On May 23, 1977, President Carter sent Congress his long-awaited Environmental Message,¹ setting forth in a comprehensive and coherent fashion the environmental goals and policies of his Administration. The document, which is the first such message since 1973,² evidences the new Administration's genuine concern for environmental matters and charts a firm course of environmental protection and resource conservation. The message contains several legislative proposals, but its basic thrust is toward more "sensitive administration and energetic enforcement" of existing statutory requirements. The president issued five Executive Orders and more than 20 directives to various agencies to undertake studies, revise regulations and policies, and coordinate federal regulatory efforts and programs. Notably absent from the message, however, is a request for additional funding to carry out these additional responsibilities.