PROCLAMATION 7102—MAY 29, 1998 112 STAT. 3761 More than 350,000 AFVs are already on the road in the 60 communities participating in the Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program. This program is fostering the development of AFV markets in a network of cities across the country through partnerships among fuel suppliers, vehicle fleet operators. Federal, State, and local governments, and private sector organizations. Through the efforts of program participants, we are moving closer to our goal of building a transportation system for our Nation tiiat meets the energy, economic, and environmental needs of Americans today and of generations yet to come. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 31 through June 6, 1998, as National Alternative Fuels Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereimto set my hand this twenty- ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-second. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7102 of May 29, 1998 Small Business Week, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Our great Nation is renowned worldwide as the land of opportunity. Americans are dedicated to bettering their lives, pursuing the American Dream with entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity. Small business owners across our country are among the true heroes of our great American success story. We owe much of today's prosperity to our Nation's 23.6 million small businesses. Small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employers, account for 47 percent of all sales in the country, employ 53 percent of the private work force, and are responsible for more than half of the private gross domestic product. New business formation reached another record level in 1997, with 884,609 new employer firms—^the highest ever, and a 5-percent increase over the last record set in 1996. Recognizing the extraordinary contributions of small businesses to the strength and continuing growth of our economy, my Administration has worked hard to implement policies and programs designed to help small businesses develop and expand. We are directing tax relief to more small businesses, expanding access to capital, supporting innovation, providing regulatory relief, opening overseas markets to entrepreneurs, and strengthening America's work force through investments in education, training, and better benefits. The U.S. Small Business Administration plays a key role in my Administration's efforts to help Americans start, build, and grow their small businesses into the 21st centujy. Since the end of fiscal year
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