Earth Day Remarks by Agency Administrators
This page includes remarks or references to Earth Day by EPA administrators, in statements or in speeches, videos, or other media. Please note, due to the age of the references, some links might no longer be working.
Remarks are organized by decade:
- 2020's
- 2010's
- 2000's
- 1990's
- 1970's
2023
Administrator Michael Regan's 2023 Happy Earth Day Message to EPA Employees
2022
Administrator Michael Regan's 2022 Earth Day Message to EPA Employees
2021
1 of 2 for 2021
Administrator Michael Regan
Transcript of video "Commemorating Earth Day 2021"
Earth Day has always been about the people behind the movement. The students, teachers, and activists. The mothers pleading for safer places for their children to live, learn, and play. The ordinary Americans who understood that the health of their families and their communities depended on their willingness to stand up and speak out. Their calls for action helped spark the creation of our bedrock environmental laws.
Today, a new generation of voices have emerged – they belong to the teenage girls pushing for bold climate action; indigenous activists fighting to protect sacred lands and for the dignity of all people; environmental justice leaders demanding equitable treatment; and scientists whose data are showing the world we must act. As a nation, we are on the cusp of making transformative change. President Biden is heeding these urgent calls for action by raising our climate ambition here at home while urging global leaders to follow suit.
After years of inaction, climate change is now front and center. Environmental justice is being prioritized at the highest levels. Clean energy is being championed as the linchpin to our economic recovery. And science is being restored as the backbone of our decision-making.
This Earth Day, EPA honors the people who made this moment possible. Let us commemorate their impact. Let us carry forward their legacy. Let us build a future we can all be proud of.
2 of 2 for 2021
Administrator Michael Regan
2021 Earth Day Message to EPA Employees
Dear Colleagues,
This year, we celebrate Earth Day with the resurgence of U.S. global climate leadership, with the reaffirmation of EPA's mission to protect human health and the environment, and with the restoration of science as our guide.
In honor of Earth Day, please read President Biden's Presidential Proclamation and tune-in to the Leaders Summit on Climate.
It's no coincidence that Earth Day and EPA were born the same year. In 1970, a movement to protect our people and our planet emerged and set us on a course to make sweeping changes to our environmental laws.
More than 50 years later, we are again on the cusp of making transformative change. President Biden is raising our climate ambition - both at home and abroad - and calling on us all to meet the challenge. Today, the President announced a target of reducing net greenhouse gas pollution 50-52 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 while creating good-paying jobs across the United States.
This Earth Day, I want to honor the people who made this moment possible. That includes all of you - EPA's dedicated public employees who embody the motto, "Every day is Earth Day at EPA."
I know that this is a day the agency traditionally spends together, in action, improving our environment. While we won't be all together this year, we are all one EPA. I hope that you will take a moment to honor this day and reflect on the role you play in advancing our shared mission of building a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable future.
Thank you for your commitment to EPA and to enhancing the lives of all people in this great country. I'm so proud to work alongside you - today and every day.
Michael S. Regan
Administrator
2020
1 of 3 for 2020
Administrator Andrew Wheeler
Quote in 2020 press release
"What began as a movement 50 years ago by 22 million Americans has grown into a global day of action for our planet," said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. "I could not be more proud of 50 years of work EPA staff have done, and continue to do, to make our nation a leader in clean air, clean water, and clean land progress. I encourage everyone to participate in Earth Day celebrations by joining EPA in decorating your windows and following along with our digital program for ideas on ways to celebrate Earth Day safely at home."
2 of 3 for 2020
Administrator Andrew Wheeler
Transcript of 2020 video
Hello. I'm EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. For nearly 50 years, EPA has been an integral part of Earth Day celebrations across our great nation. Over the last 50 years, all of our environmental indicators have improved and they continue to improve. This year, we celebrate half a century of accomplishments including, in 1970, more than 40 percent of our nation's drinking water systems failed to meet even the most basic health standards. Today, over 92 percent of community water systems now meet all health-based standards, all the time. America also continues to be a leader in clean air progress, reducing the six criteria air pollutants by 73 percent over the last 50 years. In the past three years alone, we have moved 38 areas from nonattainment to attainment. of the criteria air pollutants. And EPA's successful superfund and brownfields programs are bringing opportunity back to communities. Last year alone, we delisted more superfund sites then any year since 2001. This year, EPA will be observing CDC guidelines as we take our celebrations indoors and online, and we encourage you to do the same. On April 22, follow along with the hashtags Earth Day 2020, Earth Day At Home, and EPA at 50 for educational discussions and activities for you and your family. We also invite you to join EPA employees in decorating your windows to mark this important 50th anniversary celebration. Although these are difficult and uncertain times, we can accomplish great things when America works together. Stay home, stay safe, and have a happy Earth Day.
3 of 3 for 2020
Administrator Andrew Wheeler
Op-Ed from RealClear Politics (2020)
For 50 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has been an integral part of Earth Day celebrations across the United States. In times past, the agency helped organize large outdoor celebrations on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and around the country, highlighting the tremendous improvements to American health and well-being that the environmental movement has generated since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.
This year Earth Day will be celebrated very differently.
As the nation and the world work to defeat COVID-19, EPA employees will observe social distancing and take our celebration online and indoors. Today, please follow along with us on social media as we hold educational discussions and activities and celebrate a half century of Earth Day.
