The subcommittee’s 1964 report declared that the technological skills and equipment to reduce air pollution had “passed the research stage” and that there was “no valid reason to delay” adoption of emissions control equipment in newly manufactured…

This briefing paper for subcommittee members and staff outlined the major parts of S. 306 that would receive attention during the hearings to be held in Washington D.C. and Detroit, Michigan. The briefing paper outlined the subcommittee work plan…

Senator Muskie received support from clean-air advocates who backed tough, national air quality standards. This supporter of S. 306 wrote that “The air we breathe is not private property, and because of this it should be illegal to pollute it.”

Since World War II, air pollution had greatly increased, causing ill health to people and considerable property damage. The committee received letters such as this one from a Tampa, Florida physician who had treated a “young lady” who had been…

Shortly after introducing S. 306, Robert F. Wagner, Mayor of New York, wrote Senator Muskie to express his support for S. 306. The mayor noted that New York City’s efforts to improve air quality were frequently undercut by surrounding municipalities…

On January 12, 1965, Carl D. Perkins (D-KY), chair of the General Education Subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and Labor, introduced H.R. 2362, an administration backed education bill. It specified a federal funding formula based on…

When H.R. 6675 reached the Senate, the risk to the bill came from liberals eager to expand coverage by adding amendments to the bill. One such amendment added to the bill by the Senate Finance Committee shifted coverage of specialized medical…

S. 4 was referred to the House Committee on Public Works, which reported an amended bill on March 31, 1965. The most important amendment dropped the Senate provision authorizing the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to set water quality…

In his State of the Union address, President Lyndon B. Johnson called for an expanded conservation program as part of his vision of the Great Society, and on February 8, 1965, he delivered this Natural Beauty Message declaring that “Every major river…

On July 9, 1965, the House rejected the Republican substitute bill, H.R. 7896, by a vote of 166 to 215. The House then considered fourteen amendments to H.R. 6400, but only passed three that made no consequential changes to the bill. The House…