[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 22, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN RECOGNITION OF EARTH DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 1998

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, today, we celebrate Earth Day. From its humble 
grass-roots beginning, Earth Day has grown to an international event. 
Events are planned in all 50 states and in the continents of Africa, 
Asia, Europe and North and South America.
  Proudly, my home state of Wisconsin can claim some credit for this 
worthwhile event. Former Governor, U.S. Senator and Earth Day founder 
Gaylord Nelson championed environmental issues during his 18 years in 
Washington. Of all Senator Nelson achievements, he will always be 
remembered for his progressive environmental record.
  In 1963, Senator Nelson urged then-President John F. Kennedy to give 
national visibility to the importance of protecting the environment by 
taking a nationwide conservation tour. At every stop he would spell 
out, in dramatic fashion, the serious and deteriorating condition of 
our environment and discuss a comprehensive agenda to begin to address 
the problem. No President had ever made such a tour. While Earth Day 
was still seven years off, President Kennedy's conservation tour awoke 
the nation's attention to this issue.
  After 28 years, Senator Nelson and other environmental advocates of 
his day may be proud of what Earth Day has grown to become. Since the 
first Earth Day celebration, this country has passed a number of 
important environmental measures--the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water 
Act, the Endangered Species Act, Conservation Reserve Program to name 
just a few. Thousands of acres of wetlands have also been restored and 
nearly extinct species have been saved. Wisconsin can clearly see the 
positive effect of these important laws every time we enjoy the beauty 
of the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
  As a nation and a world, we must not rest on our past achievements. 
In the next 35 years, America's population is expected to grow from 
approximately 266 million people to nearly 350 million. This growth 
brings development which may encroach upon many of the environmental 
accomplishments we have attained. With new found freedom and economic 
prosperity, many other nations of the world also project increased 
populations and environmental concerns as their industrial bases 
expand.
  As members of Congress, we have a responsibility to ensure the 
protection of our environmental resources. I urge all my colleagues, 
Democrats and Republicans alike, to remember the efforts of Senator 
Nelson and others of his generation by joining me in passing 
legislation that protects the nation's and world's natural resources.

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