Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee. Before I begin, I want to take a moment to personally thank Senator Smith -- as one of his first acts as the new chairman -- for convening this hearing in recognition of this natural treasure we call the Everglades.

As many of you know, I grew up in Miami. My childhood "backyard" was the Everglades. But it is much more than that. I think for all of us who choose to do the work of public health and environmental protection, we are inspired in our work by a special place.

For you Mr. Chairman perhaps it is the White Mountains. For me it is the Florida Everglades. On a warm January day a great blue heron just taken flight.

In many ways the Everglades has been threatened since Florida's earliest days as a state. Considered nothing more than a swamp that stood in the way of progress. Florida entered the Union in 1845. Just five years later, Congress passed the Swamp and Overflowed Lands Act and thus began the draining of South Florida.

After more than a century, we came to realize -- almost too late -- that we were in danger of losing this unique ecosystem.

Gradually a new sense of environmental awareness emerged thanks to activists like Marjorie Stoneman Douglas and leaders like Senator Graham and my mentor the late Senator and Governor Lawton Chiles.

When Lawton Chiles first ran for the Senate in 1970, he walked the length and breadth of the state.

And if one were to walk the path Lawton Chiles took in 1970, they would see a very different Florida -- a growing, dynamic, vibrant place. But also a Florida of beautiful places forever protected because of his work.

One of his greatest commitments was to create a coalition of government, business, farmers and environmental leaders to preserve and restore the Everglades -- and become good stewards of the land.

Today -- at the dawn of this new millennium -- we need to seize the opportunity to expand this legacy.

With the leadership of President Clinton and Vice President Gore, we have embarked on an ambitious, long-term restoration plan that will give new life to this great natural wonder.

As a member of this Administration, I was pleased to join Vice President Gore in February 1996 -- as I am sure Senator Graham and others were -- as he set forth the Everglades Restoration blueprint, a vision that has already been delivered on.

The acquisition of Talisman and other critical restoration lands key to water quality and quantity. Increased federal funding. And now, the comprehensive restoration plan.

For the first time ever, we recognize that to sustain that which gives us this incredible quality of life we enjoy here in South Florida we must sustain, restore and preserve the natural system. That we cannot simply continue to put the needs of the natural system third, fourth, or fifth.

The challenge is twofold: water quality and water quantity. Clean fresh water, where and when the system needs it. The heart of the Everglades must once again pulse with the water that is essential to its health.

As Harry Truman said when he dedicated the Everglades National Park in 1947, "Here are no lofty peaks seeking the sky -- no mighty glaciers or rushing streams wearing away the uplifted land. Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the last receiver of it."

One of my most important responsibilities as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency and the keeper of one of the nation's most important environmental laws, the Clean Water Act, is water quality -- everything from water quality standards to where we measure those standards, to protecting wetlands, nature's own way of cleaning the water.

As the state of Florida completes its work to set a phosphorous standard critical to clean water and the health of the Everglades system is not just the standard, the number, but where you measure that standard, where you measure compliance.

If we are to be successful in our efforts for the clean water that is fundamental to the health of the Everglades, we must commit ourselves to meet the standard at the point of discharge, not somewhere downstream. In other words, we must eliminate so-called "mixing zones," waters where pollutants are allowed to mix, and hopefully dilute with the clean receiving waters.

Dilution's no solution to pollution. Prevention is. Several Great Lakes states have already adopted this approach. And if we don't do the same for the Everglades, we will sacrifice this "River of Grass" to the grinding march of the cattails and other exotic plants.

The measurement of success must be the needs of the ecosystem, not merely what one particular technology may or may not achieve, but the ecosystem. Success should not be defined as the installation of this or that technology and whatever water quality it may bring. Success is the clean water necessary to restore the health of the Everglades.

Mr. Chairman, the clock is ticking.  We must move forward at an aggressive pace.  In the coming year, it is my strongest hope that we can work together to do the following four things:

• Authorize the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan in WRDA 2000, including the critical projects.
• Amend in WRDA 2000 the original Central and South Florida project purposes to include water quality as an explicit project purpose. With such amendments we will ensure that water quality is a fundamental component to all Everglades decisions. And that federal cost sharing is available for achieving water quality.
• Third, agree to set not only tough water quality standards but to measure compliance our success in meeting those standards at the point of discharge, not somewhere downstream.
• And, finally pledge to work together to secure long-term funding commitments.

Mr. Chairman, in addition to the work that I hope we can all do on the Everglades, I would be remiss in my responsibility for clean water for all the people of this country if I did not ask you to close a loophole in the Clean Water Act, which is resulting in the loss of wetlands -- from Maine, to the Mississippi Delta region, to the Great Lakes, to the San Francisco Bay Delta.

Because of a court decision commonly referred to as the Tulloch decision, EPA estimates that as many as 30,000 acres of wetlands have been destroyed nationwide in just the past year.

Although we are working hard to use our remaining tools to protect wetlands, the court's ruling makes it clear that only action by Congress that closes the Tulloch loophole and that fixes the Clean Water Act can ultimately stop the destruction.

The Administration welcomes the opportunity to work with the authorizing Committees in both Houses of Congress to develop the legislation that makes this critically needed fix.

If we can do all these things, in the new century, we will do much to correct the mistakes of centuries past -- A past where we used to look at the Everglades and say: "It's a swamp. Let's drain it." That's like looking at the Grand Canyon and saying: "It's a hole. Let's fill it."

Mr. Chairman, seven years ago, next week, I appeared before this Senate Committee in Washington as President Clinton's nominee to head the EPA. I said that day in seeking the support of the Committee that my greatest hope was for my son -- then five -- to grow up and know the same Everglades and other natural wonders of this great country that I had known as a child. To know the same special place that has meant so much to me.

I said I believed that if we were prepared to make tough decisions we could give my son and all of our children -- that opportunity and inspiration. I believe that this Administration, the President, and the Vice President, have made the tough decisions have put forth a vision and a plan to finally save the Everglades.

Now it is incumbent on this committee and Congress to write the laws, provide the funding to achieve the shared vision of healthy, restored, protected Everglades.  There is no other "River of Grass." There will be no other chance.

Again, thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you today.