For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 29, 2001
Remarks by the President at Camp Pendleton, California
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Remarks
9:00 A.M. PDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very
much. General Hagee, thank you very much. Thank
you for your warm welcome here at the White House -- (audience
interruption) -- Thank you. Behave
yourself. (Laughter.)
General Hanlon, thank you very
much. And General Conway, I appreciate so very much you
greeting me. It's an honor to be here with Colonel
Christian, Sergeant Major Royce Coffee, Sergeant Major N.G. Markiewicz,
and the fine troops of Camp Pendleton.
I appreciate so very much members of the
United States Congress who are here, stalwarts when it comes to sound
defense spending, strong advocates for tax relief, education reform --
Congressman Mary Bono, Duke Cunningham, Duncan Hunter, Darrell Issa,
and Dana Rohrabacher. Thank you so much for coming here.
It is a real great privilege from me to be
here today. I've had a heck of a week, particularly since
I've been able to spend a lot of time around America's military
forces. Last Wednesday, I attended a reenlistment ceremony
at the White House, where we swore in a group of sailors and Marine
airmen to a new term. Two days later I had the honor of
giving the commencement address at Annapolis at the Naval
Academy. And yesterday I had the high privilege of laying a
wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington Cemetery. I
spent a lot of quality time with a lot of quality people -- the people
who wear the uniform in the United States
military. (Applause.) The men and women who serve
and sacrifice so Americans can sleep in peace, knowing that freedom is
in good hands.
I've been looking forward to this trip, and
looking forward to being able to extend a proper Marine Corps greeting
-- Oo-rah!
AUDIENCE: Oo-rah! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: There's no higher
honor than to serve as Commander-in-Chief. It's also a high
honor to be able to come to Camp Pendleton, a place that helps turn new
recruits into Leathernecks, a place that serves as home to the 1st
Marine Expeditionary Force, and to one of America's oldest and most
decorated units -- the 1st Marine Division.
Camp Pendleton serves as the launching pad for
what Marines do best -- to deploy rapidly so you can be the first on
the scene wherever freedom and America's interests are
threatened. As the stone markers in our midst remind us,
Marines have sailed from Camp Pendleton to fight at Guadalcanal, at
Okinawa, and Inchon. Marines from Camp Pendleton fought in
the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam. Marines from Camp
Pendleton helped liberate Kuwait. Today, you carry forward
this proud tradition, ready to answer when America calls.
Because you are Marines, you are often asked
to perform the most difficult and dangerous
missions. Because you are Marines, you not only accept this
challenge, you embrace it-- not for glory, and not for self, but for
God, country, Corps and your fellow Marines.
I respect your service. I
appreciate your sacrifice. And I know what you contribute to
our nation. In a world of fast-changing threats, you give us
stability. Because of you, America's secure, and the march
of freedom continues.
I know how hard your work is. I
know that your frequent deployments are hard on you and hard on your
families. Marines pride themselves on traveling light and
fighting hard. But here at home, you and your families
deserve something better. You deserve our nation's full
support. And with this administration, you will get
it. (Applause.)
The first budget I submitted to Congress
contains a $1.4 billion military pay raise. That's on top of
the pay raises that Congress recently passed. It provides
$450 million in new funds to improve military housing and $3.9 billion
to improve military health benefits. After all your country
receives from you, you must receive better housing, better pay and
better health. (Applause.)
You're entitled to a defense budget that meets
our current needs and our future obligations. And you're
entitled to a Commander-in-Chief who sets a clear goal, a clear vision
for our military. And that goal is to be well-equipped and
well-trained, to be able to fight and win war, and, therefore, prevent
wars from happening in the first place. (Applause.)
No one can come here without being struck by
the physical beauty. Marines are good stewards of our Southern
California coastline. You're also practicing good
stewardship by the way you're using -- and not using -- the supply of
energy in California.
The federal government is the single biggest
user of electricity in California. On May 3rd, I ordered all
federal agencies to take extra steps to conserve energy. And
the Department of Defense immediately committed itself to reducing its
electricity consumption by 10 percent during peak hours. I'm
pleased to report that the military and federal agencies are exceeding
expectations.
And Camp Pendleton deserves special credit,
and I am here to give you special credit. I congratulate you
for seeking extra conservation savings over the 10
percent. And that's going above and beyond the call of
duty. And I salute you. Altogether, we estimate that the
federal conservation efforts will save the state 76 megawatts per hour
during peak use periods, when power is most needed -- 76 megawatts per
hour is enough electricity for 140,000 people during peak demand
periods. That's as many people who live in Pasadena,
California.
Over the past 30 years, Americans have made
steady conservation progress. If we still use energy the way
we did in 1972, we'd be using 74 percent more energy today than we
actually do. A new car uses about 60 percent as much
gasoline as a car made in 1972. A new refrigerator uses
about only 30 percent as much electricity as a 1972 refrigerator.
Yet this conservation progress slowed in the
1990s, and more than 40 of the 100-plus recommendations in my
administration's energy plan are intended to protect the environment,
help hard hit communities, and revitalize our conservation efforts all
across the country.
We have other initiatives, as
well. Our nation needs to modernize its networks for moving
energy from the power plant to the outlet on the wall. Again, you in
California know that well. For almost 20 years, it's been
clear that what's called "Path 15," the stretch of transmission line
connecting the power grids of Northern and Southern California, needed
to be expanded and modernized. And now we're taking action
to get the job done.
Energy Secretary Spence Abraham is speeding
approval of the necessary permits and easements. We're going
to unplug the Path 15 bottleneck. We're dancing toward an interstate
electric grid to match our interstate highways and interstate phone
systems.
Rising energy prices are a challenge for
everyone. I believe you will find my tax relief plan will
provide some help -- a tax relief plan that is
worth $100 billion to the consumers all across America, including those
who wear the uniform.
But for some Americans and some Californians,
high energy costs are more than a challenge, they're an emergency, and
our government must respond. In February, my budget -- I
asked Congress for $300 million in aid for low-income people struggling
with rising energy bills. Today, I'm announcing I'll ask
Congress for an additional $150 million in low-income energy
assistance, and I hope Congress acts quickly.
Energy debates sometimes throw off some
sparks. But this is no time for harsh
rhetoric. It's certainly no time for
name-calling. It's time for leadership. It's time
for results. It's time to put politics aside and focus on
the best interests of the people.
This is an administration that's focused on
results. We're going to work together -- the federal
government, the state government, the military and all the
citizens. Speaking of citizens, you're the best of
citizens. You commit your lives to our country. You
dedicate yourself to something greater than yourself.
Whatever is asked of you and your fellow
Marines, you have given, as Abraham Lincoln said, "The last full
measure of devotion." As I look in the eyes and shake the
firm grips of your fellow Marines, it reminds me the Marine Corps is in
good hands, and so is our country.
Thank you so very much for your hospitality
and Semper Fi. (Applause.)
END 9:11
A.M. PDT
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