EDF mourns the loss of environmental champion Russell Train

“I was saddened to hear of the passing of Russ Train, a remarkable figure in America’s environmental history. The first chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and a great administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under Presidents Nixon and Ford, Russ was an original architect of the environmental protections we enjoy today, and deserving of the thanks and gratitude of his fellow citizens. Generations who may not know his name have lived healthier and better lives because of his extraordinary commitment to our environment.
 
“After his government service, Russ joined the World Wildlife Fund and helped build it into a powerful force for conservation. The afternoon I met Russ, in the fall on 1984, he told me that WWF’s efforts had expanded tenfold in his tenure there. He quickly told me I could do the same at EDF, and for years after, in every conversation we had, he would ask about EDF’s progress towards that goal. His graceful challenge and boundless optimism will remain a source of inspiration for me.
 
“Because of Russ Train, the air is cleaner, the water safer, and the world is genuinely a better place. He stood for the proposition that improving our air, water and land was not a partisan concern, but a human one.  His advocacy and public service will be deeply missed.”

           — Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund President