Washington, D.C.– Legislation introduced by Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva to improve the Udall Foundation, while also honoring one of the great public servant and conservationist of the era, Stewart L. Udall, passed the U.S. House of Representatives today.
This legislation, H.R. 1035, will supply more resources for operations, and rename the agency the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, in recognition of the Interior Secretary’s historic contributions.
Stewart L. Udall was Secretary of the Interior under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and author of the best-selling book on environmental attitudes in the U.S., The Quiet Crisis (1963). As Secretary of Interior, Stewart Udall had an unmatched record of environmental leadership, overseeing the creation of 4 national parks, 6 national monuments, 8 national seashores and lakeshores, 9 recreation areas, 20 historic sites, and 56 wildlife refuges. He continued to make substantial contributions to environmental and Native American policy as a lawyer and author following his tenure at Interior.
“I am very happy that the House has passed this important piece of legislation,” said Grijalva. “It is important that Stewart Udall’s accomplishments continue to be honored in this way. Stewart Udall served in this House of Congress with distinction from 1955, representing an area that included what is now my district, until he was appointed Secretary of the Interior in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. Throughout his career, he pioneered conservationist’s attitudes. He created awareness in the country about the importance of protecting and preserving the environment.”
Established in 1992, The Morris K. Udall Foundation is an independent federal agency based in Tucson, Arizona, which operates exceptional educational programs focused on developing leadership on environmental and Native American issues. It also includes the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, the only program within the federal government focused entirely on preventing, managing and resolving federal environmental conflicts.
Representatives Nick Rahall (WV), Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, Ed Pastor, Harry Mitchell, Gabrielle Giffords, and Ann Kirkpatrick are original co-sponsors of the legislation.