EESI Co-Founder and Former U.S. Representative Richard L. Ottinger Reflects on Congress and Climate Change | Article

Ahead of Earth Day 2021, the EESI team caught up with EESI co-founder and former U.S. Representative Richard L. Ottinger. He was one of the first environmentalists in Congress and is still passionate about his work on climate change solutions, including through his service as EESI's Board Chair Emeritus.

Ottinger served in Congress from 1965-1971 and again from 1975-1985, representing Westchester County, New York. He was originally inspired to run for federal office because of the pollution in the Hudson River.

“The Hudson River fishery was virtually extinct because of lack of attention to pollution in the river,” Ottinger explained. “My Congressional district ran along the river, so it was an important issue from the suburbs to Yonkers. When I got to Congress, I wrote legislation to establish an interstate commission to address pollution in the Hudson, and, in my first year we got that legislation passed.”

As a leader on environmental issues, Ottinger was appointed to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and served as the chair of the Energy, Conservation, and Power subcommittee for his final six years in Congress. He chaired many key hearings on climate, energy, and environmental topics, including his first subcommittee hearing, which focused on the promise of energy efficiency. It featured national clean energy leaders Amory Lovins, physicist and co-founder of RMI; Art Rosenfeld, widely known as the ‘godfather of energy efficiency;’ and David Freeman, who worked at the Ford Foundation and had just authored a seminal report on the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency. Ottinger emphasized that these Congressional hearings were pivotal in bringing attention to the environmental challenges facing the country.

Today, Congress’s work to address the climate crisis is more important than ever. “It can be done, but the task is also overwhelming,” said Ottinger. “We need to change the whole world’s reliance on fossil fuels.” According to Ottinger, we cannot just focus on these issues on Earth Day; this work is critical all year round.

Ottinger explained that there is nuance to designing policy to take on this challenge.

“For example, with vehicles, there is a push to electrify everything. But the turnover of cars is slow and we don’t have a lot of time. So, many different measures need to be taken. Congress needs to create incentives for people to turn in their gas guzzlers for electric vehicles.”

But it is not just about phasing out fossil fuels in the United States; it is also imperative to work internationally to set more ambitious goals, rethink agricultural systems, and ensure all the work is happening in an equitable way that does not leave people and communities without livelihoods. Ottinger also cited the importance of equity considerations in designing effective and just policies, noting that most coal plants (and jobs) are located in low-income communities.

Ottinger and his Congressional colleagues at the time—including Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.), Rep. Morris Udall (D-Ariz.), Rep. Gilbert Gude (R-Md.), and Rep. John Seiberling (D-Ohio)—founded the Environmental Study Group, one of the first issue caucuses on Capitol Hill. Close to four decades ago, in 1984, the Study Group evolved into EESI, an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit. Today, Ottinger says, “EESI has exceeded my hopes for being a leader and provider of critical information and solving the most important issues that face the world.”

Asked if he is hopeful about the future, he replied that he is heartened by the actions of today’s youth, and that he has his fingers crossed.