The Nixon Environmental Agenda by David Dominick

Author:David Dominick [Dominick, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, North America
ISBN: 9781645845225
Google: bd4MEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
Published: 2020-12-04T00:43:23+00:00

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47 The White House had foolishly picked James Watt (or perhaps Watt had put himself forward) to escort Walter Hickel as he made the rounds of introductions to key senators before his confirmation hearings. Watt accompanied Hickel to the offices of Senator Edmund Muskie, who upon seeing them together hit the roof. (Watt was a lawyer, like me, from Wyoming and had preceded me as legislative assistant to Senator Milward L. Simpson.) Following his service with Senator Simpson, Watt went to work for the U. S. Chamber of Commerce which was especially vocal in opposing the water pollution control bill that Muskie had introduced in the Senate in repeated sessions and which he still fought to pass. As noted below Hickel then asked (probably with White House guidance) that Watt and I continue to shepherd him through his confirmation hearings. Having succeeded in that effort, Hickel was anxious to find a place for Watt in Interior but Muskie threatened, with ample ammunition, to block the confirmation of Watt to any position requiring Senate approval.

48 New York Times, editorial page, 26, April 5, 1969.

49 Hickel was fired by Nixon two days before Thanksgiving, 1970.

50 It must be observed that the industry has done little to better prepare itself for oil spill cleanups such as the Santa Barbara blowout even to this day. That was demonstrated with chilling effect by Exxon Valdez. Controversy still exists among aquatic biologists over the use of solvents or surfactants to dissolve the oil, permitting it to disperse, or the use of entirely physical means for cleanup.

51 Hartley was to write a letter immediately after Nixon’s firing of Hickel supporting Hickel’s understanding of oil and natural resource issues. Hickel quotes the letter in the book he wrote not long after leaving Washington. Walter J. Hickel, Who Owns America? (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971).

52 The David D. Dominick Collection, at the American Heritage Center contains a memorandum to the author from Thomas Jorling who would later go on to be the Director of Natural Resources and the Environment for the State of New York. The memo, entitled Thoughts on Improving the Performance of the United States Department of the Interior, came from Jorling’s perspective of working in the Office of the Solicitor under Stewart Udall. Jorling wrote, “Although the present incumbent Secretary has done a great deal to establish a public image for the Department and articulate a philosophy of conservation, he has done little to exercise real leadership throughout the Department. As a result, many of the assistant secretaries and their bureaus are somewhat autonomous from the control of the secretary. The Department’s activities must have their foundation in a solid base of knowledge. However, as the National Academy of Sciences’ report (and the bill sponsored in the Ninetieth Congress, S.1684, by Senator Clifford Hansen) recognized with respect to the Park Service, the research base is very weak. The NAS report’s conclusions apply to all the major bureaus of the Department.”

Note that I wrote the Hansen bill mentioned here with respect to the National Park Service.

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