We encourage the public to make signs for their windows to remind their neighbors of this important anniversary and share their artwork using the hashtags #EarthDay2020, #EPAat50, and #EarthDayatHome.
There is much to celebrate about the health of America's environment, and I'm grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to serve at the head of the organization where I began my career in Washington.
Today, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the land we use has grown cleaner. So much cleaner, in fact, that it's worth setting a moment aside to appreciate the progress.
Since the first Earth Day, the EPA has regulated lead out of paint, air, and gasoline. It started fuel-economy testing (and then caught those cheating on them), phased out ozone-depleting aerosols, and removed cancer-causing pesticides from the marketplace.
In 1970, more than 40% of the nation's drinking water systems failed to meet basic health standards. Now, over 92% of community water systems meet all health-based standards, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
During the past half century, the United States became a global leader in clean air. Particulate matter levels in our air are now five times lower than the global average, seven times lower than China, and measurably cleaner than France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Now, EPA is leading the way in protecting the environment and Americans for the next 50 years.
We are working to understand and regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl synthetic chemicals, known as PFAS and PFOS, used to make water-repellent fabrics and non-stick products. These chemicals have been in prevalent use since the 1940s, but we need to learn more about their potential effects on human health and the environment.
We took the lead in October by announcing the first major overhaul of the lead and copper rule for drinking water systems in almost 30 years, requiring cities do a census of lead service lines in their systems. We are writing the rule in a way to ensure that replacement of lead service lines targets the most at-risk communities first.
Both these bold efforts demonstrate that the EPA can make regulations less burdensome while still upholding strong environmental protections.
Even as much of the nation is immobilized by the pandemic, the EPA will continue its primary job of protecting public health and the environment for generations to come.
Earth Day in 1970 began largely as a youth movement, timed to not interfere with student exams, spring breaks, or religious holidays. The first event prompted over 20 million people to take part in political demonstrations. By 1990, progress on environmental stewardship had transformed the Earth Day demonstrations into celebrations, with more than 200 million participants in more than 140 countries.
In this way, every Earth Day seems to take to heart William Shakespeare's words: "April ... hath put the spirit of youth in everything," even in difficult times like what our country is experiencing this month. By 2020, Earth Day has become much more than a youth movement. While this year's celebrations will be unlike any of the previous 49 years, it's my hope that we all can take some time today to quietly reflect on the major environmental gains we've experienced in this country.
Here at the EPA, the agency will continue to do its best to promote the health and welfare of all Americans.
2019
1 of 2 for 2019
Administrator Andrew Wheeler
Transcript of 2019 video
Hi, I'm EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler. Earth Day is a time to celebrate the many blessings of creation. As Americans, we are fortunate to live in a land of natural beauty and abundant natural resources. We cherish these gifts and we also recognize that these gifts are not ours alone. Today we have the cleanest air cleanest water and most prosperous land on record and we are committed to ensuring all Americans can enjoy and benefit from these blessings for generations to come. Thank you for doing your part to protect the environment, and happy Earth Day.
2 of 2 for 2019
Administrator Andrew Wheeler
Quote in 2019 press release
"Since the first Earth Day in 1970, America has made tremendous progress improving air quality, cleaning up contaminated lands, and ensuring our bodies of water are safe for recreation and commerce. We are continuing that progress and working hard to ensure all Americans have a clean, healthy environment and a more prosperous future," said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. "Today, we were delighted to join with Japanese Ambassador Shinsuke Sugiyama to see firsthand the work DC Water is doing to address marine litter. EPA supports domestic and international projects to reduce marine litter, and we join Japan in making it a priority issue during Japan's leadership of the G20 Summit in June."
2018
Administrator Scott Pruitt
2018 Earth Day Message to EPA Employees
Colleagues,
America is a land of magnificent beauty and abundant natural resources. Few countries in the world are blessed with the natural resources we possess, and few countries in the world have a better environmental track record than ours. We have made tremendous strides improving the environment and public health. In anticipation of Earth Day, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for the work you do to carry out the core responsibilities of EPA: ensuring clean air, land, and water for all Americans.
As Americans, we desire that future generations inherit a clean, healthy environment that supports a thriving economy. As a country, we have made great progress improving air quality, cleaning up contaminated lands, and ensuring our bodies of water are safe for recreation and commerce. We still have important work to do, but let's take a moment to recognize and celebrate the progress we've made and those who make it possible.
Thank you.
Administrator Pruitt
2017
Administrator Scott Pruitt
Statement on 2017 Earth Day
On this Earth Day, we celebrate the abundance of our natural resources and our responsibility to serve as stewards of the environment. Through sound science based on honest inquiry and robust debate, we at EPA will continue to serve all Americans by fighting for a strong economy and clean air, land, and water.
2013
EPA General Statement
Excerpt from 2013 press release
Excerpt:
Every American plays a role in bringing about a healthier climate, a cleaner economy and a stronger energy future. By taking simple actions such as changing a light bulb, powering down electronics, using less water and recycling, together we can better protect our health and our environment.
2011
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
Transcript of 2011 video
INTRO: our administrator of your EPA please join me in welcoming Administrator Jackson
LISA JACKSON: Hey, happy almost birthday! Thank you for coming out. Thank you to everyone who is working so hard. Where's EPA? EPA in the house! Scream in here! Feels good!
Well listen, my job is simply to give an extra special shout out to all of our P3 competitors. They're busy some of them are back at the booths entertaining and educating the American people.
