Charles C. Mann Quote

Two years after winning the divisive 1968 election, President Richard Nixon, a Republican, declared that the environment, the great question of the ’70s, was a cause beyond party and beyond factions. The Clean Air Act of that year, which set up U.S. emissions regulations, was one of the world’s first general air-quality laws, more stringent and comprehensive than any of its predecessors. Congress passed it overwhelmingly: 73–0 in the Senate, 374–1 in the House of Representatives. Business generally endorsed the legislation; the smog blanketing U.S. cities was obviously harmful and obviously in need of control.

Charles C. Mann

Two years after winning the divisive 1968 election, President Richard Nixon, a Republican, declared that the environment, the great question of the ’70s, was a cause beyond party and beyond factions. The Clean Air Act of that year, which set up U.S. emissions regulations, was one of the world’s first general air-quality laws, more stringent and comprehensive than any of its predecessors. Congress passed it overwhelmingly: 73–0 in the Senate, 374–1 in the House of Representatives. Business generally endorsed the legislation; the smog blanketing U.S. cities was obviously harmful and obviously in need of control.

Related Quotes

About Charles C. Mann

Charles C. Mann (born 1955) is an American journalist and author, specializing in scientific topics. In 2006 his book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus won the National Academies Communication Award for best book of the year. He is the co-author of four books, and contributing editor for Science, The Atlantic Monthly, and Wired.