EO 12962 - Recreational Fisheries

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Administration of William J. Clinton, 1995 / June 8
I will sign legislation that provides these
needed supplemental appropriations and
that reduces the deficit by at least as much
as this bill. However, the legislation must reflect the priorities of the American people.
H.R. 1158, as passed, clearly does not.
William J. Clinton
The White House,
June 7, 1995.

Letter to Senator Bob Dole on LineItem Veto Legislation
June 7, 1995
Dear Mr. Leader:
I am deeply alarmed by today’s press report that some Republicans in the House and
Senate want to continue to hold back the
line-item veto so that I don’t have it during
this year’s budget process. The line-item veto
is a vital tool to cut pork from the budget.
If this Congress is serious about deficit reduction, it must pass the strongest possible
line-item veto immediately, and send it to
my desk so I can sign it right away.
This is not a partisan issue. Presidents
Reagan and Bush asked Congress for it time
and again, and so have I. It was part of the
Republican Contract with America. It has
strong support from members of Congress
in both parties and both houses. No matter
what party the President belongs to or what
party has a majority in Congress, the lineitem veto would be good for America.
If Congress will send me the line-item veto
immediately, I am willing to pledge that this
year, I will use it only to cut spending, not
on tax expenditures in this year’s budget. I
have already put you on notice that I will
veto any budget that is loaded with excessive
tax breaks for the wealthy. But I need the
line-item veto now to hold the line against
pork in every bill the Congress sends me.
The American people have waited long
enough. Congress should give them and the
Presidency the line-item veto without further
delay.
Sincerely,
Bill Clinton

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NOTE: This letter was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary but was not issued as
a White House press release.

Executive Order 12962—
Recreational Fisheries
June 7, 1995
By the authority vested in me as President
by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in furtherance of
the purposes of the Fish and Wildlife Act
of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a–d, and e–j), the Fish
and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C.
661–666c), the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and
the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801–1882),
and other pertinent statutes, and in order to
conserve, restore, and enhance aquatic systems to provide for increased recreational
fishing opportunities nationwide, it is ordered as follows:
Section 1. Federal Agency Duties. Federal
agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law
and where practicable, and in cooperation
with States and Tribes, improve the quantity,
function, sustainable productivity, and distribution of U.S. aquatic resources for increased recreational fishing opportunities by:
(a) developing and encouraging partnerships
between governments and the private sector
to advance aquatic resource conservation and
enhance recreational fishing opportunities;
(b) identifying recreational fishing opportunities that are limited by water quality and
habitat degradation and promoting restoration to support viable, healthy, and, where
feasible, self-sustaining recreational fisheries;
(c) fostering sound aquatic conservation
and restoration endeavors to benefit recreational fisheries;
(d) providing access to and promoting
awareness of opportunities for public participation and enjoyment of U.S. recreational
fishery resources;
(e) supporting outreach programs designed to stimulate angler participation in the
conservation and restoration of aquatic systems;
(f) implementing laws under their purview
in a manner that will conserve, restore, and

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June 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1995

enhance aquatic systems that support recreational fisheries;
(g) establishing cost-share programs,
under existing authorities, that match or exceed Federal funds with nonfederal contributions;
(h) evaluating the effects of Federally
funded, permitted, or authorized actions on
aquatic systems and recreational fisheries
and document those effects relative to the
purpose of this order; and
(i) assisting private landowners to conserve
and enhance aquatic resources on their lands.
Sec. 2. National Recreational Fisheries
Coordination Council. A National Recreational Fisheries Coordination Council
(‘‘Coordination Council’’) is hereby established. The Coordination Council shall consist of seven members, one member designated by each of the following Secretaries—Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, and Defense—and one
by the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency. The Coordination Council shall: (a) ensure that the social and economic values of healthy aquatic systems that
support recreational fisheries are considered
by Federal agencies in the course of their
actions;
(b) reduce duplicative and cost-inefficient
programs among Federal agencies involved
in conserving or managing recreational fisheries;
(c) share the latest resource information
and management technologies to assist in the
conservation and management of recreational fisheries;
(d) assess the implementation of the Conservation Plan required under section 3 of
this order; and
(e) develop a biennial report of accomplishments of the Conservation Plan.
The representatives designated by the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior shall
cochair the Coordination Council.
Sec. 3. Recreational Fishery Resources
Conservation Plan. (a) Within 12 months of
the date of this order, the Coordination
Council, in cooperation with Federal agencies, States, and Tribes, and after consulting
with the Federally chartered Sport Fishing
and Boating Partnership Council, shall develop a comprehensive Recreational Fishery