But I just want to once again acknowledge the important role of science, technology, innovation, imagination, energy, sustainability, that this day represents, that's so evident here in this tent.
EPA is our nation's protector of human health and environmental health, and protector of the environment. This year maybe more than any year in recent memory, it's important for us to understand how important those issues are, not just to our prosperity but to our health. To the health of a child on a school playground in Washington DC. To the health of our grandparents as they age and as environmental pollution once again becomes a source of illness for many of us.
It's important for us to remember that all this science and all this technology and all this hard work and all the enthusiasm on the faces of these students roll up into part of what it means to be an American. You see here in this country in the United States of America, we believe that every single person has the right to clean air. Every single person has the right to clean water to cherish fishing holes to a place to relax outside every community has the right to parks, and open space, and clean land; and every child has the right to go to school in a healthy building so that she or he can learn.
So I just want to remind everyone here that Earth Day is of course next Friday but today is a reminder for us of the importance of the principles of clean air and clean water that we all espouse and all work for, so many of us at EPA have literally given our careers for.
Now I have to say, just a few moments, a few words about innovation and technology because that's really what we're here to celebrate.
Most people don't think of the environment as high-tech but we're about as high-tech as you can get you don't get much lower-tech than the kind of work that we see happening here. And it's always good to be able to come out and salute our students who are thinking green, even from their very youngest days, and then applying it as we can see here.
That is our future. We simply cannot continue to have the standard of living that we want without innovating our way to clean air, clean water, clean land, and sustainability. So on behalf of the people of EPA, I want to end by giving a very special thank you to all of our P3 competitors, to all the people who are here as exhibitors. I will thank our staff on behalf of the rest of our staff for making this such a wonderful event today.
The weather's reminding us of the water cycle I suppose, but please keep your spirits out because this is an exciting time to not only be in the field of environmental protection, but to be a scientist or a technologist as our country once again devotes itself to innovating our way to a better future.
Thank you all very much.
2010
1 of 2 for 2010
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
Earth Day 2010
This year, on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day and the EPA, I'm asking you to help us continue the legacy of environmental service work and help make our communities healthier, our economy stronger, and our country more competitive.
2 of 2 for 2010
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
Transcript of 2010 video
Hello, I'm Lisa P Jackson, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Imagine a leak so filled with toxic chemicals that no fish can survive. Imagine air pollution so thick you can see it all around you. Imagine a river so polluted it actually catches fire.
This was the reality for many American communities only 40 years ago. At the time, people were understandably concerned about harmful pollution affecting their planet, their nation, and their own backyards, so they decided to take action. 20 million Americans stood up to call for change on the very first birthday. It was one of the largest grassroots community service movements in our history and it worked.
40 years later our communities are much cleaner. We've helped clean toxins from our air water and land but we still have work to do to build a clean energy economy that creates jobs, cleans up our environment, and frees us from our dependence on foreign oil. Every year more and more Americans join in cleaning up our communities.
Earth Day now brings together 1 billion people in countries throughout the world. This year on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the EPA, I'm asking you to help us continue the legacy of environmental service work and help make our communities healthier, our economy stronger, and our country more competitive. The first Earth Day showed us what we can accomplish when we come together in service. We can literally change the world starting with service in our community and if we all do our part, Americans 40 years from today will look back and remember this generation as one that helped build a better future for everyone.
Help us protect the places where we live work play and learn. On this Earth Day, April twenty-second and every day, I look forward to joining with you. Thank you very much.
2009
1 of 2 for 2009
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
Prepared remarks, 2009 Earth Day Community Cleanup
Thank you all for coming out today - especially those of you who have travelled a long way to be here.
Since January, EPA has been hard at work to protect human health in the environment. We've been taking action to get pollution and toxic chemicals out of our air, land, and water. We've been investing in communities across the nation to create new green jobs, and help keep the environment clean and safe for everyone. And we've been making sure that our work on environmental protection is squarely focused on getting us some environmental justice.
In too many places in this country, the burdens of pollution and environmental degradation fall disproportionately on low-income and minority communities - and most often, on the children in those communities. It means that people get sick. It means that businesses won't set up shop in those neighborhoods. And it sends the absolute wrong message that these people and these neighborhoods aren't as valuable as some other neighborhoods.
We won't stand by and accept the disparities any longer. I see it as part of my mission to show all Americans that this EPA works for them. EPA is back on the job - and working to protect human health and the environment in every community. But the simple fact is, we can't do it alone. We need your help.
Earlier this week I was in New Bedford, Massachusetts where I met with a group of environmental activists from the community. One of the people there was a man named Buddy. Buddy was an older African-American man that has been active on environmental justice issues for his community. When I got there, they told me about Buddy. He was well known - and got that way by being a strong and demanding advocate.
And he was. He came to the meeting with his remarks prepared and letters from people he knew and charts and figures to make his point. And he brought his expectations, too. He stood up and he told us about his community - which he loved and was proud of. But which needed some attention.
When the meeting was over I walked over to two people who had attended but not spoken. I asked them why they had stayed quiet the whole time. One of them was on older woman. Without blinking she looked up at me and said, "Buddy speaks for us." It made me realize just how valuable Buddy is. And how much we need him in communities all across America, doing the great work that he does.
It's not always an older African American man. It's not always a long-time resident of the community. Sometimes "Buddy" is a young student. Sometimes "Buddy" is a parent concerned about the health of her children. Sometimes "Buddy" comes from the church. Sometimes, from the chamber of commerce.
