[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 15, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S1781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING RICHARD OTTINGER

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, today we honor and remember Richard 
Ottinger, a mentor and friend and an historic environmental champion 
whose life and career is an inspiration to all dedicated to fighting 
for the people and the planet.
  After serving in the U.S. Air Force and cofounding the Peace Corps, 
Ottinger served in Congress for 16 years from 1965 to 1971 and then 
again from 1975 to 1985. In his first year in Congress, he wrote and 
passed the Hudson River Compact Act, establishing an interstate 
commission to clean up the river. He continued to be the environmental 
visionary, being one of the first to call for addressing climate change 
as a moral, economic, national security, and health imperative. He 
helped found the bipartisan Environmental Study Conference and served 
as a moving force behind several landmark pieces of environmental 
legislation, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Public 
Utility Regulatory Policies Act, PURPA.
  Congressman Ottinger's leadership also extended to the foundational 
goals for a healthy democracy. He was a bold and effective advocate for 
peace and diplomacy, civil rights, consumer protections, and the day-
to-day concerns of working families, often battling and winning against 
the powerful special interests and political players. He was a vocal 
opponent of the Vietnam war, and in 1969, Ottinger introduced the 
Vietnam Disengagement Act and in 1970 co-authored an amendment to end 
that unjust war. He never shied from the big challenges confronting the 
times in which he lived.
  From serving as dean of Pace Law School and founding the Pace Energy 
and Climate Center to working closely with the International Union for 
the Conservation of Nature--IUCN--Ottinger continued to be a champion 
for climate solutions even after leaving office. I am deeply grateful 
to Richard Ottinger for being a pioneer in environmental legislation 
and advocacy and for paving the way for a fairer, cleaner, more just 
future for us all.

                          ____________________