President Clinton said yesterday that he will veto a big energy and water appropriations package passed by Congress because it contains a rider that would block the administration from implementing a plan to restore a more natural water flow to the upper Missouri River to benefit endangered wildlife. Clinton said the rider would “jeopardize the survival of three threatened and endangered species” and set “a dangerous precedent” in environmental law. The rider is strongly supported by Missouri’s entire delegation, which argues that the administration’s river management plan would harm the barging and agriculture industries and potentially lead to flooding, but Congress does not have the votes to override a veto. Clinton also criticized the bill for providing insufficient funding for restoration of the Florida Everglades, California Bay-Delta, and salmon populations in the Northwest.
