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Remarks of Linda Fisher <br /> Deputy Administrator of the U . S . Environmental Protection Agency, <br /> at the <br /> National Watershed Forum <br /> Arlington , Virginia <br /> June 28 , 2001 - <br /> Good morning, everyone , and welcome to the National Watershed Forum . <br /> I ' m delighted to be back at EPA, working for a President and Administrator who are committed <br /> to improving environmental quality and raising the quality of life for all Americans . <br /> One of the best things about my job is that it allows me to meet people like you, people who are <br /> working hard, giving their personal time and energy, to make a real difference in their own <br /> communities and neighborhoods . You are already putting into practice some of the most <br /> important environmental principles of our new Administration . <br /> Today I want to thank you, encourage you, and promise my support in the years ahead . You are <br /> living examples of what President Bush, Governor Whitman, and I believe is the best hope for <br /> our environmental future . Let me tell you why. <br /> A few weeks ago I was sitting with my children leafing through some old photo albums . And I <br /> was struck by how many of them included some kind of water. Kids splashing in the tub , <br /> swimming in a lake in Michigan, canoeing on a river, the ever present squirt guns . It reminded <br /> me once again of the critical importance of clean water in our daily lives . Not just in terms of our <br /> health, but as an integral part of what brings us joy and happiness , and what makes life worth <br /> living . And I used the opportunity to explain to them one more reason why I want to return to <br /> EPA, to help . protect our nation ' s precious water resources so that every family — today and in the <br /> future — has the opportunity to enjoy clean water in all its many uses . <br /> Because of my earlier career at EPA, I thought I knew the Agency and its issues fairly well <br /> In fact, when I was invited back to become Deputy Administrator, I thought my EPA <br /> experiences would make my new job a lot easier . Yet when I got back I was surprised to <br /> discover how much the world has changed, and how much I would have to scramble to catch up . <br /> This conference , and the way people like you protect watersheds today, are excellent examples <br /> of the kind of constructive, hopeful change I see at EPA . Ten years ago , when we thought about <br />