Statement of Administration Policy: S. 533 — Department of the Environment Act of 1991

(Senate)
(Glenn (D) Ohio and 28 others)

The Administration strongly supports elevation of the Environmental Protection Agency to Cabinet status, as proposed by the President last year. As he stated in his letter of May 22, 1991, to House and Senate leadership, "the Nation's environmental policies and the work of the EPA are sufficiently important to merit making the Agency a Cabinet-level Department."

The Administration will support S. 533 if it is amended as noted below:

The Administration understands that an amendment will be offered by the bill's sponsors on the Senate floor to eliminate the restrictions on the number of political appointees currently contained in Sections 105 (c) and 111 (a) of S. 533. These sections, which would require a specified number of Deputy Assistant Secretaries and Senior Executive Service positions to be filled by career appointees, represent Congressional micromanagement. The President should retain flexibility with respect to such positions, subject to existing legal or regulatory requirements.

The Administration has a number of technical comments on various other provisions. These are contained in the attachment.

Assuming the above-mentioned amendment is adopted, the Administration supports S. 533.

Attachment: Administration Technical Comments on S. 533

Under Title 1, delete subparagraph (C) in Section 108 (a) and rewrite paragraph (2) to read as follows:

"(2) Nothing in the provisions of paragraph (1) shall authorize the Bureau of Environmental Statistics to require the collection of any data by any other Department, or to establish observation or monitoring programs. The Bureau of Environmental Statistics shall conduct its activities in cooperation with other federal departments and agencies which have responsibilities for compiling, analyzing and publishing environmental statistics. The Council on Environmental Quality shall coordinate federal activities with regard to environmental statistics pursuant to its authority under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969."

Under Title II, the Administration feels the authorization of an International Energy Conference and an International Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Program are unnecessary.

International Responsibilities of the Secretary

Section 103 (f), concerning the international responsibilities of the Secretary of the Environment, should be revised to recognize the primary responsibility of the Secretary of State for the conduct of foreign affairs.