Water Resources People and Issues
We had air quality studies, including one for the Senate Public Works
Committee. This was an antecedent to the Air Pollution Control Act. That
study was underway when I came on board in 1973. We did it for Senator
Muskie and I remember that Leon Billings, his staff aide, was furious when the
academy hired me because he held me responsible for what the National Water
Commission had said in its report which rejected the technological fix of the
`72 Water Pollution Control Act and the zero discharge goal. The committee
had just recommended continuing a water quality based approach, with a
polluter pay philosophy.
Commission on Natural Resources
I went to work at the National Academy of Sciences on a two-year assignment
and I ended up staying there 10 years. I had a great deal of interesting work,
not so much in the water resources field, although a lot was related to water.
I was in charge of the study on federal water resources research which we
completed just before the Reagan administration decided to abolish the agency
that had recommended it.
I was working with a lot of the same people I had worked with over the years.
Gilbert White was chairman of the Environmental Studies Board and then
became chairman of the Commission on Natural Resources. I was deputy
executive director to Dick Carpenter when he went off to teach at Dartmouth
for a semester and I had handled his work whenever he was away. So when he
resigned to take another position, I became acting executive director of the
Commission on Natural Resources for about a year and staffed the selection
committee that was appointed to find a new executive director. It took about
nine months or so before we ended up hiring Wally Bowman with whom I had
been associated at the Library of Congress.
I was involved to a certain extent on the selection committee, but I didn't make
the decision to hire him. That decision was made by Phil Handler. I remained
as deputy executive director. I enjoyed the privilege of working as deputy to
Dick and
two people who had formerly worked under my supervision.
We got along fine together and there was a great deal of mutual respect. I was
delighted to have them take the primary responsibility, but I was in a position
to fill in for them whenever it was necessary. We did a lot of good work
together.
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