THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _______________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release March 30, 1994 Statement by the Press Secretary The President today notified the Congress that he has made available $12.3 million in emergency funding for pest prevention and suppression to preserve the nation's forest resources. Without this additional funding, timber harvesting on the National Forest System would be reduced, while maintenance costs would increase, and the susceptibility of the nation's forests to fire would become greater. In addition, future costs for gypsy moth suppression would increase. These funds were appropriated in P.L. 103-138, the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1994. As provided in P.L. 103-138, these funds are available once the President notifies the Congress of his designation of the funds as emergency requirements. Today, the President also notified the Congress of his designation of the use of Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds as an emergency requirement to: (1) provide cost-sharing and disaster payments to growers of commercial trees and seedlings, including orchard and nursery inventory, damaged in the Midwest floods of 1993 and other 1993 disasters; and, (2) to provide disaster payments to papaya growers for losses resulting from Hurricane Iniki or Typhoon Omar. The current estimated cost of this assistance is $30 million. # # #