Environmental politics in post-World War II America*

Abstract

America has always had to confront environmental problems, but it wasn't until after World War II that most Americans began to develop the kind of consciousness about environmental issues that has played such a role in domestic politics over the past quarter century. After the surge of post war growth, we began to recognize the limits of our ability to exploit our environment for private gain, thus creating environmental awareness and ultimately a political movement. In 1970, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency, and appointed William Ruckelshaus as Director. Ruckelshaus was succeeded by Russell Train and Douglas Coste, and all three men began to make serious headway in the effort to clean up the nation's environment. In 1980, however, President Ronald Reagan, taking an anti-Federal government involvement in the private sector stance, began to seriously cut the budget of the EPA. He appointed Ann Gorsuch, who cut the budget as she believed the President wished, but her poor relationship with the Congress eventually forced her to resign. President Reagan requested that Bill Ruckelshaus return, and EPA has been blessed with good leadership ever since. During the Bush years, EPA director William Reilly even managed to pass sweeping acid rain control legislation. When Bill Clinton was elected President in 1992, he did not possess a strong environmental record, however his running mate, Al Gore, most certainly did. EPA administrator Carole Browner, in fact, was a former Gore staffer and the White House environmental office is led by former Gore people. Clinton and Gore have attempted to bring a degree of flexibility to environmental regulation, and have also involved themselves personally in resolving environmental disputes. For instance, they and Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbit, worked to fashion a long-term plan for the Florida Everglades that helped warring groups and interests come to consensus. With the 1994 Republican victory in the Congressional elections, it appeared that the environment may once again be in danger, as the Contract with America pledged to reduce or eliminate environmental controls. Popular opinion, however, caused the Congress to change their views and even directed them to pass environmental legislation that has won the support of both the business and environmental protection sectors. These developments have displayed that Americans care deeply about the environment and provide the basis for a genuine bipartisan consensus on environmental issues which will increasingly emphasize thoughtful and effective technological solutions in the future. Although the benefits of this legislation have been drastic, we are now dealing with problems requiring more subtle and sophisticated answers than we needed in the past. Because of this, political leaders will look to the classrooms and laboratories to produce the answers to the environmental problems of the future, and in turn will be willing to support educators and researchers with resources and political clout. Neither the politicians nor the business community can solve these problems without a close working relationship with the world of environmental and biotechnology. Building that collaborative relationship is one of the most important challenges we face as we approach the 21st century. It is also, particularly for those of us who have been laboring in the environmental vineyard for years, one of the most exciting.