Tcnment to the Congress, recrimnending
lirty-seven point program. He also or-
sd Federal agencies to clean up their
pollution, took important steps to pre
vent oil pollution and clen up any which
occurs, and proposed taxes on leaded gas
oline to reduce air pollution. Truly, 1970
has been the "Year of the Environment," ^
Respite all of these developments, how
ever, there is a growing suspicion among
conservationists and environmentalists
that industries may be gaining a domin
ance where they can play a leading role
in the formulation and implementation of
Administration policies. Here are the rea
sons why 1970 may also become knovm as the;
"Year of the Industrialists":
ITEM: On 28 January, the Administration
announced a delay in imposition of the
grazing fee Increase planned for 1970.
While this "moratorium" was Imposed for
at least one year ostensibly to allow the
Secretaries of Agriculture and the Inter
ior to study recommendations of the Public
Land Law Review Commission, pressures from'
Western livestock interests were instru
mental in the decision. Actually, the
practice of grazing of privately-owned
livestock on Federal ranges has been '
"'studied to death" and, before the mora
torium, tho fees were found to be so low
as to constitute a subsidy for a tiny seg
ment of the livestock Industry, The graz
ing fee increases were programmed to reach
full market value in ten years. Now, the
livestock interests are working either to
get the moratorium extended or the fee in
creases reduced. Due to these pressures
over many years, public lands have been
badly damaged through overgrazing.
ITEM: Cn 9 April, the President an
nounced the establishment, by Executive
Order, of a National Industrial Pollution
Control Council composed of sixty-three
officials of major industries. Including
polluting water and air resources. Then,
the Administration sought $475,000 for op
erations of this well-heeled group, or
nearly one-third of the amount it request
ed for activities of the Council on Envir
onmental Quality which is responsible for
riding herd on all Federal activities, in
cluding those which supervise industries.
Hov; well will the Administrator of the new'
Environmental Protection Agency be able to
crack down on polltiting industries when
they are represented in the Cabinet by the
Secretary of Commerce and he is not?
ITEM: On 19 June, the President ordered
Federal agencies to formulate plans to per
mit Increased production of timber, prob
ably to the detriment of other valid uses
of Federal forests, A Republican leader in
the Congress, Mr. John P. Saylor (Pa,),
described this as a successful end run by
the timber industry to gain by executive
fiat the special advantages they could not
achieve by legislation. In the words of
Mr. Saylor "...conservation, environment,
ecology, that is, the public’s concerns,
are to be subservient to the pressures and
profits of the logging and lumber Industry
ITEM: On 9 September, a writer for the
New York TIMES authored an article attrib
uted to I-Jhite House sources which alleged
that Carl L, Klein, Assistant Secretary of
the Interior for VJater Quality and Re
search, was a principal obstacle to the
enforcement of anti-pollution laws. The
article hinted that Klein was too soft,
truth, Klein probably was too brash and
tough. The condition of Puget Sound in
Washington is an example, A conference,
first step in complicated Federal laX'i en
forcement procedures, was held in 1962 to
initiate a badly-needed cleanup process,
Yhe second session of this conference was
held in 1967, when the polluting miinicl-
palities and industries agreed to a clean
up compliance schedule. However, some of
jthe polluters are not progressing as rap-
In
several polluters. Bert S. Cross, of tho
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company^ are not progressing as r
was named as chairma,n. The 3-M Company Uhn?iTd think they can and
manufactures a product widely used by its Scott P largest plant involved, the
subsidiary. National Advertising Company hoys Company, has been given until
which is generally credited with being tl^eln onrt of ntQ^^^ ^ deadline to clean
bigrest opponent to the removal of bill- wastes sixteen years after
boards in the highway beautification plan ULld be^don^^So^r ^^t
supported by the Department of Transnor- h* i ? done. Klein wanted to call a pub-
tation. Others Included in the star-stud- rearing, second stage in the law en
ded lineup are executives of many of th^
nation's largest lumbering, mining, oil
and manufacturing companies, some of whlchLer'' oSL^^from^unsr^
have .aan uader close Federal