But our communities suffer when they don't have someone like Buddy to speak for them. To protect the planet, we need engaged and active citizens to protect the environment in our communities - especially in the places where the challenges seem the greatest. It's through the action of people like Buddy - who see a problem and decide to make a difference - that we are going to protect and preserve our environment for generations to come.
The commitment to environmental action we see here is something we want in every community, during Earth Month and every month of the year. I'm happy to be working with all of you, and thank you so much for being here today to help this community and our planet.
2 of 2 for 2009
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
Transcript of 2009 video
Hello, I'm Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. At the first Earth Day 39 years ago, 20 million Americans stood up to protect human health and the environment. It was a time when many American cities were blanketed with dangerous pollution and smog, a time when in many communities local waterways were too polluted for swimming, fishing, or drinking.
That first Earth Day grew into a movement that reached millions more and built a better future for all of us. We've helped clear harmful toxins from our air, our water, and land; and what started with those 20 million Americans almost four decades ago will engage more than a billion people this earth day April 22nd.
People all around the world would join together to say that it is our job to protect and preserve our planet and the people that live on it. We've seen how far we can come if individuals take the initiative and get involved, but we still have a long way to go to protect our most vulnerable communities, especially the children that live in them.
To remove pollution and toxic chemicals from our air water and land and to build a clean energy economy that creates new jobs, clears the air and frees us from our dependence on foreign oil. That way people 39 years from now will remember that this generation helped to build a better future for all of us.
We won't get there without your help. Visit epa gov forward slash birthday to find out about events and volunteer opportunities in your community. Celebrate Earth Day this year by making April Earth Month, then think about stretching that out into an entire year. I look forward to joining you. Thank you very much.
2008
Administrator Stephen L. Johnson
2008 Earth Day Statement
Environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility. So this Earth Day, make protecting our planet an every day commitment, and together we can create a cleaner, healthier world.
2007
Administrator Stephen L. Johnson
2007 Earth Day Statement
On Sunday, April 22, the nation will mark its 37th Earth Day - an annual reminder to all Americans that environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility. The U.S. is shifting to a 'green culture,' and this Earth Day, President Bush and I encourage our citizens to renew their personal commitment to building a healthier, brighter future.
2006
Robert W. Varney, EPA Region 1 Administrator
Reflecting on the 36th Earth Day (2006)
Looking back, 1970 was a historic year as our country's burgeoning environmental consciousness began to be translated into a call to action. That year saw both the very first Earth Day celebration on April 22, and in December the creation of EPA as a government agency dedicated to protecting the nation's air, water and land.
On that first Earth Day in 1970, our nation awoke to the health and environmental ramifications of rampant and highly visible pollution. We can still remember the indelible image of fires burning on American rivers.
Over the past 35 years, EPA has not just changed the way our environment looks, but also helped to change the way we look at our environment. Today citizens know that protecting the environment is our shared responsibility. We also know that we don't need to choose between a robust economy or a protected environment, nor do our personal decisions need to sacrifice modern comforts for an environmental benefit.
Since 1970 we've seen time and again that environmental protection and economic progress are not an either-or proposition, but in fact go hand in hand. Through innovations and intelligence, more people enjoy a better quality of life. At the same time, our environment is much cleaner today than it was in 1970.
Take air pollution for example. Between 1970 and 2004, total U.S. emissions of the six major air pollutants dropped by a staggering 54 percent. Viewed alone, this is impressive. This reduction in air pollution is even more incredible when we consider that our nation's gross domestic product increased 187 percent, energy consumption increased 47 percent, and the U.S. population grew by 40 percent during those same years.
As I travel throughout New England, I am constantly reminded of how beautiful our part of the country is; it is easy to keep in mind what we are working for. From Long Island Sound to Casco Bay, from October Mountain to Camel's Hump and from Narragansett Bay to the freshwater shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, we are lucky to live in a region blessed with natural scenery and citizens committed to preserving our environment.
Americans can be proud of the progress we've made protecting our environment in the last generation. On Earth Day, and each day, remember: We all can make a difference. Working together, we're all part of the solution.
2004
Administrator Michael O. Leavitt
Excerpts from 2004 Congressional testimony
Excerpt:
This month marks yet another Earth Day and the nation has taken on an environmental maturity that did not exist in 1970. Our new environmental maturity and the emergence of a global economy may have been the story of the last 30 years; how we manage their coexistence will define the next 30.
2002
Administrator Christine Todd Whitman
2002 Earth Day at Adirondack State Park, Saranac, New York
Good afternoon. What a great way to spend Earth Day!
In January 1900, the first great environmentalist governor of New York--who later became the first great environmentalist president of the United States--wrote this in his Annual Message to the State Legislature: "The Adirondacks . . . should be great parks kept in perpetuity for the benefit and enjoyment of our people."
The people of New York heeded the call of their governor, Theodore Roosevelt. For the past century, New Yorkers have been preserving and protecting millions of acres of Adirondack land. Places such as this beautiful park are the inspiring and happy result.
That is why it is fitting that we meet here on Earth Day 2002. The work begun by Teddy Roosevelt in this state more than one hundred years ago took root and spread all across America. But that work is not completed--indeed, it never can be. Stewardship of the environment is an obligation--and a blessing--that falls to each generation.
