Volume 151, No. 155 covering the 1st Session of the 109th Congress (2005 - 2006) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“PAYING TRIBUTE TO JOHN H. ADAMS” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2455-E2456 on Dec. 6, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PAYING TRIBUTE TO JOHN H. ADAMS
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HON. MAURICE D. HINCHEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John H. Adams, a longtime resident of the Hudson River Valley in New York State, whose tremendous vision and distinguished career in environmental protection have left a significant and lasting legacy for our entire nation. I am very pleased to recognize and pay tribute to Mr. Adams as he celebrates his retirement from the position of president of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) after more than thirty-five years of dedicated leadership of the organization.
John Adams co-founded NRDC in 1970 as an organization of public interest lawyers focused on the development and enforcement of emerging environmental laws. As its Executive Director from 1970-1998, Mr. Adams built an effective and influential non-profit organization of lawyers and scientists, which is today supported by a national membership of more than one million people. As president of NRDC since October 1998, Mr. Adams has advised policy makers and members of industry on the growing importance of protecting and conserving our nation's natural resources for future generations.
Mr. Adams grew up on a farm in the Catskills of New York State. He earned a B.A. in History from Michigan State University in 1959, followed by a law degree from Duke University in 1962. Mr. Adams returned to New York after graduating from law school and, several years later, worked as the Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, during which time he met and worked with a number of people who inspired him to enter public interest law.
With the unflinching and invaluable support of his wife Patricia, Mr. Adams established NRDC and became the organization's first employee. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Adams and NRDC's lawyers took on their first environmental case: preventing the construction of the Storm King Mountain pumped storage facility. This historic environmental battle, which eventually succeeded in protecting one of the most recognizable natural features in the Hudson Valley, has been viewed by many as the birth of the modern environmental movement, establishing important legal precedents and inspiring similar citizen efforts throughout the country.
Mr. Adams joined the adjunct faculty of New York University's School of Law in 1972 where he taught Clinical Environmental Law for 26 years. A year later, Mr. Adams reconstituted the defunct Open Space Institute
(OSI), a conservancy devoted to the protection of open space, and has served as Chairman of the Board since this time, during which OSI has purchased or protected thousands of acres of land in the Hudson Valley, the Adirondacks, and the Catskills. One of the organization's most notable successes was its pivotal role in purchasing Sterling Forest, an area now consisting of more than 20,000 protected acres between New York and New Jersey, made possible through an historic partnership between the federal government, two states and numerous private organizations.
Mr. Adams serves on the boards of the League of Conservation Voters, Woods Hole Research Center, Center for American Progress and Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. In 1999, he completed his membership on the President's Council on Sustainable Development and his participation in Environmental Protection Agency's Common Sense Initiative. Mr. Adams has received many notable honors and environmental awards including: One World One Child Lifetime Achievement Award (2005); NRDC's Forces For Nature Award
(2005); the Wilderness Society's Robert Marshall Award (2005); the Natural Resources Council of America's Award of Honor (2001); the Green Cross Millennium Award for Individual Environmental Leadership (2000); the Judge Lumbard Cup for public service from the United States Attorney's Southern District of New York; the National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation (1999); and the Francis K. Hutchinson Conservation Award from the Garden Club of America (1990). In 1998, Mr. Adams was named one of the National Audubon's 100 Champions of Conservation. In 1997, he received the Environmental Careers Organization's 25th Anniversary Award. In 1991, he received Duke University's Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 1992, Duke University Law School's Charles J. Murphy Award. Mr. Adams was also the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Laws from Duke University and Knox College and an honorary doctorate from Cedar Crest College.
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to congratulate and honor John Adams on the occasion of his retirement as president of NRDC after his many years of hard work and committed service on behalf of the Hudson River Valley and our entire nation. I offer my deep appreciation and thanks for the outstanding leadership that John has provided over his impressive career in protecting this country's natural resources, fighting for the health of our communities and forging a more rationale and sustainable future. Though he is retiring as NRDC's president, I am grateful that he will remain involved in as the organization's founding director so that the environmental movement can continue to benefit from his wisdom and experience. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my very best wishes for the future to John, Patricia and their family as they celebrate this important milestone.
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