Resources Conservation Plan (‘‘Conservation
Plan’’).
(b) The Conservation Plan will set forth
a 5-year agenda for Federal agencies identified by the Coordination Council. In so
doing, the Conservation Plan will establish,
to the extent permitted by law and where
practicable: (1) measurable objectives to conserve and restore aquatic systems that support viable and healthy recreational fishery
resources, (2) actions to be taken by the identified Federal agencies, (3) a method of ensuring the accountability of such Federal
agencies, and (4) a comprehensive mechanism to evaluate achievements. The Conservation Plan will, to the extent practicable,
be integrated with existing plans and programs, reduce duplication, and will include
recommended actions for cooperation with
States, Tribes, conservation groups, and the
recreational fisheries community.
Sec. 4. Joint Policy for Administering the
Endangered Species Act of 1973. All Federal
agencies will aggressively work to identify
and minimize conflicts between recreational
fisheries and their respective responsibilities
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(‘‘ESA’’) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Within 6
months of the date of this order, the Fish
and Wildlife Service and the National Marine
Fisheries Service will promote compatibility
and reduce conflicts between the administration of the ESA and recreational fisheries by
developing a joint agency policy that will: (1)
ensure consistency in the administration of
the ESA between and within the two agencies, (2) promote collaboration with other
Federal, State, and Tribal fisheries managers,
and (3) improve and increase efforts to inform nonfederal entities of the requirements
of the ESA.
Sec. 5. Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council. To assist in the implementation
of this order, the Secretary of the Interior
shall expand the role of the Sport Fishing
and Boating Partnership Council to: (a) monitor specific Federal activities affecting
aquatic systems and the recreational fisheries
they support;
(b) review and evaluate the relation of
Federal policies and activities to the status
and conditions of recreational fishery resources; and

Administration of William J. Clinton, 1995 / June 8
(c) prepare an annual report of its activities, findings, and recommendations for submission to the Coordination Council.
Sec. 6. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to improve the internal management of the executive branch and it is not
intended to create any right, benefit or trust
responsibility, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or equity by a party against
the United States, its agencies, its officers,
or any other person.
William J. Clinton
The White House,
June 7, 1995.
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register,
10:50 a.m., June 8, 1995]
NOTE: This Executive order was released by the
Office of the Press Secretary on June 8, and it
was published in the Federal Register on June 9.

Message on the Rescue of Captain
Scott O’Grady
June 8, 1995
All Americans rejoice with me at the successful rescue of Captain Scott O’Grady tonight and join his parents in their relief after
days of uncertainty and anguish. Captain
O’Grady’s bravery and skill are an inspiration.
So are the bravery and skill of those who took
part in the operation to rescue him. They
are all American heroes. Please give them
each—and all the men and women who supported them—our heartfelt thanks for a job
done so very well. This is a moment that will
long be remembered by a nation that is very
proud of all her sons and daughters serving
under your command.
NOTE: The message was sent to Gen. George
Joulwan, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. European
Command. An original was not available for verification of the content of this message.

Remarks at a Police Swearing-In
Ceremony
June 8, 1995
Thank you, Attorney General Reno, for
your outstanding work. Thank you, Mayor

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Rendell; Senator Biden, Senator Kennedy,
Senator Kerry, Congressman Foglietta; ladies
and gentlemen from all across our country
who are here today.
These 263 new police officers are living
proof that our crime bill will help to make
your communities safer and help to make
America safer. I want to thank the Attorney
General for the work she has done to cut
through the redtape and the bureaucracy to
turn the crime bill into a reality. The Congress passed it, and I did push hard for it.
But in no small measure because of the Attorney General and the dedicated people at
the Justice Department, we have already
awarded almost 17,000 new police officers
to over half the police departments in the
United States. We are under budget and
ahead of schedule.
And most important, I want to thank all
of you who are with us today who are dedicating your lives to law enforcement. I know
I speak for all Americans when I say thank
you.
I want to take a moment, if I might, to
speak about another person to whom we all
want to say thank you today, an American
hero who risked his life and service to our
country. I know all of you and all of our fellow citizens join me in rejoicing at the rescue
of Captain Scott O’Grady late last night. We
share the relief of his family, his friends, and
his loved ones that he is now safe and sound.
I can tell you that he’s now on a
United States aircraft carrier, and we’re looking forward to having him back home on
American soil. His bravery in the face of
great danger and uncertainty is an inspiration
to all of us. I can tell you, having followed
this almost hour by hour for the last 6 days,
when he gets back here and tells the whole
story, it will be an astonishing story, indeed.
He was well-trained and well-prepared, but
he also rose to an extraordinary challenge.
I also want to say how very proud I am of
the skill of all of those who took part in the
operation to rescue him and those who supported them.
Yesterday evening, when it became clear
that Captain O’Grady had been located in
general and that a rescue operation was possible and we began to get regular reports and
then it became obvious that he could be res-