I am proud to be here with Governor Pataki and President Bush. They each hold offices previously held by T.R. and they are both worthy heirs of his legacy and of his leadership. And so, I am pleased to present to you the Governor of New York, my friend, George Pataki.
2000
Administrator Carol M. Browner
2000 Earth Day Kickoff Washington, D.C.
Good morning. Thirty years have passed since the first Earth Day, in 1970, when millions of people joined in one of the largest demonstrations of public opinion in the history of our country. That day, 20 million Americans -- from all walks of life -- participated in rallies, demonstrations, and teach-ins to show their support for the protection of our health and our environment.
Today, one of the highlights of Earth Day is taking stock of the great progress we have made. That progress is real. This Earth Day we celebrate the cleanest environment in a generation. But our job is not done. We still face tremendous environmental and public health challenges.
One of our biggest challenges is climate change -- an environmental challenge unlike any we've faced. Climate change will test our resolve as a people. It will test our national will. Global warming is not some distant threat. It is real today. And if we don't redouble our efforts to address it now, all our other work to this point will have been in vain.
More than 2,000 of the world's experts on the global environment have told us that the effects of climate change can be predicted - rising sea levels, matched by the threats of ever intensifying storms, including more violent hurricanes. Despite the magnitude of this challenge, there are naysayers who tell us the problem isn't real or that the solutions are too costly.
This is nothing new. These are the same people who told us that protecting the environment and growing our economy were incompatible goals. They were wrong. And the American people knew they were wrong.
The American people believed then, as they do now, that the fight for clean air, for clean water, and for a healthy environment was a fight worth having, a fight we could win. And today, we enjoy the cleanest environment and the strongest economy in decades.
Now is the time for common-sense action on climate change: Action that gives us a real chance to address this issue successfully. It too is a fight worth having. It too is a fight we can win.
The Clinton-Gore Administration has charted a strong course for the future, calling for new investments to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, and working in partnership with industry, communities, and all levels of government.
The President's 2001 Climate Change Budget calls for accelerated efforts to promote clean energy technologies; a stepped-up program to develop bioenergy and bio-based products; and new efforts like the Clean Air Partnership Fund to boost state and local efforts to reduce both greenhouse gases and ground-level air pollutants.
As part of his budget, the President has proposed spending $227 million for the third year of his Climate Change Technology Initiative. This initiative will promote voluntary measures that reduce energy use and bring down the energy bills of all Americans.
This Administration has already made great progress working hand-in-hand with industry to find solutions to difficult problems. Last December, President Clinton announced new clean air standards which will lead to cars and trucks that are up to 95 percent cleaner. And, for the first time, these standards address not only the vehicles that people drive, but the fuels they use, by calling for a reduction of sulfur levels in gasoline by 90 percent.
Working together, we created cost-effective, common-sense standards that protect the public health, while protecting consumer choice and our thriving economy.
And, we are also addressing other sources of harmful pollution -- coal-fired power plants that contribute significantly to some of the most severe environmental problems facing the United States today. Our message to these plants which have wrongfully emitted millions of tons of harmful pollution is simple: We will not tolerate the degradation of the public's health and the environment.
The legacy of Earth Day is the commitment the American people expect when this country faces threats like climate change. Not just a commitment from leaders, but from themselves; a personal commitment Americans can make every day.
An energy-efficiency program sponsored by EPA and the Department of Energy tells the tale. This is a common-sense program that removes barriers in the market place and spurs investments in more efficient and clean technologies.
Over the next decade alone, because of the investments made in the Energy Star Program, Americans will save more than 24 billion dollars and help reduce millions of tons of harmful pollutants. If all consumers bought Energy Star products, it is estimated we would save over 100 billion dollars in energy bills over the next 15 years. And the best thing about it -- we're not just saving money, we're reducing pollution. Protecting the environment. Acting responsibly.
Together, we have learned that an investment in energy-efficient technology is an investment in America's tomorrow; that when we conserve energy, we energize the economy; that when we invest in the environment, we are creating jobs and building the America our children will inherit.
The result is nothing less than a new definition of progress and an important piece of the road map to solving the climate change challenge. It will not be solved by government. It won't be solved by business. It will be solved when we capture the spirit of Earth Day every day and join to it the dedication of the American people to the future of their families.
1999
Administrator Carol M. Browner
Prepared remarks (1999), Earth Day with Vice President Gore
Good morning. Thank you, Bob, for that introduction and thank you all for coming here today.
As we gather here for Earth Day in the twilight of the 20th Century, I think it's important to remember how this age dawned. President Theodore Roosevelt had set the nation on a new course. He believed that by taking steps to preserve the environment and protect public health, he was also laying a foundation for increased prosperity for generations to come.
History has proven Roosevelt right. A healthy environment and a healthy economy are goals in concert, not conflict. And the Clinton-Gore Administration has taken the Roosevelt legacy and given it new strength for a new millennium. We have worked to protect and preserve our natural wonders, while restoring and reclaiming vast tracts of land from their industrial past.
Over the past six years, thanks to President Clinton and Vice President Gore, we have protected or enhanced nearly 150 million acres of public and private lands across America.
We've cleaned up nearly three times as many Superfund sites in six years as the previous administrations did in twelve. These sites now mean economic opportunity, rather than environmental hazard, for their surrounding communities.
