pd07jn99 Statement on the Decision To Extend Normal Trade Relations Status With...

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[Page 1019-1020]
 
Monday, June 7, 1999
 
Volume 35--Number 22
Pages 1003-1048
 
Week Ending Friday, June 4, 1999
 
Remarks Following a Cabinet Meeting

June 3, 1999

    Good afternoon. I have just completed a very good meeting with the 
Cabinet. We discussed many issues, three in particular I would like to 
discuss with you.

Situation in the Balkans

    First, with regard to Kosovo. As you know, we have been working 
closely with President Ahtisaari and Mr. Chernomyrdin to try to achieve 
an agreement that would allow the refugees to go home with security, 
safety, and self-government. Movement by the Serbian leadership to 
accept these conditions, established by NATO and the international 
community is, of course, welcome, but based on our past experience, we 
must also be cautious.
    First, we must have clarity that the Serbian leadership has fully 
accepted these conditions and intends to fully implement them. Until 
then and until Serb forces begin a verifiable withdrawal from Kosovo, we 
will continue to pursue diplomacy, but we will also continue the 
military effort that has brought us to this point.
    In a few moments, I will meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to 
speak about the progress of our campaign and our planning for the force 
that would enter Kosovo when NATO's conditions are met. NATO and our 
military have been working hard to ensure that we can sustain our 
campaign and deploy KFOR quickly and effectively when that is necessary. 
We have worked to ensure that we can do this while maintaining our 
overall military posture around the world. They have my complete 
confidence and support as we move forward.

Legislative Agenda

    The second thing we discussed today was the budget and the 
importance of maintaining fiscal discipline, which has helped our Nation 
reach historic levels of prosperity, honored our values of opportunity, 
responsibility, and community, and enabled us to begin to meet the 
challenges of America in the 21st century.
    Last fall my Cabinet and I worked very hard to put together a budget 
that reduces the publicly held debt to its lowest point since before 
World War I, safeguards the solvency of Social Security and Medicare and 
makes improvements in both programs, offers targeted tax cuts for long-
term retirement savings, stays within the budget caps, and makes 
substantial new investments in the benefit of the American people, from 
education to the environment to new technology.
    Unfortunately, the Republican majority in Congress is moving ahead 
with a budget plan

[[Page 1020]]

that, in the end, may do none of these things. It fails to extend the 
solvency of Social Security and Medicare. It fails to make new, crucial 
investments. It requires deep cuts in areas of great national need, from 
law enforcement to education to the environment. These cuts would be so 
damaging that Congress, itself, to date has been unwilling and unable to 
move some of the most basic and normally noncontroversial spending bills 
out of their committees.
    The majority budget plan is simply not realistic. It is a blueprint 
for chaos, and we can do better. I urge Congress when it returns to work 
with me in a bipartisan way for a budget that is both fiscally 
responsible and honors our values and prepares for our future.

Federal Energy Policy

    I also discussed with the Cabinet new actions to deal with what, in 
my State of the Union Address, I said was our most fateful environmental 
challenge, global warming. Almost every month, we see disturbing new 
evidence of climate change. Scientists now believe that last year, 1998, 
was very likely the warmest year in a millennium. Whole species of frogs 
are disappearing from forests in Costa Rica because the air there is 
getting hotter and drier. In the Arctic, the permafrost has started to 
warm and the sea ice is shrinking. These are alarming signs for what it 
means to biodiversity and the potential of a rising water level around 
the globe.
    Yet some still insist that the vast majority of scientists are 
simply wrong, and that we should do nothing. Others call for a raft of 
new regulations and new taxes. I believe there is a third way here, a 
better way, to invest in technologies that reduce greenhouse gases while 
also spurring economic growth. Many of those technologies are on hand 
right now.
    As the single largest consumer of energy in our country, the Federal 
Government should be leading the way. That is why today I am directing 
all Federal departments and agencies to take steps to markedly improve 
the energy efficiency of our buildings. With new technologies and 
contracts with private companies, the Federal Government will cut its 
greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent. That is the equivalent of taking 
1.7 million cars off the road. By taking these steps, we will also save 
the taxpayers over $750 million a year when they are fully implemented.
    I'm also pleased to announce that the Defense Department will award, 
by the end of this month, the largest energy-saving contract in the 
history of the Federal Government. Under this contract, the Government 
pays no up-front costs, the contractor wins a share of the energy 
savings; greenhouse pollution is reduced; and taxpayers will save over 
$200 million.
    I want to express my thanks to Secretary Cohen and Secretary 
Richardson for turning the idea of these win-win energy contracts into a 
reality. And I want to urge Congress, again, to pass the new research 
investments and the new tax incentives I have proposed in my balanced 
budget, so that America's consumers and businesses can reap the benefits 
of energy-saving technologies that exist today, and the new, better 
technologies that are soon to be developed.
    So, in closing, let me say we have some encouraging news on Kosovo, 
but we should be cautious, and we should see real results.
    We have presented a good budget to the Congress; the one they have 
come back with won't work. We've got to work together to give the 
American people one that will. The problem of climate change and global 
warming is real, but we don't have to have an economic breakdown to deal 
with it; what we need is a vigorous embrace of effective technologies, 
first by the Federal Government and then by all the American people.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 2:52 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Martti Ahtisaari of 
Finland and Special Envoy and former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin 
of Russia.

