Humphreys, George

INTRODUCTION

George Humphreys joined the Domestic Council as associate director for environment in August 1975 and served in that post until the end of the Ford administration. A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Humphreys held posts as Assistant Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and President and Director of the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation before his appointment to the Domestic Council.

The position of Associate Director for Environment was created in a reorganization of the Domestic Council in May 1975. Before the reorganization, overall responsibility for environmental affairs was held by Michael Raoul‑Duval, Associate Director for Natural Resources. Assistant Directors Norman E. Ross and Glenn R. Schleede worked with Duval. Their areas of concern included environment, energy, transportation, and agriculture and covered such issues as strip mining, automobile emissions, Corps of Engineers projects, oceans policy, the Alaska pipeline, water resources, and air quality. Many of the active issues had a close association with energy problems. In the course of the reorganization, Duval became associate director for energy and transportation with his environmental responsibilities assigned to Douglas Costle who served very briefly as Associate Director for Environment in May and June. Glenn Schleede's duties were made more specific with regard to energy (particularly nuclear energy) and scientific issues. Norman Ross, who had handled many of the environmental issues under Duval, resigned from the Domestic Council in June. When he left, Ross turned his files over to Tod Hullin, Associate Director for Housing and Community Affairs, but there is no evidence that Hullin pursued any environmental issues. In fact for a brief period in July and August, no one seems to have been actively involved in environmental affairs.

Humphreys worked principally with the Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Council on Environmental Quality, Commerce Department, and Agriculture Department to acquire information for formulation of policy, interdepartmental task forces, legislation, messages to Congress, and programs of interest to the public, states, and local governments. He drafted statements and questions and answers for the President, prepared decision and information memoranda for the President and other Domestic Council staff, and responded to letters and inquiries from the public. Humphreys continued to monitor many of the environmental issues that were of concern to Duval and Ross.

His papers reflect a particular concern with pollution and include files on beverage containers, radioactive waste management, the clean air act, sewage and waste water treatment plants, PBB's, PCB's, and toxic substances. Ocean policy was also an issue of concern as evidenced by files on the Law of the Sea Conference, the tuna/porpoise situation, the 200 mile limit fishing boundary, outer continental shelf leasing policy, and a large file on ocean policy. Humphreys also dealt with problems concerning the effect of energy policy on the environment, i.e. the Alaska pipeline, strip mining, and the Seabrook nuclear power plant in New Hampshire.

In addition to these problems which were also of concern of Duval and Ross, Humphreys seems to have devoted considerable time to issues concerning wildlife, parks and recreation, and land use. There is extensive material on the issue of predator control, including proposals to amend or cancel President Nixon's executive order banning the use of poisons against coyotes, and on Alaskan wolves, polar bears, fur seals, and the Wild Horses Organized Assistance. Numerous files on such topics as wilderness proposals, national parks proposals, national parks mining, land use, coal leasing program, and grazing fees illustrate some of the issues. Other files are on existing or proposed parks such as Redwood National Park, Hells Canyon Recreation Area, and the Indiana Dunes.

The files include background information, reports, studies, issue and option papers, suggested regulations and legislation, executive orders, environmental impact statements, drafts of presidential speeches, questions and answers on environmental issues, and correspondence from interested private concerns as well as departments and agencies within the government. Some of the materials date to the Nixon Administration.

Related Materials (1980):

Related materials may be found in the Domestic Council files of Michael Raoul‑Duval, Norman E. Ross, and Glenn R. Schleede.

Series Descriptions

1‑2 Commerce Department Subject File, 1975-77. (0.8 linear feet)

Correspondence, speeches, reports, memoranda, briefing papers, and decision papers on topics of concern to the Commerce Department. These include, in particular, matters relating to ocean policy and climate control. Tuna/Porpoise fishing, the 200 mile fishing limit, law of the sea conference, climate change hearing, and the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration are among the topics. Related material on oceans policy is located in the General Subject File. Related material on climate control is located in the Domestic Council Subject File.