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                         THE WHITE HOUSE
                  Office of the Press Secretary
  ______________________________________________________________
FOR RELEASE UPON DELIVERY          4 P-M MONDAY, June 14,1993

                   ON EARTH SUMMIT ANNIVERSARY
       PRESIDENT CREATES COUNCIL ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

For Economic Growth, Job Creation, Environmental Protection

WASHINGTON -- On the anniversary of the Earth Summit and, as the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development gathers for its first meeting, President Clinton today (6/14) named the President's Council on Sustainable Development to help craft U.S. policies that will encourage economic growth, job creation, and environmental protection.

"Every nation faces a challenge to identify and implement policies that will meet the needs of the present without compromising the future. America will meet that challenge with the help of this Council and the ideas and experience its members bring to this important task," President Clinton said.

Vice President Gore, who joined President Clinton in announcing the Council, said, "This Council will help us forge a new partnership among representatives of industry, labor, government, environmental organizations, and civil rights organizations. That partnership is vital to our success in addressing the global environmental issues facing every nation."

The Council, which has 25 members, will explore and develop policies that encourage economic growth, job creation, and effective use of our natural and cultural resources. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future.

     The Council's primary goals will be to:
     o Develop specific policy recommendations for a national

strategy for sustainable development that can be implemented by public and private sectors;

Respond to the recommendations in Agenda 21, the comprehensive international policy declaration nations of the world agreed to as a pledge to global environmental action, and contribute to the U.S. plan to be submitted to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, the international commission created at the Earth Summit to help ensure implementation of Agenda 21;
Sponsor projects that demonstrate and test the viability of the Council's recommendations and that encourage comprehensive approaches;
Establish links with other non-governmental organizations within and outside the United States;
Recognize outstanding sustainable development achievements through an annual Presidential award; and,
Educate the public about the far-reaching opportunities in sustainable development.

The Council will divide into issue-specific committees to develop strategies in particular areas such as sustainable agriculture and land use, efficient energy and transportation systems, environmental justice, eco-efficient manufacturing, environmental education, and setting environmental priorities.

The Council will meet quarterly over an initial two-year term that may be renewed for another two years. The Council's first formal meeting will be in September. In December, the Council will recommend a broad strategy for how the U.S. might achieve sustainable development goals in some of the critical areas identified in Agenda 21. In June, 1994, the Council will identify specific actions that should be taken to pursue the national sustainable development strategy.

The Council includes members of the President's cabinet (the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Interior, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency), and representatives of industry, environmental organizations, and the academic community.

President Clinton announced as co-chairs of the Council: Jonathan Lash, President of the World Resources Institute, and David T. Buzzelli, Vice President and Corporate Director of Environment, Health and Safety and Public Affairs at the Dow Chemical Company.

"The Council's membership and mandate reflect the belief that is growing among business and environmental leaders that good economic policy protects the environment and good environmental policy strengthens the economy. The Council is the right group at the right time to define broad policy goals and strategies that integrate government programs to strengthen the economy and protect the environment," Lash said.

Lash, a distinguished leader in international law, joined WRI in January from the Environmental Law Center at the Vermont Law School where he directed one of the nation's outstanding environmental law programs. He is the former Vermont Secretary of Natural Resources and has served as a senior staff attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. WRI, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonpartisan policy research center on global environmental, economic, and development issues.

"To ensure a sustainable environment and economy, we must improve the decision-making process and establish priorities that target and resolve the most crucial issues first. This Council has the potential to contribute substantially to that goal," said Buzzelli.

Buzzelli, who has worked for Dow for 28 years, is a member of the company's Board of Directors and is responsible for guiding Dow's approach to environment, health and safety related issues. For many years, he has actively promoted sustainable development. The Dow Chemical Company manufactures and supplies more than 2,000 products and services. It operates 178 manufacturing sites in 33 countries and employs more than 60,000 people.