The Green Years, 1964-1976: When Democrats and Republicans United to Repair the Earth (Environment and Society)

384 Pages·7.051 MB·English

by  Gregg Coodley, David Sarasohn

THE GREEN YEARS, 
ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
kimberly k. smith, editor
The Green Years,
1964–1976
When Democrats and Republicans United
to Repair the Earth
Gregg Coodley and David Sarasohn
with a Foreword by Senator Ron Wyden
university press of kansas
© 2021 by Gregg Coodley and David Sarasohn
All rights reserved
Published by the University Press of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas 66045), which was
organized by the Kansas Board of Regents and is operated and funded by Emporia State
University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University,
the University of Kansas, and Wichita State University.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Coodley, Gregg, author. | Sarasohn, David, author.
Title: The green years, 1964–1976 : when Democrats and Republicans united
to repair the Earth / Gregg Coodley and David Sarasohn.
Description: Lawrence : University Press of Kansas, 2021. | Series:
Environment and society | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020048513
ISBN 9780700632343 (cloth)
ISBN 9780700632350 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Environmental law—United States—History. | Environmental
policy—United States—History. | United States. Wilderness Act. |
United States. National Forest Management Act of 1976.
Classification: LCC KF3817 .C655 2021 | DDC 344.7304/609046—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020048513.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data is available.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication is acid free and meets the minimum requirements of
the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials
Z39.48–1992.
Dedicated to Sam, Scout, Sarah, David, and Mimi
and
Alex and Peter
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Contents
Foreword by Senator Ron Wyden ix
Acknowledgments xi
List of the Major Environmental Advances of the Green Years xiii
1. Earth Day, 1970 1
2. Wilderness at Last 17
3. Money, Beauty, and Recreation 51
4. Lands, Rivers, and Trails 62
5. Tackling Pollution in the Johnson Years 85
6. The Green Nixon 99
7. High Tide on Nixon Water Policy 133
8. The Atmosphere Changes 141
9. Saving the Oceans 156
10. Protecting Endangered Species 168
11. Tracking Toxins across Land and Sea 184
12. Land and Wilderness Management 205
13. The Years That Followed 234
14. What Happened in the Green Years? 250
Notes 271
Bibliography 339
Index 349
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Foreword
Whenever David Sarasohn called to interview me for the Oregonian, I
knew his head, heart, and hands would produce another powerful column.
His head because David always asked thoughtful and incisive questions.
His heart because David always brought his passion to reporting and spot-
lighting injustice. And his hands because David always wrote with the
skills of a storytelling craftsman.
I’m thrilled that David again brings all those elements to team up with
Gregg Coodley on this book immersing readers in an era when Americans
of both political parties partnered to work on cleaning our air and water,
preserving our natural treasures, and enhancing recreation opportunities
to enjoy the outdoors.
Their book is timely, entertaining, and indispensable.
The Green Years, 1964–1976: When Democrats and Republicans United to
Repair the Earth is timely because it clearly lays out for America now how
earlier generations came together to pass landmark legislation—the Land
and Water Conservation Fund, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Clean
Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and more.
As America marks the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day facing the ur-
gent challenge of climate change, David and Gregg do not sanitize history
by glossing over the extremist opposition that schemed to block environ-
mental gains decades ago.
And in telling this story, David and Gregg give readers a clear blueprint
of how to overcome current challenges by learning how these coalitions
achieved so much in this significant window from 1964 to 1976.
Their book is entertaining because it brings to life the characters from the
national stage like Senators Mark Hatfield, Warren Magnuson, and Henry
“Scoop” Jackson, as well as Representatives Jim Weaver and Al Ullman. Any
legislator reading about these legislative lions from the Northwest as well as
elsewhere is reminded of the adage that our predecessors allow us—when
we face the challenges of today—to stand on the shoulders of giants.
ix