPX construction could be provided from a reduction of $24 million in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) to meet the Administration's requested level of $51 million.

While the Committee bill incorporates the amendments made by the President to the Department's defense programs, it does not incorporate the President's amended requests for the reallocation of funds for non-defense programs. In particular, the Administration is disappointed that the Committee would continue to fund research at EBR-11 as part of the Integral Fast Reactor program. The Committee funds such research insufficiently because it assumes contributions from Japanese entities that may not occur. The Administration strongly urges the Senate to consider the Administration's amendment to cease operation of the EBR-11 and to fund higher priority energy projects at Argonne. This would require an additional $20 million to the Committee mark.

Sources of offsets for the Administration's higher priority projects include the Gas Turbine Modular Helium Reactor, hydrogen energy research, and earmarked projects added by the Committee in biological and environmental research. The Administration looks forward to working with the Senate to agree upon additional offset areas.

Other Issues

The Committee has added $100 million to the President's FY 1995 request for the Appalachian Regional Commission. The Administration believes that this unrequested funding should be redirected to higher priority programs.

William J. Clinton, Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 4506 - Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill, FY 1995 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/329889

Simple Search of Our Archives