Under the President's and the Vice President's leadership, we are cleaning up and revitalizing abandoned industrial properties in 250 communities around the country, leveraging more than $1 billion in public and private funds, creating thousands of new jobs and turning idle land back to productive and profitable use.
While working to preserve and restore our lands, the President and Vice President have also moved to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink.
By enacting the toughest air quality standards in a generation, this Administration is working to prevent up to 15,000 premature deaths a year and improve the lives of millions of Americans -- including 35 million children -- who suffer from respiratory illnesses. The President and Vice President have strengthened the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure that our families are guaranteed clean, healthy tapwater.
And -- as President Roosevelt knew -- protecting public health and the environment helps create a favorable climate for the economy. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, more than 18 million new jobs have been created and unemployment is at its lowest sustained rate in nearly a generation.
But there's still more to do. I would like to borrow from Theodore Roosevelt's message to Congress of December 1907 on the environment and what it means for future generations.
"As a nation we not only enjoy a wonderful measure of present prosperity, but if this prosperity is used properly it is a promise of future success such as no other nation will have. The reward of foresight for this nation is great and easily foretold.
"But there must be the look ahead. There must be a realization of the fact that to waste our natural resources, to exhaust the land rather than work to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining the prosperity of our children -- a prosperity we should be working to amplify and develop."
His words are as true today as they were then. To rest on our accomplishments now
would be to diminish them for future generations who would look back and say: "Why did they stop before the job was finished? Didn't they know what they were doing to us -- their children and grandchildren?"
Well, we do know. And that's why we will press on.
And now it's an honor to introduce Vice President Gore who is going to share with us his vision of the environmental future we want to build. In the twilight of this century, the Vice President has worked long and hard to protect the environment and health of the America people. And his work ensures a clear and brilliant dawn in the millennium just over the horizon and for the generations who will make it theirs.
Mr. Vice President.
1998
Administrator Carol M. Browner
Browner Kicks Off 1998 Earth Week, Anacostia River
"America's waters, like the Chesapeake Bay, are among our nation's greatest places, and working to ensure clean water is fundamental to this Administration's commitment to protect public health and the environment," said EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner. "Today, the greatest threat to our waters comes from urban and agricultural runoff. That is why President Clinton has put forward the Clean Water Action Plan to finish the job of protecting America's waters. I want to thank the volunteers here today and throughout America who are working with us to achieve our goal of clean, safe waters for all Americans."
1995
Administrator Carol M. Browner
Article, EPA Journal, Winter 1995
Earth Day 25 is a time to reflect on how we're doing in protecting our environment. Twenty-five years ago, in the wake of the first Earth Day, our nation created, virtually from scratch, the most advanced system of environmental protection in the world. In the course of a very short history - a mere quarter-century - we have made tremendous progress. We now longer have rivers catching on fire. Our skies are cleaner. And U.S. environmental expertise and technology are in demand throughout the world.
In the years since the first Earth Day, EPA banned lead in gasoline, lowering lead levels in our air by more than 90 percent and protecting millions of children from harm. We banned dangerous and widely used pesticides like DDT. We closed unsafe local garbage dumps all over the nation and helped to make recycling a household habit.
We provided American towns with substantial funding for wastewater treatment - the second biggest public works effort in U.S. history, resulting in cleaner rivers all over the United States. All cars and trucks now have standards for fuel economy, set by EPA, that allow consumers to choose a car for its energy efficiency. And EPA has played an important role in ensuring that companies and others comply with our environmental laws or face stiff penalties.
Perhaps most important, the nation has gained a new understanding. More Americans than ever understand that to ensure a good quality of life for ourselves and our children, we must act as responsible stewards of our air, our water, and our land.
More to Do
But much remains to be done. Thirty years after Rachel Carson warned us in Silent Spring to reduce our dependence on pesticides, we have doubled our pesticide use. Twenty-five years after the garbage-filled Cuyahoga River spontaneously caught on fire, 40 percent of our rivers and lakes are not suitable for fishing or swimming.
In 1993, people in Milwaukee, New York, and Washington, DC, were ordered to boil their drinking water. In Milwaukee, hundreds of thousands of people got sick from contaminated water; 100 died. Twenty years after passage of the Clean Air Act, two in five Americans still live in areas where the air is dangerous to breathe. Fourteen years after Love Canal, one in four Americans lives within four miles of a toxic dumpsite. Asthma is on the rise. Breast cancer is on the rise.
And the past 25 years have left us with a complex and unwieldy system of laws and regulations and increasing conflict over how we achieve environmental protection. The result of this history? An adversarial system of environmental policy. A system built on distrust. And too little environmental protection at too high a cost.
The Challenge We Face
In the next 25 years, we must maintain the progress we have made, and we must build on that progress. We must continue to protect the health of the people of the country, the health of our communities, the health of our economy, our air, our water, and our land.
The environmental problems of the future will be more complex than ever. We can work together to address these problems today, or we can handle them as expensive crises tomorrow. When President Clinton and I arrived in Washington two years ago, we believed that we needed a fundamentally new system of environmental protection. One that protects more and costs less. And one that builds on the strengths of the last 25 years but overcomes the deficiencies of the past.
We have an opportunity to reinvent a system of strong public health and environmental protections to find solutions that work for real people in real communities. We must do it with common-sense, cost-effective measures that produce the very best environmental results for the least cost. In this new system, we need a firm commitment to public health and environmental goals - combined with flexibility, innovation, and creativity in how we achieve those goals.
