A strong record of accomplishment, a positive plan for the future. Today, President Clinton and Vice President Gore will join students and other community volunteers in restoring the C&O Canal Historical Park. This team effort highlights the President's ongoing efforts to meet the challenge on the environment as described in his State of the Union address. At the park, the President will both applaud local efforts to preserve our natural heritage, and reiterate his commitment on a national level to do the same. By working together - businesses, communities, schools and government - we can ensure a clean and safe environment for our children.

National Parks for Tomorrow. At the C&O Canal, President Clinton will announce a comprehensive plan to restore and improve America's national parks through Presidential directives and legislative proposals. The plan has over twenty elements, which include:

• Adding to the National Park System, by expanding Pt. Reyes National Seashore by 38,000 acres, and supporting legislation designating new wilderness areas and purchase of Sterling Forest on the New York / New Jersey border.
• Improving visitor experiences, by limiting overflight noise in Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain Parks.

President Clinton has taken strong measures to protect the environment. After 25 years of bipartisan effort and three years of the Clinton Administration, we have taken great steps. In order to ensure the public health, preserve our natural resources and protect the global environment, President Clinton has:

• Given citizens the tools they need, through strong environmental standards and programs, to build better communities by taking care of the environment.
• Fought attempts to both close National Parks and lift the ban on offshore oil drilling.
• Worked to cut toxic air pollution from chemical plants by 90 percent.
• Helped 50 million Americans breathe cleaner air, in 55 cities across this land.
• Fought attempts in Congress to roll back the progress made in ensuring safe food and water for our families.
• Led the charge for international agreements on global warming, biodiversity and population control.

President Clinton will continue to ensure that new problems are met with new, flexible solutions:

• The Clinton Administration has changed EPA rules and procedures to reduce paperwork requirements for businesses by 10 million hours.
• President Clinton has encouraged new solutions, with programs like Project XL, which encourages responsible businesses to find inexpensive, efficient ways to exceed our tough pollution standards, and his Common Sense initiative for small businesses which emphasizes results, not punishment. President Clinton's "Brownfields" tax incentive will help return land to productive use by providing tax incentives to clean-up old industrial waste sites. This program reflects the best of what we can do together to protect our environment and revitalize our cities: Individuals, businesses, communities, and government at all levels working together to meet our shared challenges.