[[Page 1021]]


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 1021-1029]
 
Monday, June 7, 1999
 
Volume 35--Number 22
Pages 1003-1048
 
Week Ending Friday, June 4, 1999
 
Executive Order 13123--Greening the Government Through Efficient Energy 
Management

June 3, 1999

    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, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Part 1--Preamble

    Section 101. Federal Leadership. The Federal Government, as the 
Nation's largest energy consumer, shall significantly improve its energy 
management in order to save taxpayer dollars and reduce emissions that 
contribute to air pollution and global climate change. With more than 
500,000 buildings, the Federal Government can lead the Nation in energy 
efficient building design, construction, and operation. As a major 
consumer that spends $200 billion annually on products and services, the 
Federal Government can promote energy efficiency, water conservation, 
and the use of renewable energy products, and help foster markets for 
emerging technologies. In encouraging effective energy management in the 
Federal Government, this order builds on work begun under EPACT and 
previous Executive orders.

Part 2--Goals

    Sec. 201. Greenhouse Gases Reduction Goal. Through life-cycle cost-
effective energy measures, each agency shall reduce its greenhouse gas 
emissions attributed to facility energy use by 30 percent by 2010 
compared to such emissions levels in 1990. In order to encourage optimal 
investment in energy improvements, agencies can count greenhouse gas 
reductions from improvements in nonfacility energy use toward this goal 
to the extent that these reductions are approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB).
    Sec. 202. Energy Efficiency Improvement Goals. Through life-cycle 
cost-effective measures, each agency shall reduce energy consumption per 
gross square foot of its facilities, excluding facilities covered in 
section 203 of this order, by 30 percent by 2005 and 35 percent by 2010 
relative to 1985. No facilities will be exempt from these goals unless 
they meet new criteria for exemptions, to be issued by the Department of 
Energy (DOE).
    Sec. 203. Industrial and Laboratory Facilities. Through life-cycle 
cost-effective measures, each agency shall reduce energy consumption per 
square foot, per unit of production, or per other unit as applicable by 
20 percent by 2005 and 25 percent by 2010 relative to 1990. No 
facilities will be exempt from these goals unless they meet new criteria 
for exemptions, as issued by DOE.
    Sec. 204. Renewable Energy. Each agency shall strive to expand the 
use of renewable energy within its facilities and in its activities by 
implementing renewable energy projects and by purchasing electricity 
from renewable energy sources. In support of the Million Solar Roofs 
initiative, the Federal Government shall strive to install 2,000 solar 
energy systems at Federal facilities by the end of 2000, and 20,000 
solar energy systems at Federal facilities by 2010.
    Sec. 205. Petroleum. Through life-cycle cost-effective measures, 
each agency shall reduce the use of petroleum within its facilities. 
Agencies may accomplish this reduction by switching to a less greenhouse 
gas-intensive, nonpetroleum energy source, such as natural gas or 
renewable energy sources; by eliminating unnecessary fuel use; or by 
other appropriate methods. Where alternative fuels are not practical or 
life-cycle cost-effective, agencies shall strive to improve the 
efficiency of their facilities.
    Sec. 206. Source Energy. The Federal Government shall strive to 
reduce total energy use and associated greenhouse gas and other air 
emissions, as measured at the source. To that end, agencies shall 
undertake life-cycle cost-effective projects in which source energy 
decreases, even if site energy use increases. In such cases, agencies 
will receive credit toward energy reduction goals through guidelines 
developed by DOE.
    Sec. 207. Water Conservation. Through life-cycle cost-effective 
measures, agencies

[[Page 1022]]

shall reduce water consumption and associated energy use in their 
facilities to reach the goals set under section 503(f) of this order. 
Where possible, water cost savings and associated energy cost savings 
shall be included in Energy-Savings Performance Contracts and other 
financing mechanisms.

