Environment

During 1970, two new organizations were established to provide Federal leadership for the Nation's campaign to improve the environment.

To preserve the good earth is a great goal.

If this bill is completely enforced, within 4 years it will mean that the emissions from automobiles which pollute the environment will be reduced by 90 percent.

If the war were to end today, if the environment were cleaned up tomorrow morning, and all the other problems for which Government has the responsibility were solved tomorrow afternoon--the moral and spiritual crisis in the universities…

I can only say, Mr. Director, that speaking of clean air, if you can make the air in all of our cities as clean and as beautiful as it is on this particular day in Washington, D.C., you will have accomplished your objective.

Our people will be denied their heritage if they must live out their lives among polluted rivers, spoiled fields and forests, and streets where nothing pleases the eye.

Clean streets and clean rivers--could anything really be more basic to a Great Society?

But we now possess the tools to reach out into our environment and to shape it to our will.

Like the problem of the cities, water pollution can no longer be attacked piecemeal.

Since the dawn of civilization, man has been the unwilling pawn of the forces of his environment.

Together, we can share our knowledge and take new strides to cope with the ancient enemies of storm and drought and flood.

This is the great conservation. This is the way that we must go.

I want to be judged--as we judge the great conservationists of yesterday--as benefactors of our people and as builders of a more beautiful America.

This administration intends to be a conservation administration.

One agency should assume leadership in our clean water effort.

We must take steps to control the damage caused by waters that 'heat-up' after cooling generators and industrial engines.

We must remove or control nutrients that cause excessive growth of plant life in streams, lakes and estuaries.

Pollution touches us all. We are at the same time polluters and sufferers from pollution.