THE WHITE HOUSE

                       Office of the Press Secretary 
                            (Caracas, Venezuela)
______________________________________________________________________ 
For Immediate Release                                 October 13, 1997 

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

I have today signed into law H.R. 2203, the "Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1998," which provides $20.7 billion in discretionary budget authority for the discretionary programs of the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation, the Army Corps of Engineers, and several smaller agencies.

The Act provides necessary funding to continue DOE's commitment to ensuring the safety and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile and DOE's investment in developing advanced renewable energy technologies. The Act also provides essential funding to develop and protect the Nation's environmental resources.

I hereby declare $5 million from the Construction General account of the Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of an emergency outlet for Devils Lake, North Dakota, as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)(I) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.

I urge the Congress to complete action on the remaining FY 1998 appropriations bills as quickly as possible, and to send them to me in an acceptable form.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

THE WHITE HOUSE,

October 13, 1997.

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