Similar predictions of economic doom and enormous cost came in 1970 — notably from the automobile industry — when a Republican president, Richard Nixon, signed the Clean Air Act.
Since that year of the first Earth Day, America has seen a 68 percent reduction in common air pollutants, while vehicle miles driven have increased by 167 percent. The nation’s gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, is up more than 212 percent.
In those days, and afterward, a bevy of distinguished Republicans stood at the forefront of environmental protection and the campaign to clean up America’s air.
George H.W. Bush promised in 1988 to be the “environmental president” and midwifed a bipartisan plan to curb sulfur dioxide emissions that caused acid rain and killed marine life in thousands of lakes.
The Clean Air Act amendments passed the Senate on an 89-11 vote. What did Mitch McConnell say then? “I had to choose between cleaner air and the status quo. I chose cleaner air.” With the Grand Teton as backdrop, President Bush (I) signed the anti-acid rain legislation into law.
