EARTH DAY 2007

In 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day. In his words, it was intended to be “a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment.” As we look back on the first Earth Day, it is important to remember that it was both bipartisan and a response to what was widely viewed as an environmental emergency.

In the 1960s, air pollution caused many communities to cancel recess for school children and triggered air and lung problems for countless people. Contaminated tap water often caused disease outbreaks and exposed people to cancer-causing chemicals. And, in 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio was so polluted it actually caught fire.

The first Earth Day helped to spur the flurry of legislation to address these problems. Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970 and the Clean Water Act in 1972. Congress followed these with the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974 and passed Superfund legislation to clean up our worst contaminated sites in 1980. Although much work needs to be done, these landmark bills have made a big difference in our environment.

Most of this legislation responded to what the American public saw as environmental emergencies, and most of it passed on a bipartisan basis. Today, as we celebrate the 38th Earth Day, we should again address an environmental emergency and we should do so on a bipartisan basis. Global warming threatens our world in a way that we have not seen with past crises, and I encourage people of all political persuasions to meet this crisis as the leaders of the 1960s did – with a willingness to face the facts and make the necessary changes.

As Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I am working in many areas to help curb global warming. We have reported a bill from our Committee that will require thousands of buildings owned or leased by the federal government to be more energy efficient and will provide grants to local governments to improve their buildings’ energy efficiency. I have introduced legislation to encourage green, renewable fuel supplies made from plant material called cellulose. I am also putting great effort into building a winning coalition in the Senate for comprehensive global warming legislation.

But everyone can make a difference in the fight against global warming, and I am encouraging you to join the fight. As part of this Earth Day 2007 feature, you will find ways that you can “Take a Step” against global warming.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Back to top