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Dozens of politicians seized upon Earth Day as a new—and safe—issue. Both New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and New Jersey Governor William Cahill created state environment departments. The Massachusetts legislature passed a constitutional amendment establishing an Environmental Bill of Rights. Both houses of Congress recessed so that members could participate in Earth Day. Wisconsin's Senator Gaylord Nelson, who originated the idea of Earth Day, spoke at nine campuses from Harvard to Berkeley.
President Nixon relayed his sympathies for the environmental cause through an aide, but otherwise did not participate, perhaps in apprehension that Earth Day might turn into a confrontation. Besides, Denis Hayes, national coordinator of the Environmental Teach-in, had suggested that Earth Day should "bypass the traditional political process." Interior Secretary Walter Hickel, in a display of candor if not superior timing, told an Alaska Earth Day audience that a controversial 800-mile hot oil pipeline will be built from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, despite concern that it will endanger fragile tundra along the way. The Administration holds that it has already established a strong ecological program, but the Commerce Department chose Earth Day to announce the granting of a permit for Hawaiian Independent Refining Inc. to build a 29,500-barrel-a-day oil refinery on 120 acres near Honolulu.
Business Response. Businesses used Earth Day to pledge their concern and plans for reform. Continental Oil Co. introduced four new "cleaner-air" gasolines for its Rocky Mountain marketing area. The Scott Paper Co. came forth with a $36 million project to control pollution at one of its plants. Sun Oil Co. announced a program to develop throw-away containers that can be easily destroyed. Beer companies and bottlers took full-page ads beseeching their customers not to scatter empty cans across the countryside.
But there is no pleasing some people: many ecologists and Earth Day organizers fear that such gestures will destroy a necessary adversary relationship. Says Fred Kent, coordinator for New York's Environmental Action Coalition: "It is irresponsible for business to say that they support us. They are just trying to co-opt us." The apparent unanimity on the issue of environment disturbs many who fear that genuine progress will be lost amid a flurry of superficial reforms.
The environment's future depends in part upon whether the public sentiment mobilized last week will endure to force change, whether Americans will sustain their interest in the longer and duller tasks of cleaning up the land. Says George Wiley, director of the National Welfare Rights Association: "I hope this movement is not a fad, but the signs are not encouraging." Still, there are a few hopeful signs. A Harris poll published last week indicated that Americans, by a margin of 54% to 34%, are willing to pay more taxes to finance air-and water-pollution control. Three years ago, the public opposed such extra taxes by 46% to 44%.
It is also encouraging that the swelling ecological movements seem to be progressing rather quickly from rhetoric to specific regional and local programs. Earth Day brought together 4,000 diverse ecology groups.