Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and honoring the founder of Earth Day, the late Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin.

Mr. President, 40 years ago, Senator Gaylord Nelson attempted to bring attention to a degraded environment through a day dedicated to our planet. On April 22, 1970, environmental issues, as they are today, were challenging oxygen levels in the Androscoggin River in my great state of Maine frequently reached zero during the summer, resulting in the death of nearly all fish and other aquatic life in the river and carbon monoxide and ozone emissions significantly degraded our country's air quality. The environmental, economic, and personal costs of a failure to recognize the benefits of a healthy environment had reached a tipping point for many American citizens who demanded action both through greater awareness of personal environmental decisions and through new public laws. Millions of Americans, as Senator Nelson said, ``organized themselves'' to not only protest the degradation of our environment, but also to educate each other on personal steps to reduce waste, increase recycling, and together improve the condition of environment around us.

Four decades later, Earth Day serves as a consequential reminder of what we have achieved since 1970, and what we still have left to accomplish, especially as we evaluate the current state of our environment. In that light, on this Earth Day, as the ranking member of Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, I held a hearing on the threat of acidification on the largest ecosystems of the world, our oceans. And while the expert witnesses outlined the daunting hurdles of this 21st century challenge to our lobster industry and the beautiful coral reefs of the world, it is encouraging at the same time to reflect upon the past challenges we've met that seemed insurmountable.

In 1970, there were less than 50 bald eagle nesting pairs in Maine, today there are at least 477. This extraordinary increase came to fruition through a combination of the federal banning of DDT and a concerted effort by Mainers who volunteered to track our sacred national symbol and conserve its habitat. Furthermore, just last year, the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife remarkably and thankfully was able to recommend the removal of the Bald Eagle from Maine's list of Endangered and Threatened Species. It was a combination of dedicated attention by Mainers as well as public policies that made this success a reality. And in Maine's iconic rivers and waterways fish are returning and our air quality has improved.

Nationally, for nearly 10 years, I have been pleased to join forces with my good friend and colleague, Senator Dianne Feinstein, to implement technology available today and raise fuel economy standards for our Nation's automobile fleet. And finally, in 2007 we passed legislation that will cut air pollution, reduce our consumption of foreign oil, and save money at the gas pump which will be of benefit to everyone, especially those in the rural parts of my state. And earlier this month, these rules were finalized and will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of cars and trucks sold between the 2012 and 2016 model years. This welcomed and long overdue advancement will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our vehicles by 21 percent by 2030 and represents the most significant effort so far to combat climate change.

When we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in just 10 years from now, let it be said that in 2010, we made great strides in improving our energy efficiency in our homes and offices, we reduced the number of miles that we drive on a weekly basis, we mitigated carbon dioxide emissions, and we reduced the amount of oil we import. Above all, let us hope we can look back and say we were able to forge comprehensive energy legislation that spoke not just to our goals for protecting the environment and harnessing new sources for energy, for ensuring greater not lesser energy

independence, but that reflected once again the hallmark vision, ingenuity, and can-do spirit that have always driven this great land for whom no task is too daunting and no adversity too steep.

Will the gentleman yield?

What the gentleman, my good friend from Arizona, is alluding to is his week of isolation on an island in the South Pacific all by himself communing and being one with nature. And I think he has assured me that I could be his special agent when Hollywood comes calling to do the reality TV show of having a Member of Congress stranded on some deserted island for a while contemplating the deeper thoughts and philosophy of life. So I am ready to go when he is ready to go with that Hollywood production.

I thank my good friend from California for yielding me this time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from California and my friend from Arizona for managing this resolution. I proudly rise in support of the resolution commemorating not only the 40th anniversary of an important day in all of our lives, Earth Day, but especially to pay tribute to the father of Earth Day, a political hero of mine as a kid growing up, a member of the greatest generation who fought and served during the Second World War, a political icon still in the State of Wisconsin and throughout the Nation and the rest of the world, former Senator Gaylord Nelson.

I am sure that if young Gaylord was told as a kid growing up in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, which is close to my wife's hometown of Cumberland, a population of less than 400 people, that he would one day rise and become the father of the modern environmental movement and the creator of Earth Day, which is celebrated in over 167 Nations throughout the globe on April 22nd, he would have thought you were kidding. It's a true American success story. He lived the all-American story.

And he left an important legacy and a reminder to all of us as inhabitants on this beautiful, yet very fragile planet of ours, that we are mere stewards of the precious resources that the good Lord has saw fit to bless us with. And as stewards of those resources, we have a special moral and personal responsibility to utilize those resources reasonably and sensibly, so we leave a legacy to future generations to also be good stewards of this planet.

