THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

                 VICE PRESIDENT RELEASES STATE-BY-STATE 
                 SAFE DRINKING WATER ALLOCATION FIGURES

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Gore today (5/30) announced what the President's proposed $725 million Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund for fiscal 1998 would mean for every state in the country.

The Vice President released state-by-state allocations figures under the President's proposal at a White House ceremony. The President's proposed Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund will help communities upgrade deteriorating drinking water systems and provide safer drinking water for all Americans.

The Vice President also applauded the recent balanced budget agreement for its environmental protections. This agreement provides sufficient funding for the President's environmental priorities.

"We can protect the public health by giving local communities the resources they need to rebuild their drinking water systems," said the Vice President. " Our proposed budget gives every state in the country at least $7 million to upgrade their drinking water infrastructures. It's a small investment that will pay enormous dividends."

The Administration called for key reforms in the Safe Drinking Water Act in September 1993. Congress responded and, last year, the President signed the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 to strengthen protections and provide resources to help communities provide clean drinking water. This new law included a first-ever Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund to provide communities across the country with the resources to upgrade systems and improve the quality of their drinking water.

The law authorizes up to $9.6 billion that would go to states for such upgrades through the year 2003. President Clinton has proposed $3 billion for this purpose in his budget requests since fiscal 1994, including the $725 million in his 1998 budget. Today's announcement demonstrates the Administration's continued commitment to ensure that American families have safe, clean drinking water.

"I call on Congress to pass our balanced budget plan when members return from their recess -- and to provide adequate funding for the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund," said the Vice President. "America's families are depending on it."

##STATE-BY-STATE BREAKDOWN OF SAFE DRINKING WATER GRANTS

Following is a list of the funds that each state would receive under the President's FY1998 budget proposal:

ALABAMA $ 8,465,600             NEVADA $ 7,121,300
ALASKA $ 7,121,300              NEW HAMPSHIRE $ 7,121,300
ARIZONA $ 7,257,400             NEW JERSEY $17,347,900
ARKANSAS $10,132,200            NEW MEXICO $ 7,121,300
CALIFORNIA $77,108,200          NEW YORK $45,061,600
COLORADO $ 9,581,800            NORTH CAROLINA $12,859,400
CONNECTICUT $ 7,121,300         NORTH DAKOTA $ 7,121,300
DELAWARE $ 7,121,300            OHIO $22,806,200
FLORIDA $20,642,800             OKLAHOMA $10,224,200
GEORGIA $15,253,300             OREGON $10,567,800
HAWAII $ 7,121,300              PENNSYLVANIA $22,404,800
IDAHO $7,121,300                PUERTO RICO $10,225,000
ILLINOIS $24,753,200            RHODE ISLAND $7,121,300
INDIANA $ 8,687,500             SOUTH CAROLINA $ 7,669,400
IOWA $11,238,700                SOUTH DAKOTA $ 7,121,300
KANSAS $10,008,100              TENNESSEE $9,557,400
KENTUCKY $10,851,600            TEXAS $54,014,400
LOUISIANA $ 9,949,200           UTAH $ 7,121,300
MAINE $ 7,121,300               VERMONT $ 7,121,300
MARYLAND $7,121,300             VIRGINIA $13,895,300
MASSACHUSETTS $27,414,400       WASHINGTON $19,169,100
MICHIGAN $20,951,400            WEST VIRGINIA $ 7,121,300
MINNESOTA $11,856,100           WISCONSIN $ 9,548,400
MISSISSIPPI $ 8,271,700         WYOMING $7,121,300
MISSOURI $ 9,574,900            D.C.   $ 7,121,300
MONTANA $ 7,121,300             OTHER AREAS* $ 2,350,000

NEBRASKA $ 7,121,300

*Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam & Northern Mariana

###