Earth Day 2000: Environmental Accomplishments: Alaska

President Clinton and Vice President Gore:
Protecting Our Environment and Public Health

Over the past seven years, President Clinton and Vice President Gore have significantly strengthened protections for the environment and public health, and won new resources to help states and communities protect their water, land and coasts. Here are some of the ways the state of Alaska has benefited:

Accelerating Toxic Cleanups.

The Clinton-Gore Administration has greatly accelerated the cleanup of contaminated sites, protecting communities and revitalizing local economies by returning land to productive use.

Reducing Toxic Releases.

The Administration has greatly expanded communities’ right to know about toxic releases to air, water and land – increasing by 30 percent the number of facilities that must report their releases, and nearly doubling the number of chemicals subject to reporting. Increased disclosure has helped lead to dramatic reductions in toxic releases. Nationwide, reported releases dropped nearly 20 percent from 1992 to 1997. In Alaska, toxic releases declined from 3,359,569 pounds in 1992 to 779,045 pounds in 1997.

Strengthening Water Quality Protections.

Through a variety of programs, the Administration has provided significant new resources to states and communities to safeguard public health by improving drinking water and to protect rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. These include:

Protecting Local Lands.

The Administration has won significant new resources to help states, communities, and landowners protect farms and other local green spaces that support wildlife, recreation, and water quality

Protecting Our Coasts and Estuaries.

Grants from the National Coastal Zone Management Program help states develop and implement plans for the protection and sustainable management of coastal resources. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System provides grants to states to help protect and restore estuaries, where ocean and fresh water mix. Through these two programs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has provided $466 million to states since 1993. Alaska has received $26.2 million.

April 2000



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