I am proud to represent a congressional district in western Wisconsin which was actually home to the very first watershed project throughout the United States in the Coon Valley area, which became the model of what is today the current conservation title of our farm bills. The title is based on voluntary and incentive-based land and water conservation programs that our farmers are able to utilize in order to set up sound land and water management practices on their farms. And it has spread nationwide.

Gaylord Nelson and his wife were the subject of a chapter in Tom Brokaw's book The Greatest Generation. Like everyone in this Great Generation, he was an ordinary individual who did extraordinary things.

Today I still miss Senator Nelson greatly. As a young Member of Congress, I always made a point of calling him in his office in Washington at least once a week just to discuss the issues of the day, get his feedback on the policy proposals that we were working on and seek his guidance.

I am still a proud member of the Natural Resources Committee. With the work I was doing there, I was able to work very closely with Gaylord Nelson, trying to enhance his legacy. But he knew, as I hope all of us realize, that Earth Day is not an event to be celebrated just one day a year, but a mission to practice each and every day throughout the year. It is that message especially to the younger generation that I think is his greatest legacy, where the Earth Day lessons are being taught in schools and school rooms throughout the Nation and throughout the world at least on April 22nd, if not more throughout the year.

I commend the leadership and especially Representative Obey for bringing this resolution and encourage my colleagues to support it.

Mr. President, today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day set aside to appreciate the environment. In 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin recognized the power of campus activism and established Earth Day as a way to highlight the environmental problems this Nation faced--air pollution from factories, water pollution from unregulated discharges, and toxic waste dumps. After Congress passed legislation to designate April 22 as Earth Day, Congress passed several bills to protect the environment including the Clean Water Acts, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Federal Pesticides Act, the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Education Act, and the National Hiking Trails and the National Scenic Trails Acts.

Because Michigan is surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes, the problems plaguing the lakes have an enormous impact on Michigan. A generation ago, the Great Lakes were a huge reservoir of persistent toxic substances, but they have improved markedly since that time. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, estimates that the Great Lakes Critical Programs Act, which I sponsored in 1990, has reduced direct toxic water discharges by millions of pounds per year. In addition, since 2002, the EPA estimates that close to 900,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment have been removed under the Great Lakes Legacy Act at 5 of the 31 U.S. ``Areas of Concern'' in the Great Lakes, thirteen of which are found in Michigan.

While the Great Lakes have made strides in recovering, historical problems still exist and new problems are on the horizon. There are still hundreds of fish advisories issued every year; the number of beach closings remains high; Lake Erie is once again experiencing a ``dead zone'' from high levels of phosphorus; and a new invasive species enters the Great Lakes about every 8 months. Last year, Congress provided $475 million for comprehensive Great Lakes restoration efforts.

Because of its industrial past, Michigan has faced some challenges with contaminated properties, including complications related to redevelopment. This is why I have also long been a supporter of brownfields redevelopment and smart growth efforts, which connect environmental goals with economic and community development objectives. In 1999, I joined my former colleague, Senator Jim Jeffords to form the Senate Smart Growth Task Force. The task force serves as a forum for Senators interested in sustainable and sensible growth, and has supported locally driven, federally supported smart growth practices.

Supporting and enjoying Michigan's parks and trails are also important aspects of this Earth Day celebration. Last year, I helped establish the Beaver Basin area as Wilderness at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and I am currently working on another Wilderness designation in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It is important for the public to have access to these areas so they can enjoy magnificent vistas, quiet streams, freshwater lakes, forests and prairies, and other natural beauty. To promote access and conservation, I have also worked to improve the North Country National Scenic Trail, which runs through Michigan, by helping to provide ``willing seller authority'' to help the trail be completed more quickly. When completed, the trail will span seven States and roughly 4,600 miles, approximately 1,000 miles of which will be located in Michigan, preserving critical outdoor recreational opportunities while providing a boost to the local economies along the trail.

Michigan is blessed to have so many natural resources. It is important that we recognize that we are just temporary stewards and that we protect and restore our resources for current and future generations.

I thank the gentlewoman for the time.

Madam Speaker, 41 years ago my friend and mentor, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, had a surprisingly simple idea. At the time, the country was fighting an unpopular and unwinnable war, and students were rising up in protest and holding teach-ins on college campuses all over the country. Senator Nelson looked around him and realized that those teach-ins were an invaluable tool in helping to educate people and calling attention to the need to end the war once and for all.

