When Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968, a key component of his domestic agenda was environmental protection. In spite of a divided political climate, President Nixon went on to achieve bipartisan support to become the creator of modern environmental policy. His environmental achievements include the signing of the National Environmental Policy Act, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the signing of the Clean Air Act of 1970, the creation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the signing of the Endangered Species Act, the signing of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the creation of the Legacy of Parks program.
On August 28, Benji Backer, Founder of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC), and author of The Conservative Environmentalist, explained to an audience at the Nixon Library how President Nixon’s example can be a model for moving forward to protect the environment in today’s divided political climate.
Starting his remarks by stating, “I believe Richard Nixon was the best environmental president in United States history,” Backer went on to share step-by-step environmental policy solutions guided by President Nixon’s example of balancing government action with market-based solutions to achieve bipartisan consensus.
Watch here:
Signed copies of The Conservative Environmentalist are available at the Nixon Library’s Museum store here.