We must move beyond the one-size-fits-all approach of the past. We must work industry by industry, community by community to prevent pollution, rather than clean it up after the fact. We must involve those who will live with environmental decisions, to ensure that they have every opportunity to be a partner in making those decisions.
New Strategies for the Future
In the last two years, the Clinton Administration has initiated a variety of strategies to reinvent environmental protection - to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and move toward a flexible yet firm approach to pollution protection. These strategies will allow us to achieve results that are cleaner, cheaper, and smarter.
Last year we launched the Common Sense Initiative, a fundamentally different way of doing business that takes us beyond the pollutant-by-pollutant, crisis-by-crisis approach of the past to an industry-by-industry approach for the future. Beginning in six industries, we are bringing together leaders of business, state and local government, the community, labor, and the environmental movement - to sit down and examine environmental protection in these industries from top to bottom.
By working together, we will be able to find answers to the tough questions and arrive at solutions never before thought possible - solutions that will be cleaner for the environment, cheaper for the taxpayer and industry, and smarter for the future of this country.
Through our Brownfields Action Agenda, we are working in partnership with state and local government, communities, industry, and small business, to clean up the contaminated pieces of land that sit idle in cities across this country - to bring them back to life, to remove a blight on the neighborhood, to create jobs, to create hope. We recently lifted the Superfund stigma from 25,000 sites around this country.
Recognizing the need for quality science in all that we do, we recently launched our STAR program - Science To Achieve Results - bringing the best and the brightest from across the scientific community to assist us in our work, so we can direct our resources o the highest risks and do it using the highest quality data. Five thousand graduate students in science are competing for 100 fellowships in research at EPA. We've expanded our use of risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis. In fact, the National Academy of Sciences has recognized EPA as a world leader in using risk analysis.
These are some of the strategies we are using to reinvent environmental protection. All of these strategies work for business, for communities, and for people across the country. All of these are new strategies that will take us to the future.
We Must Reinvent, Not Repeal
Last month, the Vice President, and I announced the Clinton Administration's regulatory reinvention of environmental protection. Through a package of important reforms, we will trust honest business people as partners, not adversaries - without sacrificing one ounce of public health protection.
We will cut paperwork by 25 percent, saving 20 million hours a year for business and communities. Time and money should be invested in making a product, not filling out forms. We will allow a six-month grace period - to give small business owners a chance to fix compliance problems instead of paying a fine. We will reward companies that take responsibility for finding and fixing environmental problems. Our goal is compliance with the laws that protect public health and the environment - not punishment. We will institute one-stop emissions reporting and consolidate our air pollution rules. Instead of a dozen different rules and a dozen different forms, our goal is one rule, one permit, one report.
Under our new Project XL - excellence and leadership - we will choose 50 businesses and communities and say to them, "Here's the pollution reduction goal. You know your operation better than anyone else. If you can figure out how to reach the goal and exceed that goal, then you can throw out the rule book."
Through the Clinton Administration's regulatory reinvention, we are refining environmental protection to make it more flexible, more effective, more sensible, and more affordable - to achieve the very best environmental results for the least cost.
These reforms will move us beyond rigid, one-size-fits-all regulation. But unlike proposals for regulatory reform being debated in Congress, these reforms do not cross the line to one-size-fits-all deregulation.
We need to reinvent environmental regulations - not repeal public health protections. The Clinton Administration's regulatory reinvention will help us work together to protect our health and our environment - and do it through common-sense, cost-effective measures. After all the progress we've made since the first Earth Day 25 years ago, we cannot go back. We must go forward.
Every American Must Help
It is the job of government to protect the public. But government cannot do the job alone. We need every American to help ensure strong public health and environmental protections. Joining together is not a matter of choice - it is a necessity. We all breathe the same air, drink the same water, and work and play in the same environment. That's why EPA is using this 25th anniversary of Earth Day to remind parents and kids, communities and companies that "the Earth is in your hands." If we join together, we can take the common sense steps we need to take - and be proud to pass along a safe, clean world to our children and our children's children.
1994
Administrator Carol M. Browner
Excerpts from 1994 speech in Maryland
Excerpts:
On Earth Day this week, we rededicate ourselves to protecting public health and the world we live in. As we pause to look at the world and how we can protect it, we must recognize that eighty percent of the earth's surface is made up of water. To protect our earth, we must protect our water.
...
On Earth Day, let us rededicate ourselves to protecting this vital resource, both to sustain our own lives and to secure clean water for future generations. The time has come for a new Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act that make good environmental and economic sense - for the benefit of all Americans.
1990
Administrator William K. Reilly
Statement on Earth Day 1990
This Earth Day affirms a fundamental need a hope, perhaps even a growing demand that the activities of people can produce real bounty for our society without harming public health, without jeopardizing the productivity of the natural systems on inspiration nature provides. Earth Day this year comes with a special promise to Americans because - thanks to President Bush and the U.S. Congress - we are on the threshold of a new, long-overdue Clean Air Act, complete with the first-ever program from international to domestic.
High among these new priorities is the need to reduce the excessive amount of pollution we generate in this country - to promote recycling, use less toxics in commerce, in our households, and in our places of work. Preventing regulations but actually producing far less pollution is the impetus for the next wave of environmental action. Pollution prevention is fast becoming the yardstick by which future progress on the environment will be measured.
