Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Regulations

The President today announced that the administration is issuing final regulations that will remove 10 million tons of sulfur dioxide from our air, cutting acid rain by about one-half. This major environmental achievement was made possible through the use of an innovative, market-based emissions allowance trading program that was proposed and signed into law by the President as part of the Clean Air Act. This trading program will save over $1 billion per year compared to the traditional "command and control" regulatory approach for achieving the same amount of reductions.

Through the President's leadership in passing the Clean Air Act, a decade-long congressional stalemate was broken, and one of the Nation's most important environmental goals was accomplished, significant progress toward cleaner air. Today's action further exemplifies the President's commitment to implementing fully the Clean Air Act, which utilizes the power of the marketplace to improve our environment.