In 1969, when the Senate contained such environmental giants as Ed Muskie, Scoop Jackson, Gaylord Nelson, and Bob Stafford, he gave a pivotal speech at the Seattle Science Center. In that speech he suggested that just as Americans had been involved in teach-ins to protest the Vietnam war, that they should also set aside a day to call attention to the environmental problems facing the planet and to demand real leadership from public officials on producing solutions. Wire services carried the story from coast to coast. And as history shows, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Earth Day was born.

The first Earth Day launched an Environmental Decade, an unparalleled period of legislative and grassroots activity that resulted in passage of 28 major pieces of environmental legislation from 1970 to 1980 alone, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Quality Education Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and others. And Gaylord was at the center of them all.

Forty years later his legacy endures, and half a billion people in 180 countries are expected to gather this week to help clean up their communities and to demand leadership and real solutions to the very real problems facing the planet today, problems like toxic pollution, mercury in our air and water, and climate change.

As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, it is fitting that we pass this resolution honoring the founding father of that day. When he initially set the date for it he was roundly criticized by, of all groups, the John Birch Society, because they attacked him for selecting the same day that Lenin was

born. Gaylord pointed out that since there were only 365 days in a year, that each day was bound to be the birthday of both good and bad people throughout the world. And he pointed out, for instance, that, yes, it was the birthday of Lenin, but it was also the birthday of St. Francis of Assisi. But he said, ``more importantly, it's also the birthday of my Aunt Tilly.''

Without the leadership of the late Senator Gaylord Nelson, the air we breathe would not be as clean, we would not be swimming in lakes and rivers as safe as they are today, and we would not be enjoying the beauty of public lands that we were able to protect under the laws he championed. We are certainly a long way away from perfection on those grounds, but we are a whole lot better off than we were when Gaylord started the movement. And we would not be holding Earth Day celebrations around the globe each April 22nd either.

Today we honor Gaylord Nelson and celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. No wonder he was awarded the Nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Clinton in 1995. His leadership is still felt today.

Madam Speaker, today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the annual global celebration of the bounty and natural wonders of our planet and a reminder of our individual and collective obligation to be good stewards of it.

Managing our natural resources and minimizing the impact of human activity on the environment are both profound and fundamental responsibilities. The very survival of the human race depends upon our ability to effectively fulfill these responsibilities.

Since April 22, 1970, people have gathered on this day to renew their commitment to making our planet greener and healthier, and to encourage their leaders to take action on critical environmental policy issues.

We have made substantial progress since that first Earth Day, when twenty million eco-pioneers brought environmental protection to the forefront of the national consciousness. Their advocacy gave birth to the green movement and a green generation that has been critical in shaping our society. The green generation spearheaded community support for passage of the laws that we still rely on to improve the quality of the air we breathe, ensure the availability of clean drinking water, and protect endangered species and fragile ecosystems.

But this struggle is not over. We continue to face significant environmental challenges, and as a nation, we must pursue policies that promote responsible stewardship here at home and provide leadership in the global arena as well.

Perhaps our most acute challenge--and one we have ignored for far too long--is climate change. This is no idle threat: Scientists tell us that we must reduce emissions by roughly 80 percent by mid-century to avoid a dangerous climate tipping point. As the world's largest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases, our nation has a unique responsibility to work towards a comprehensive emissions solution that includes a 21st century energy policy. We must find the political will to do just that.

We took a significant step forward in December, when President Obama played a critical role in establishing the international Copenhagen Accord. Although this is a nonbinding agreement, it represents a major departure from the prior Administration's abandonment of the Kyoto Protocol, and demonstrates our nation's commitment to being a partner and a leader in finding a global solution to climate change.

I applaud the President's leadership on this issue and urge him to continue working with Congress to develop comprehensive, science-based legislation to provide climate and energy security for us and the generations to come. The House has approved robust legislation to address this issue, and today I call on my Senate colleagues to move forward as well.

I also urge the President and my colleagues in Congress to continue to promote policies that safeguard the environment and facilitate sound management of our natural resources. And I encourage all Americans to renew their commitment to the environment and to take actions in their individual lives to reflect it.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 255, commemorating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and honoring the founder of Earth Day, former Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin.

For the past 40 years, citizens all across the United States have come together once a year to celebrate the wonder of planet Earth on Earth Day. Every April 22 Americans from all parts of the country, from coastal regions to mountainous regions to forested regions and the many other incredibly diverse regions of this country, take time to admire and enjoy the beauty and splendor of our environment. Earth Day allows all people to realize the importance of ensuring that our children and grandchildren can continue to enjoy the beauty of the planet for generations to come.

Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin founded Earth Day because of his love for our planet and the environment. As Senator Nelson said in a speech on Earth Day, ``Earth Day is dramatic evidence of the broad new national concern that cuts across generations and ideologies. It may be symbolic of a new communication between young and old about values and priorities.''

A veteran of World War II and Governor of Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson served in the Senate from 1963 to 1981. During his career in both State and national politics, he promoted many environmental causes and worked tirelessly to preserve the planet for future generations. In 1995, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his public service throughout his career. Despite his many accomplishments, Earth Day was his most important and lasting legacy.

Just on a personal note, one thing that he advocated, and I think we advocate with Earth Day, is to get outside in the environment and enjoy what's around us. Last year I did that to the extreme, I think. I was dropped off on a little island in the middle of the Pacific. And for a week I didn't see another person, I didn't see a plane, I didn't see an automobile, I didn't see a boat, I saw nothing. Just a lot of fish and hermit crabs and others.

I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

I thank the gentleman for that. I doubt I will need an agent or that they will come calling. Contrary to popular belief, this was not a metaphor for the fate of congressional Republicans, being isolated on an island either.

But it was a great opportunity, without any outside influences at all, to be there and to see nature at its finest.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve my time.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I just want to urge my colleagues to support the resolution. It's a great cause. And certainly I think we all owe it to our constituents and to the country to recognize the stewardship that we have to ensure that we pass on the planet as good as we got it or better to future generations.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 255, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and to honor its founder, Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin. I was in Congress in 1969 when Senator Nelson proposed a national teach-in so that people across the country could show their elected officials that they wanted environmental protections to be included in the national agenda. The following spring, it is estimated that nearly 20 million Americans participated in environmental awareness and education events in schools and communities across the country on the first Earth Day. Like the civil rights movement and antiwar movement earlier that decade, this grassroots movement brought this issue to the forefront, and impacted the national political agenda.

Our country has made great strides in protecting our environment in the past 40 years. The Environmental Protection Agency was founded, and several historic bills including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act were passed to address pollution and environmental degradation. Since then, the Federal Government has instituted additional measures to protect our air, land, food, water and homes from chemicals, waste and pollution.

The 111th Congress has continued this legacy to preserve and protect our resources by focusing on increasing energy efficiency. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invested billions of dollars in clean energy, green jobs and the research and development of innovative equipment, including advanced battery technology. I was proud to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which would reduce pollution and ensure that our country becomes more energy independent by utilizing renewable energy and domestic alternatives to foreign oil.

While much progress has been made, many of the environmental issues that worried Senator Nelson still exist and new ones have emerged. Additionally, it is common to see the devastating impacts of environmental degradation in low-income urban and rural communities, where residents face health issues related to industrialization and the mismanagement of waste.

I encourage all Americans to take small steps to make their households, places of work and neighborhoods more environmentally friendly. I look forward to working with my colleagues on policy that echo Senator Nelson's mission of improving the health of environment so that our air, land and water are protected for future generations, regardless of where they live.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 255 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and to honor its founder, the late Senator Gaylord Nelson.

Every year we celebrate Earth Day to raise awareness about environmental issues and recognize the importance of protecting our planet. As we become a more modern and developed society, it is becoming increasingly necessary to take steps to ensure a green future. In truth, we have come a long way in the last 40 years with regard to protecting our environment, but we still have a long way to go to make sustainable development a priority.

Of particular importance is the need to protect two of our most precious resources--

clean water and clean air--which every person on this planet has an interest in protecting. In the United States, protections over waters and wetlands are essential to ensuring a long-term, sustainable water supply for the American people. When rivers and streams are placed at risk of pollution, many cities and communities which depend on these water bodies for sources of drinking water are equally placed at risk.

Additionally, clean air is one of the most basic necessities of life, and pollutants in our air can have devastating effects on both our health and our environment. Numerous studies that have shown that air pollution an cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems as well as result in asthma and other long-term and chronic health conditions. We must work to ensure that our air is clean and not polluted for the betterment of all people.

Madam Speaker, truly, the coming generations deserve to inherit a healthy planet with clean drinking water and clean air, and it is up to us to ensure that they do. I encourage all of our citizens to take a moment on this holiday to reflect on what they can do as individuals to help the environment, not just for us, but for people around the world as well. I ask my fellow colleagues to join me today in supporting this resolution that recognizes Earth Day and will help raise awareness for the need to protect our environment.