“Eco-Conscious Leadership: Karen Telleen-Lawton Explores Presidential Perspectives on the Environment”

Jimmy Carter famously installed solar panels on the White House in 1979. (His successor took them down.) With the passing of our 39th president on Dec. 29 at age 100, a fast-paced overview of the accomplishments of prominent environmental presidents may be invigorating.

We could commence with Abraham Lincoln (in office 1861-65). Mark Fiege, a prominent environmental historian from Colorado State University, asserts that Lincoln would have been regarded as an environmentalist had the term been in use.

Fiege mentions that Lincoln was of the opinion that the enhancement and advancement of the natural environment would ultimately lead to the enhancement and advancement of humanity.

Teddy Roosevelt (in office 1901-09) is known as the conservation president. Along with initiating five parks and the first 18 national monuments, he founded the U.S. Forest Service to mitigate logging and mining activities on federal territories.

Roosevelt established over 100 wildlife refuges and avian sanctuaries. Additionally, he played a key role in enacting the vital Antiquities Act, which set the stage for future presidents to protect significant sites from damage and plundering.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (in office 1933-45) initiated the Civilian Conservation Corps. Over almost a decade during the Great Depression, the CCC engaged 3 million individuals in efforts such as planting trees, restoring vegetation, managing erosion on agricultural lands, and constructing campgrounds and trails.

On a local level, the CCC contributed to the development of La Purísima Mission State Historic Park, regarded as one of their most remarkable projects in California.

Lyndon Johnson’s (in office 1963-69) contributions to environmental policy were monumental. He enacted the Wilderness Act (1964), the Land and Water Conservation Act (1965), and the Endangered Species Act (1966).

Under Johnson’s administration, 50 national parks were either created or expanded; he also instituted the National Trails System in 1968.

First Lady Lady Bird Johnson played a crucial role in advocating for many of these initiatives. She also launched the Beautification Project, stating, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope – and hope is the precious, indispensable ingredient.”

The inaugural government agency responsible for safeguarding the well-being of Americans and the environment was established by Richard M. Nixon (in office 1933-45, 1969-74).

The Environmental Protection Agency was formed in 1970, along with the Clean Air Act. These significant accomplishments were succeeded in 1972 and 1973 by the Clean Water Act, legislation concerning pesticides, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Carter’s (in office 1977-81) solar panels at the White House represented his commitment to advancing renewable energy. He founded the Department of Energy in 1977 to facilitate research and development of alternative, non-fossil energy sources.

Carter enacted legislation pertaining to coal mining in national parks, as well as measures for soil and water conservation, and wilderness preservation.

Californians hold Bill Clinton (in office 1993-2001) in high regard for the California Desert Protection Act, which elevated Death Valley and Joshua Tree to national park status.

Clinton oversaw the establishment of Utah’s vast Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and implemented 100 national wilderness areas, monuments, preserves, and heritage zones. He also enacted the Roadless Rule to protect select national forest lands.

Barack Obama (in office 2009-17) was the first president to acknowledge the impending threat of climate change. His Clean Power Plan played a significant role in achieving the Paris climate agreement of 2015.

Obama effectively utilized the Antiquities Act to establish national monuments. His America’s Great Outdoors Initiative encouraged community-centered recreation and conservation, particularly for marginalized populations.

Joe Biden (in office 2021-25) endorsed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a substantial climate stimulus that incentivizes clean and sustainable energy projects. He also proposed a methane fee and sanctioned laws to limit hydrofluorocarbon usage.

Biden has established more national monuments during a single term than any president since Carter, according to NPR. Last Thursday, President Biden inaugurated the Chuckwalla and Sattitla National Monuments.

It is important to reflect on where we might have been had these safeguards never been enacted or further diminished by successors.

Despite the incoming president taking at least 74 steps to undermine environmental protections in his initial term, Donald Trump (in office 2016-20) also endorsed the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act.

Some speculate that Trump’s administration could threaten existing and future national monuments or even provoke challenges to the century-old Antiquities Act itself. Conversely, he might choose to channel his maverick traits for the greater good, establishing a legacy in environmental policy that benefits Americans’ competitive edge far into the future.

Among the leading presidents who advocated for the environment, one-third (including Lincoln) were Republicans. Could Trump exhibit the backbone of a true maverick?