Jeff Bingaman: “His commitment to and achievements in conservation and preservation are unequaled in our country. He was a moving force…”

“His commitment to and achievements in conservation and preservation are unequaled in our country. He was a moving force behind all of the landmark environmental legislation of the 1960s, including the Clean Air Act of 1963, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1965, the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965, the Endangered Species Act of 1966, the National Trails System Act of 1968, and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. Long after leaving public office, he was instrumental in securing the enactment of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 which I was proud to support. But his commitment to our public lands was part of a larger lifetime commitment, a commitment to public service. With all the rancor and heated rhetoric that surround us in Washington today, it is easy to lose sight of what is good about our system of government. And one of the very best things about our great country, and our system of government, is that it has attracted to public service many of the best among us to devote their lives to work for us all. Stewart Udall was one of those people. He devoted his life to pursuing the common good the greater good and left this Nation a better place because of it. Stewart cared deeply about the people of this great country and that caring was evident in each encounter that he had.”