jimmy carter

Peter Dykstra: The greatest retired US government hero

For almost 42 years, he’s never exactly retired.

Jimmy Carter’s one-term presidency is mostly remembered for bad things: Iranian hostages, energy “malaise,” and more.

But in addition to his exemplary post-White House life, Carter’s Oval Office stint was an extremely busy one for environmental politics.

  • The nation’s first acknowledged toxic waste disaster was discovered on his watch in the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York. Carter responded by visiting, and by championing, the well-intended Superfund cleanup program. Superfund languished for years, however, with legal stonewalling thwarting virtually every one of the program’s 1,000+ sites.
  • The Alaska Lands Bill was an instant success, setting aside 222 million pristine acres — the largest chunk of protected land in American history.
  • In 1979, a reactor at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island complex nearly melted down. Carter’s Naval Academy training was in nuclear physics,* which served him well in addressing the near-disaster. But Three Mile Island stopped the nuclear power industry in its tracks.

And Carter became a moderately successful evangelist for energy efficiency, preaching basic common sense on gasoline after an OPEC embargo caused long gas lines and outlandish price hikes to $.90 (!!) a gallon. In July 1979, Carter scolded the nation in what became known as the “malaise” speech, even though the word “malaise” was never used in the speech.

So, on energy and environment, let’s give Carter an “A” for effort and a “C+” for accomplishment.

"Passive" solar symbol

solar panels jimmy carter

In 1979, President Carter unveiled 32 passive solar panels prepared by the new Department of Energy.

Credit: Carter Presidential Library

He was ahead of his time in some ways. In 1979, a year before his rout by Ronald Reagan, he held a news conference on the White House roof.

Carter unveiled 32 passive solar panels prepared by the new Department of Energy. They would circulate sun-heated water into the White House to augment its hot water heaters.

In other words, “passive” meant minimally useful as anything but a symbol. But as a symbol, Carter had a powerful one.

“In the year 2000 this solar water heater behind me will still be here supplying cheap, efficient energy,” he said. “A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people; harnessing the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil.”

How did that work out?

Well, President Reagan quietly had the panels removed shortly after taking office.

And as for that “move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil”— President Biden in Saudi Arabia this very week making nice over oil prices and supplies.

energy jimmy carter

Where did President Carter's solar panels end up? A warehouse outside Washington, DC.

Credit: Carter Presidential Library

Pardon the lack of humility, but here’s where I come in. In 1990, I was wrapping up my hellraising days at Greenpeace.

As President George H.W. Bush waged a strategic oil war against Iraq following its takeover of oil neighbor Kuwait, I wondered about the mysterious disappearance of those 32 solar panels and filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to locate them. I got the kind of quick response that doesn’t often happen anymore under FOIA. The panels were in storage in a vast General Services Administration warehouse outside Washington, DC.

If you’re thinking of the last scene of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” you’d be right. One of the panels was destroyed by a surplus federal desk that had been tossed on top of – and through – it.

Many of the panels ended up at Unity College, a small environmental studies school in Maine. Unity used a rule that allowed educational institutions to claim unused federal property.

Since Jimmy Carter left the White House in 1981, Ronald Reagan’s been the best horse riding ex-Prez; Bush the First, the best skyjumper; Bill Clinton the best near-First Gentleman; Bush II the best brush-clearer; Obama has the best jump shot. And let’s give credit where credit is due: Trump is the best golfing, anti-democracy blowhard.

But as he nears his 98th birthday on October 1, Jimmy Carter is simply the best in so many ways.

*Nuclear Physics training aside, Carter was a member of that eclectic group, along with President G. W. Bush and Homer Simpson, that can’t pronounce “nucular.”

Peter Dykstra is our weekend editor and columnist and can be reached at pdykstra@ehn.org or @pdykstra.

His views do not necessarily represent those of Environmental Health News, The Daily Climate, or publisher Environmental Health Sciences.

US Capitol dome touched by early morning sun with trees and a path in foreground.

Senate moves to gut clean energy tax credits as deal nears

The Senate was close to passing a sweeping GOP bill Tuesday morning that rolls back renewable energy tax credits, adds a new tax on wind and solar, and boosts fossil fuel development.

Amelia Davidson, Timothy Cama, Nico Portuondo, and Garrett Downs report forE&E News.

Keep reading...Show less
Man holding sign that says Not is not the time for business as usual; climate action now.

UN climate talks face growing backlash over corporate influence and stalled action

More than 200 civil society and Indigenous groups have issued a unified call for major reforms to the United Nations’ global climate negotiations, criticizing decades of slow progress and lack of accountability.

Ryan Krugman reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
An ocean wave up close with the tip of a mountain visible on one side of the frame.

Climate scientist warns Earth is approaching tipping points that could reshape the planet

Human-driven warming has pushed multiple Earth systems dangerously close to irreversible tipping points, but social and technological momentum could still steer the planet toward recovery.

Jonathan Watts reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
A large wildfire burning on the hills above a lake flanked by trees.

Extreme heat and wildfires surge across southern Europe as temperatures break records

A punishing heat wave swept across southern Europe this weekend, forcing evacuations in Greece and pushing several countries into emergency wildfire alerts as temperatures soared past 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Giada Zampano reports for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
Feet in sandals stand on stone pavers.

Hotter heat waves are sticking around as the planet keeps warming

A heat dome sent temperatures soaring across the Eastern U.S. last week, part of a growing trend driven by human-caused climate change that’s increasing the frequency and severity of extreme heat events.

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.

Keep reading...Show less
Flood waters rising next to house boats.

Rising seas may erase land, but not national identity, legal experts say

Nations facing submersion from rising seas could retain their legal status and maritime rights under international law, according to a new report from the United Nations’ International Law Commission.

Isabella Kaminski reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Equipment pointing toward the sky to communicate with satellites.

Old satellites vital to hurricane tracking will soon stop transmitting data

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stopped receiving data from key weather satellites on June 30, limiting forecasters’ ability to detect dangerous hurricane intensification in real time.

Rebecca Dzombak reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.