pd06au01 Remarks on Receiving the Report of the National Commission on Federal...

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million Americans cast votes in more than 190,000 polling places under 
the supervision of 1.4 million pollworkers. Our Nation is vast and 
diverse, and our elections should not be run out of Washington, DC.
    Second, the Federal Government can have a limited but responsible 
role in assisting States and localities to solve their problems

[[Page 1121]]

with election administration so that our voting technology and practices 
respect the value of every eligible vote.
    Third, we must actively and vigorously enforce the laws that protect 
the voting rights of ethnic and racial minorities, of citizens who do 
not speak English fluently, and of the elderly and persons with 
disabilities.
    Let me say, by the way, how pleased I am that the Commission 
occasionally cited the great State of Texas for its good work.
    Fourth and finally, we must act to uphold the voting rights of 
members of the armed services and of Americans living abroad. We must 
safeguard absentee ballots against abuse, and we must ensure that those 
Americans who risked their lives to defend American democracy are never 
prevented from participating in American democracy.
    These are some of the core principles underlying the Commission's 
report, and they are principles that should guide us all. I commend the 
Commissioners for their statesmen-like work. They have risen above 
partisan emotions, put forth practical suggestions for improving 
democracy, and the United States Congress should listen to them and 
follow their lead.
    It is now my honor to call back to the podium a man who has been 
here quite often in the past, the President of the United States, Jimmy 
Carter.

Note: The President spoke at 11 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to former Representative Robert H. 
Michel.


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[Page 1121-1123]
 
Pages 1115-1139
 
Week Ending Friday, August 3, 2001
 
Remarks on Signing an Executive Order on Energy Efficiency and an 
Exchange With Reporters

July 31, 2001

    The President. Thank you all for coming. Mr. Secretary, Larry 
Lindsey, thank you for being here today. I'm signing an Executive order 
fulfilling a promise that I made that our Federal agencies must lead the 
way for energy conservation.
    One of the ways that our Nation wastes energy is through what they 
call vampire devices. These will be a battery charger, cell phone 
chargers, computer systems that we--we really think we're not using 
energy when plugged in but, in fact, are. And so we've set what we call 
a 1-watt standard throughout the Federal Government, that we expect our 
agencies to be ridding themselves of the vampires and using energy 
conservation devices.
    The Secretary of Energy has agreed to lead this project, and I'm so 
thankful for it. The Federal Government can be good stewards of our 
resources, and we fully intend to be.
    There's an energy bill working its way through Congress which will 
encourage new technologies that will help save energy, that will call 
for research and development to make sure that we're wise about how we 
use the scarce resources we have in America. But it's also a bill that 
recognizes that, while on the one hand we must conserve, we also must 
find additional sources of energy, such as natural gas. And that's why I 
think it is very important for Congress to pass a balanced energy plan, 
one that includes the capacity to drill for, explore for, and find 
natural gas throughout our entire country, including Alaska. And I'm 
confident we can do so in an environmentally friendly way.
    I urge the Members of the House of Representatives to support the 
energy bill that will include allowing for there to be a small amount of 
exploration in ANWR, that will yield a lot of energy on behalf of the 
people of America.
    And so it's now my honor to sign this Executive order and look 
forward to working with the Secretary, to show the Nation--to show the 
Nation how best to use technologies to conserve energy.
    Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

[At this point, the President signed the Executive order.]

    I'd be glad to answer a few questions. Gregory [David Gregory, NBC 
News], you look like you have something on your mind. [Laughter]

Patients' Bill of Rights

    Q. Mr. President, do you have a deal on a Patients' Bill of Rights 
bill now with Congressman Norwood? Can you tell us what the outlines of 
that might be?
    The President. Well, Congressman Norwood came into my office and he 
said, ``Mr.

[[Page 1122]]

President, would you like to talk about the possibility of reaching an 
agreement on a Patients' Bill of Rights?'' I said, ``You bet.'' After 
all, in a speech I gave early in my administration, I not only outlined 
the principles of a bill that would be unacceptable, I more importantly 
said I would like to see a piece of legislation that protects consumers 
and doesn't reward lawyers.
    So he brought some ideas right here in the Oval Office. He felt like 
he needed to go back and discuss them with some of the bill sponsors, 
Senators, and other Members of the House of Representatives. I'm hopeful 
that he will shake the hand of accommodation that I put out for him, and 
I believe there's room for compromise, and I'm more than willing to try 
to do so with him.
    We don't have a specific deal yet, David, to answer your question, 
but we're making good progress.
    Q. What are you offering that you think will be acceptable?
    The President. I'm offering to sign a bill and not veto it. And 
that's pretty powerful incentive for someone to try to come up with an 
agreement. I will not sign a bill that I think will end up tossing 
people out of health insurance. And if we have too much litigation, if 
we encourage lawsuits, costly lawsuits, it could drive up the health 
care for people; it will drive people off the health care rolls; and it 
will make it very difficult for small-business people to afford health 
care; and I'm deeply concerned about that.