1975
Administrator Russel Train
Excerpts from 1975 speech at Southeastern University
Excerpt:
EPA Administrator Russell E. Train told graduates of Southeastern University in Washington, D.C. today that despite energy and economic difficulties, the environmental movement has matured since the first Earth Day and that now, with firm legal and institutional grounding, environmental commitments must be strengthened by long-range planning and management.
"Never before in history has a society moved so rapidly and so comprehensively to come to grips with such a complex set of problems," Train said in the commencement address. "Now this country must understand and accept the fact that the really critical issues before it are not the immediate and isolated ones, but the inter-related and long range ones - indeed, the day to day 'crises' that seem to capture all our attention and consume all our energies are, for the most part, simply manifestations of far deeper problems that we never seem to get around to acknowledging, much less addressing," Train said.
"We often forget," he said, "that time itself has become one of our most critical resources. It is not so much coal, or oil, or natural gas that we must worry about running out of. It is time - the time to accomplish the necessary adjustments in our way of life that will allow us to make the most of these resources - and time to make the necessary investments in the cleaner sources of energy that will enable us to live a decent life without denying it to those who follow us."
1973
Administrator William D. Ruckelshaus
Earth Week 1973
An annual inventory is an essential undertaking for individuals, communities and corporations. Earth Week 1973 presents an excellent opportunity to take stock of the environmental movement; to look at its strengths and weaknesses, its accomplishments and prospects.
Environmentalism is much more than a hodge-podge of pleas and campaigns to save the Everglades, the tundra, or the snowy egret. Mountains, forests, streams, clear skies, and wildlife are parts of environmentalism because they are essential parts of man's well being.
But environmentalism is also a vital element in dealing with problems of health, economic prosperity, social development, education, justice - indeed, with the full range of human aspirations. It is the basic undertaking if we are to attain the objectives this country subscribed to 200 years ago - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Cleaning the air and water, controlling noise, and restoring ravaged landscapes are all bits of a large mosaic, which is the ideal America we all cherish.
The first Earth Day was but three years ago. Yet in that short time we have made substantial progress, much more than any of us could reasonably have anticipated in 1970. Three years ago environmental activists were but a handful. They were ardent, but not expert; and not really familiar with the methods of reform in a democratic society. Today there are an estimated 3,000 volunteer environmental organizations in the country and quite a few of them have acquired some real expertise.
The public is becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of uncontrolled and unthinking exploitation of natural systems. We are in the midst of a period of enacting environmental laws to assure that those who conscientiously work for the common good are not penalized by those who are thoughtless or unscrupulous.
There are critics who are quick to blame environmentalists for a host of today's problems - energy shortages, traffic jams, rising unemployment, livestock losses, high food prices and adverse balance of payments. These critics are often guilty of substantial exaggeration or oversimplification but their complaints are an indication that environmentalism has gone beyond pious rhetoric and is having some real effect in our lives.
In many cases environmental considerations will pinch where it hurts - in the pocketbook. But Americans are becoming aware that if we are to have true prosperity the "free" ride at the expense of the environment must stop.
In coming years we are going to see a lot more action by environmental reform groups in community programs. Local initiative has already scored significant achievements ranging from restored lakes and rivers to setting up environmental curricula in schools, from air pollution monitoring to the creation of parks.
Where some industrialists complain, others go to work. A major chemical company reports its new pollution controls are saving millions of dollars annually and should have been installed long ago as sound business practice. The paper manufacturer doing the most in pollution abatement also leads its industry in earnings per share growth. Wastes once flushed into rivers or hauled to dumps are being turned into commercial products. Not every environmental investment will make a direct return but there are enough positive examples to show that environmental improvements need not be automatically regarded as "costs without benefits."
I am not suggesting that we are anywhere near out of the woods. Far from it. What remains to be done is much greater than what's been accomplished so far. But the trend is unmistakable.
The American people, directly or through their elected officials, will face some difficult choices in the coming years. There isn't any real dispute about the worth of environmental objectives; we all want better living conditions. The question is how much are we willing to pay for them.
Are we so accustomed to installment credit that we are willing to purchase our life style affluence today at the expense of a better tomorrow? If it came to a choice, would we consciously squander our resources and foreclose our children's future? I don't believe we would.
Up to now the average citizen hasn't had the foggiest notion of what choices were available, or indeed that there were any choices at all. Once people understand what is at stake and what's required, they will do what needs to be done.
With persistence we can pay our debt to the past by reclaiming the purity of our air, water and land. With hard work and some sacrifice we can pass on to our children and grandchildren a world of beauty, order and serenity.
1971
Administrator William D. Ruckelshaus
1971 Earth Day address, Ohio State University
(EXCERPT)
The focus of Earth Day II is the individual - the responsibility each of us bears to move beyond awareness to action that will return man to a balance with nature. Whether as citizen or consumer, producer or promoter, legislator or lawyer - or as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency - we all have a role to play, specific responsibilities to meet, if we truly wish to enjoy clean air, pure water, quiet skies and streets, uncluttered countryside and a less crowded planet.
Individuals and institutions alike must realize an untamed river is not simply a channel for barges, a source of hydropower, or a convenient sewer. Open land is something other than a potential subdivision. A forest is a heritage - not just a stand of marketable timber. The wilderness is more than a source of renewal and a last resort, it is yesterday untrammeled by the technology of today.
More so than ever before, government is meeting its responsibility to enhance and protect the environment. Some say it is about time and I agree. But the time has come! It has come for us all.