Max Baucus: “this morning we were sad to learn of the passing of one of our most distinguished former colleagues, Senator Edmund…”

“this morning we were sad to learn of the passing of one of our most distinguished former colleagues, Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine. Ed Muskie served our Nation in many ways. He was a soldier. A Governor. The first chairman of the Budget Committee. The Secretary of State. The Democratic Party's candidate for Vice President. He also was responsible, in large part, for one of the most positive and profound legislative achievements of postwar America: the passage of the environmental laws of the 1970's, to clean up our Nation's air, water, and waste. Remember what things were like 25 years ago. We had experienced decades of industrial growth without environmental protection. Lead in the air caused brain damage in children. Toxic waste dumps all across the country caused cancer. The Cuyahoga River even caught fire. Something had to be done. And, as chairman of the Environmental Protection Subcommittee of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Ed Muskie saw that it was. He worked tirelessly to create bipartisan support for landmark environmental laws. The Clean Water Act, requiring rivers and streams to be fishable and swimmable; the Clean Air Act, cutting emissions from cars and factories; the Safe Drinking Water Act; the Endangered Species Act. These laws are not perfect. But, on the whole, they have been remarkably successful. Our air is cleaner. Lead emissions fell nearly 90 percent.…”