National Commission on Federal Election Reform Report

    Q. Mr. President, today you received the election reforms report 
from President Carter and President Ford. If those reforms had been in 
place already, for the last election, do you think you'd be sitting in 
this room today?
    The President. It would have been a landslide. [Laughter] Who knows? 
But I do appreciate the report. I most appreciate that President Carter, 
himself, delivered the report to me. Former Congressman Michel, on 
behalf of President Ford, was here. I walked right out of the Oval 
Office, having gotten briefed, and stood in front of the American 
people, and said, ``This is a very good report.''
    And there is a lot of positive things in it, including making sure 
that America's networks don't prejudge elections by calling them too 
early. And there are a lot of other reforms in there that make sense. I 
urge Congress to take a good, close look at them.
    I think it's very important to note that one of the principles 
involved in the Carter-Ford report was that the elections really are 
local; that the Federal Government should enable and help local 
jurisdictions develop practices that make sure every vote matters, 
practices that make sure that our voting rolls and registers are up to 
date--you know, that people aren't registered three or four times across 
a State, that people who are eligible to vote are those who are the ones 
who should be voting.
    But I was impressed by the report. I thought it had a lot of very 
serious recommendations. And I hope Congress takes it seriously.
    Yes, Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

Trade Promotion Authority

    Q. Mr. President, House Republican leaders say that they don't have 
enough votes for fast track, so they're going to have to delay action 
until September. Why is it proving so hard to get fast track?
    The President. Some people in America don't believe in free trade. 
Some folks believe that a protectionist policy would be best for our 
country's economy and the workers. I strongly disagree.
    I think trade offers promise for people who want to find work. Trade 
is important to enhance the growth of small businesses. Trade is 
important in our own hemisphere. Trade has been important to make sure 
we've got good relations with Mexico. After all, we want our neighbors 
to do well; it's a neighborly way to think. And if Mexico and Canada do 
well, America will do well, as well. So trade is important. Trade is an 
important--it's also an important part of making sure the world is more 
free.
    But there are some who resist trade because they don't see its 
benefits. And my job, and the job of those of us who strongly see the 
benefits and know the benefits of free trade will continue to work hard 
until we get

[[Page 1123]]

a piece of legislation that enables the President of the United States 
to make sure that America is involved in the world, that we don't miss 
out on opportunities for the working people of America to find jobs, 
that we don't miss out on the opportunities for our farmers and ranchers 
to find markets to feed people. We're the best in the world at growing 
crops.
    And we need to make sure that our farmers and ranchers have the 
capacity to sell their product in overseas markets. It's to the benefit 
of our economy. It's a benefit to the people who take risk in America. I 
believe we'll get a trade promotion authority bill out. Whether or not 
we get it done before August is, obviously, you know, up in the air. But 
I believe when it's all said and done, that Congress will realize the 
benefits of free trade for the people of America.

Situation in the Middle East

    Q. What is your view of the kind of targeted attack the Israelis 
carried out on Hamas today? And do you plan to step up your involvement 
in the Middle East?
    The President. I spoke to King Abdullah of Jordan this morning. I 
was very much involved, continue to remain actively involved in the 
process. And step one, in order to get to Mitchell, is to break the 
cycle of violence.
    As I told the King, His Majesty, all of us--all of us--have got to 
work together to convince both parties to stop the cycle. And, 
obviously, we've got a lot of work to do. But it is important to get to 
Mitchell. But the first step in getting into Mitchell is for there to be 
significantly reduced violence, and that's not the case right now. And 
so all the world must continue to say to both sides, break the cycle of 
violence, and then we can get into the Mitchell process.
    Obviously, I'm--I wish the levels of violence were lower than they 
are today. A couple of weeks ago it looked like we had made progress, 
and then the violence spiked. That means the United States will continue 
to stay actively involved and urging there to be calm and urging both 
parties to resist the temptation to resort to violence.

Note: The President spoke at 2:53 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to the Report by the Sharm al-Sheikh 
Fact-Finding Committee which was chaired by former Senator George J. 
Mitchell. The President also referred to ANWR, the Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge.

      


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[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
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[Page 1123-1124]
 
Pages 1115-1139
 
Week Ending Friday, August 3, 2001
 
Executive Order 13221--Energy Efficient Standby Power Devices

July 31, 2001

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and 
the laws of the United States of America, including the National Energy 
Conservation Policy Act (Public Law 95-619, 92 Stat. 3206, 42 U.S.C. 
8252 et seq.), as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT) 
(Public Law 102-486, 106 Stat. 2776), and section 301 of title 3, United 
States Code, and in order to further encourage energy conservation by 
the Federal Government, it is hereby ordered as follows:
    Section 1. Energy Efficient Standby Power Devices. Each agency, when 
it purchases commercially available, off-the-shelf products that use 
external standby power devices, or that contain an internal standby 
power function, shall purchase products that use no more than one watt 
in their standby power consuming mode. If such products are not 
available, agencies shall purchase products with the lowest standby 
power wattage while in their standby power consuming mode. Agencies 
shall adhere to these requirements, when life-cycle cost-effective and 
practicable and where the relevant product's utility and performance are 
not compromised as a result. By December 31, 2001, and on an annual 
basis thereafter, the Department of Energy, in consultation with the 
Department of Defense and the General Services Administration, shall 
compile a preliminary list of products to be subject to these 
requirements. The Department of Energy shall finalize the list and may 
remove products deemed inappropriate for listing.
    Sec. 2. Independent Agencies. Independent agencies are encouraged to 
comply with the provisions of this order.
    Sec. 3. Definition. ``Agency'' means an executive agency as defined 
in 5 U.S.C. 105.

[[Page 1124]]

For the purpose of this order, military departments, as defined in 5 
U.S.C. 102, are covered by the Department of Defense.
                                                George W. Bush
 The White House,
 July 31, 2001.

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:04 a.m., August 1, 
2001]

Note: This Executive order was published in the Federal Register on 
August 2.


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[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
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[Page 1124]
 
Pages 1115-1139
 
Week Ending Friday, August 3, 2001
 
Statement on House of Representatives Action To Prohibit Human Cloning

July 31, 2001

    The moral issues posed by human cloning are profound and have 
implications for today and for future generations. Today's overwhelming 
and bipartisan House action to prohibit human cloning is a strong 
ethical statement, which I commend. We must advance the promise and 
cause of science but must do so in a way that honors and respects life.


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