A Long and Proud Legacy of
Republican Environmental Leadership
An American Heritage
“We can and will give the American land to our children, not impaired, but enhanced. And in doing this, we’ll honor the great and loving God who gave us this land in the first place.”
-President Ronald Reagan
The Republican Legacy
Generations of Effective Environmental Leadership
“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage.” -President Teddy Roosevelt
President George H.W. Bush
In 1990, President H.W. Bush led the charge to curb acid rain, which was damaging the environment and endangering human health. Through a system of pollution pricing (the same core idea at the heart of the Baker-Shultz Carbon Dividends Plan), the Republican-led, market-driven effort accomplished its goals under budget and ahead of schedule.
We’ve done this before, and we can do it again.
President Ronald Reagan
In the 1970-80s, researchers discovered that CFC gases were disrupting the earth’s protective ozone layer and exposing billions of people to cancer-causing UV rays. Left unaddressed, the damage could have been catastrophic. Fortunately, thanks to President Reagan, the US led the world in introducing the Montreal Protocol, which successfully addressed the issue. It is widely considered one of the greatest environmental triumphs of the 20th century.
(Notably, the effort was shepherded by Reagan’s right-hand men, James A. Baker III and George P. Shultz—the same Republican luminaries behind today’s carbon dividends solution.)
We’ve done this before, and we can do it again.
President Richard Nixon
In the 1970s, President Nixon helped pioneer the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, which paved the way for a new chapter of American environmental leadership. Add in the National Environmental Policy, Endangered Species, and Safe Drinking Water Acts, and President Nixon boasts perhaps the most impressive environmental legacy of any president in American history. The Clean Air Act alone is credited with preventing over 400,000 premature deaths and hundreds of millions of cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disease.
We’ve done this before, and we can do it again.
President Teddy Roosevelt
President Teddy Roosevelt’s environmental legacy is the stuff of legend. A lifelong conservationist, Roosevelt created the United States Forest Service and protected over 230 million acres of game reserves, forests, and national parks—including the Grand Canyon. Heralded as “the conservation president,” Teddy Roosevelt’s vision and drive launched a new era of American environmental stewardship.
We’ve done this before, and we can do it again.
“All the major actions in the conservation area have taken [place] under the leadership of Republican presidents…we’ll get back to our tradition. And the College Republicans show how that’s going to happen.”
— George P. Shultz (Secretary of State, President Reagan)
“YCCD draws its strength and inspiration from the generations of Republican leaders that have come before us. We intend to restore the GOP’s proud legacy of environmental stewardship and safeguard the only planet we are blessed to call home.”
—Jaron Caffrey, Chairman of the Kansas Federation of College Republicans