Part 3--Organization and Accountability

    Sec. 301. Annual Budget Submission. Each agency's budget submission 
to OMB shall specifically request funding necessary to achieve the goals 
of this order. Budget submissions shall include the costs associated 
with: encouraging the use of, administering, and fulfilling agency 
responsibilities under Energy-Savings Performance Contracts, utility 
energy-efficiency service contracts, and other contractual platforms for 
achieving conservation goals; implementing life-cycle cost-effective 
measures; procuring life-cycle cost-effective products; and constructing 
sustainably designed new buildings, among other energy costs. OMB shall 
issue guidelines to assist agencies in developing appropriate requests 
that support sound investments in energy improvements and energy-using 
products. OMB shall explore the feasibility of establishing a fund that 
agencies could draw on to finance exemplary energy management activities 
and investments with higher initial costs but lower life-cycle costs. 
Budget requests to OMB is support of this order must be within each 
agency's planning guidance level.
    Sec. 302. Annual Implementation Plan. Each agency shall develop an 
annual implementation plan for fulfilling the requirements of this 
order. Such plans shall be included in the annual reports to the 
President under section 303 of this order.
    Sec. 303. Annual Reports to the President. (a) Each agency shall 
measure and report its progress in meeting the goals and requirements of 
this order on an annual basis. Agencies shall follow reporting 
guidelines as developed under section 306(b) of this order. In order to 
minimize additional reporting requirements, the guidelines will clarify 
how the annual report to the President should build on each agency's 
annual Federal energy reports submitted to DOE and the Congress. Annual 
reports to the President are due on January 1 of each year beginning in 
the year 2000.
    (b) Each agency's annual report to the President shall describe how 
the agency is using each of the strategies described in Part 4 of this 
order to help meet energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals. The annual 
report to the President shall explain why certain strategies, if any, 
have not been used. It shall also include a listing and explanation of 
exempt facilities.
    Sec. 304. Designation of Senior Agency Official. Each agency shall 
designate a senior official, at the Assistant Secretary level or above, 
to be responsible for meeting the goals and requirements of this order, 
including preparing the annual report to the President. Such designation 
shall be reported by each Cabinet Secretary or agency head to the Deputy 
Director for Management of OMB within 30 days of the date of this order. 
Designated officials shall participate in the Interagency Energy Policy 
Committee, described in section 306(d) of this order. The Committee 
shall communicate its activities to all designated officials to assure 
proper coordination and achievement of the goals and requirements of 
this order.
    Sec. 305. Designation of Agency Energy Teams. Within 90 days of the 
date of this order, each agency shall form a technical support team 
consisting of appropriate procurement, legal, budget, management, and 
technical representatives to expedite and encourage the agency's use of 
appropriations, Energy-Savings Performance Contracts, and other 
alternative financing mechanisms necessary to meet the goals and 
requirements of this order. Agency energy team activities shall be 
undertaken in collaboration with each agency's representative to the 
Interagency Energy Management Task Force, as described in section 306(e) 
of this order.
    Sec. 306. Interagency Coordination. (a) Office of Management and 
Budget. The Deputy Director for Management of OMB, in consultation with 
DOE, shall be responsible for evaluating each agency's progress in 
improving energy management and for submitting agency energy scorecards 
to the President to report progress.

[[Page 1023]]

      (1) OMB, in consultation with DOE and other agencies, shall 
develop the agency energy scorecards and scoring system to evaluate each 
agency's progress in meeting the goals of this order. The scoring 
criteria shall include the extent to which agencies are taking advantage 
of key tools to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as 
Energy-Savings Performance Contracts, utility energy-efficiency service 
contracts, ENERGY STAR<Register> and other energy efficient products, 

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