27 



I will absolutely commit to you that I will not allow something 

 like that to continue. 



Senator McCain. Would you give serious consideration to having 

 a high-level person in your bureaucracy to address those issues? 



Ms. Browner. I would certainly be willing to discuss that with 

 you. I think it is very important. 



Senator McCain. Thank you very much. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank you for your kind words of 

 welcome and I appreciate the opportunity of serving with you 

 again and with our ranking member, Senator Roth. 



Prepared Statement of Senator McCain 



Thank you Mr. Chairman. I want to commend your efforts, and those of Senator 

 Roth in steadfastly pursuing the goal of elevating the Environmental Protection 

 Agency to a cabinet-level department, the fact that this can be the year to accom- 

 plish it bears much promise for all Americans who are passionately concerned about 

 the quality and protection of the environment in our country. If the Congress can 

 pass legislation to create a new Department of the Environment, we will take a 

 strong step forward in fulfilling our obligation to help protect and enhance the mag- 

 nificent natural resources of the united states for future generations to enjoy. 



If it's physically possible to squeeze in yet another dedicated pubUc servant into 

 cabinet meetings — and there may be no more room at the inn! — I think we should 

 support a new "Department of the Environment". 



In the more than twenty years since the creation of the Environmental Protection 

 Agency, the scope and authority of the EPA has expanded tremendously. In its 

 birth the EPA was a moderate-sized agency which oversaw a handful of environ- 

 mental statutes. Today, the EPA's regulatory responsibilities have grown to oversee 

 more than fifteen major environmental statutes. 



The far-reaching and often historic legislation which has been signed into law 

 since the creation of the EPA reads as testimony to the profound and growing rever- 

 ence most Americans have for the environment. The passage of the Clean Water 

 Act, Superfund, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Clean Air Act have 

 all helped protect our Nation's precious environmental assets — but they have also 

 challenged and tested the ability of the EPA to properly fulfill its mandate. 



As the challenges and responsibilities of the EPA have grown, so has its budget 

 and staff resources. The agency's funding had increased more than ten times and 

 now approaches $7 billion, and the number of the agency's employees has nearly 

 tripled. When you look at how critical the EPA's mission is, how vast and complex 

 the environmental problems that face us are, and how important it is for the agency 

 to better coordinate its activities with other Federal departments, the case to ele- 

 vate the EPA to the cabinet becomes clear. 



Creating a "Department of the Environment" with a permanent seat in the Presi- 

 dent's cabinet will swiftly accomplish several worthy goals. First and foremost, per- 

 haps, is the fact that the Secretary of the Environment will have a steady and per- 

 manent seat in the highest policy-making council of the White House. Our Nation's 

 chief environmental officer will be assured of direct access to the President on a 

 continuing basis. This will afford the Secretary of the Environment the opportunity 

 to better serve as an advocate for effective environmental policies and the resources 

 necessary to implement them. 



In addition, elevating the EPA to cabinet-status will allow the new department to 

 improve its coordination with other key Federal departments. As a Senator from a 

 western state with a large amount of public lands, I can attest to the complex web 

 of jurisdictional problems that arise between the EPA and a myriad of other Feder- 

 al and state agencies. Unfortunately, many other Federal agencies have not proper- 

 ly dealt with environmental issues, and don't consider them as a true priority in 

 their administrative and r^ulatory actions. Its my hope that a new Secretary of the 

 Environment can work in the cabinet to improve environmental policy integration 

 and cooperation with fellow cabinet officers. 



I do have several areas of concern regarding S. 171 as the legislation now stands. 

 There is a segment of our Nation for whom the standard of effective environmental 

 protection is not being met, and for whom growing environmental problems are omi- 

 nously adding to the often bleak quality of life they face. In the U.S., Indian tribes 

 emd the lands upon which they live are not receiving an adequate level of assistance 

 and attention from the Environmental Protection Agency. 



