PAUL TSONGAS AND THE BATTLES OVER ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, 1974-1980 By DANE MORRIS NETHERTON A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY Department of History MAY 2004 © Copyright by DANE MORRIS NETHERTON, 2004 All Rights Reserved ii To the Faculty of Washington State University: The members of the Committee appointed to examine the dissertation of DANE MORRIS NETHERTON find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted. _____________________________ Chair _____________________________ _____________________________ iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Probably nobody deserves more thanks than the subject of this dissertation. Like the people I interviewed for this project, I was inspired by Paul Tsongas. In this jaded, cynical era, he showed that honest, capable, highly intelligent people participate in politics at the highest levels. I feel very fortunate to have spent this time studying his life and work. I also feel fortunate to have interviewed some of his staff and associates. Tsongas seemed to draw intelligent, driven, committed people to work for and with him. Richard Arenberg, Patrick D’Addario, Fred Faust, Roy F. Jones, Robert Pratt, and Mitch Tyson each gave me valuable insights into the political process and into Tsongas. They made my work much easier and pleasant as well. My dissertation committee was supportive throughout this project, working with me through tight deadlines to see it through to completion. Professors LeRoy Ashby, Susan Armitage, and Noriko Kawamura all provided me with inspiration, valuable mentoring, and an exceptional grounding in the profession. I'd like to thank professor Ashby in particular, who provided valuable guidance and was willing to work with me on this project despite the technical challenges involved. In spring 1994, two of Professor Ashby’s U.S. history courses convinced me that I had made the right decision to quit my day job. Several people helped me find my bearings in Lowell’s past, an alien landscape to a suburban Californian. In particular, I'd like to thank Martha Mayo, the Director of the iv University of Massachusetts Lowell's Center for Lowell History, who pointed me toward the extensive Tsongas Collection in April 2002. She also provided excellence guidance throughout this project, not only with the Tsongas Collection but with related materials available at the Center and elsewhere. Mehmed Ali, the Mogan Center's cultural coordinator was also very helpful. A number of oral history interviews he prepared for other projects were invaluable in the preparation of this manuscript and showed me that I had a lot to learn about interviewing. I'd also like to Gray Fitzsimons, Lowell National Historical Park Historian, for his help in this project. He provided me with a manuscript devoted to the Park’s development as well as advice and encouragement. This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of my employer, the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Office of University Advancement. Executive Director Matthew K. Eynon truly values education and professional development and encourages his staff to build their skills and use their talents. He has supported me and this project in a variety of ways throughout the last two years. I would particularly like to thank my direct supervisor Patricia Kelleher, who has put up with my odd schedule for the last six months and John Davis, who provided valuable assistance and advice, particularly for the oral history interview process. Everyone on the Advancement staff made me feel that this was a valuable project and that they were pulling for me. They have been supportive, encouraging, and understanding while I have been distracted by other work. My wife, Diana Archibald, was more than just indispensable. She discussed several parts of the dissertation with me at length and helped to edit several drafts. She supplied me with encouragement at several critical junctures. She has patiently taught me to write well and effectively over the course of two decades. She believed that I could do well in graduate v school and encouraged me to apply. More than anyone else, she understood the reasons that I had to finish this project, even before I did. By no means least, Diana helped to provide me with the endless free time needed to complete this project. A junior faculty member working towards tenure, Diana somehow managed to hold our home together while assuming primary care of our son throughout the duration of this project. I hope to spend much of my free time in the coming months finding ways to repay some portion of the great debt I owe her. Finally, I would like to thank Turner Archibald Netherton, my patient and understanding son. Without knowing it, Turner continuously reminded me of the importance of research driven by curiosity and passion. vi PAUL TSONGAS AND THE BATTLES OVER ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, 1974-1980 Abstract by Dane Morris Netherton, Ph.D. Washington State University May 2004 Chair: LeRoy Ashby This dissertation examines the political career of Paul Tsongas of Lowell, Massachusetts, from 1974 to 1980, with particular attention to his efforts to reconcile regional, environmental, and economic interests during his two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and his first two years in the U.S. Senate. The national debates over energy policy during the late 1970s present an essential context for understanding Tsongas’s lasting place in American political history. The energy crisis created a divisive legislative battleground during the late 1970s, forming the backdrop of Tsongas’s first congressional election in 1974 and his two terms as U.S. Representative. Tsongas played an active part in congressional consideration of energy issues through his seat in the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, his participation in the Ad Hoc Committee (created to shepherd President Jimmy Carter’s National Energy Plan through the House of Representatives), and his efforts to locate a Solar Energy Research Center in Massachusetts. Energy issues also formed a backdrop to Tsongas’s other accomplishments as a Representative: his key role in the creation of the Lowell National Historical Park, the economic revitalization of Greater Lowell, and the first vii congressional hearings to examine the contribution of carbon dioxide to global warming. Throughout his career, he worked to promote a rational and responsible regional energy policy for Massachusetts and New England. In his first two years in the Senate, energy issues were intimately connected to Tsongas’s role in the Chrysler Bailout bill, the Solar Energy and Energy Conservation Bank Act of 1980, and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Notably, he also worked hard to push President Carter towards a renewed effort to deal with energy problems. This dissertation draws upon the extensive primary sources available in the Tsongas Collections at The University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Center for Lowell History as well as interviews with Tsongas’s aides. It also makes use of newspaper accounts, the Congressional Record, Tsongas’s published works, and a variety of secondary sources. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................................vi INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................1 1. TSONGAS FOR CONGRESS, 1974: THE CANDID CAMPAIGN ...............9 2. THE ECONOMIC ROOTS OF AN ENERGY AGENDA.............................57 3. BALANCING ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND REGIONAL INTERESTS................................................................................................................99 4. THE CONSERVATION BATTLES OF 1979 ..................................................153 5. ALASKA HOSTAGES: PAUL TSONGAS AND THE ALASKA NATIONAL INTEREST LANDS CONSERVATION ACT OF 1980 .......200 EPILOGUE......................................................................................................................................243 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................247 1 INTRODUCTION Paul Efthemios Tsongas was born on February 14, 1941, to Greek immigrants in Lowell, Massachusetts. He worked hard in Lowell’s public schools. Years later, teachers at Lowell High School still remembered his diligence and aptitude. Competitive by nature, he wanted to play sports like other kids. But he had to help out at his father’s dry cleaning service after school, bending wire into hangers, making deliveries, and contributing to the family business. After graduation the money he and the family had saved, supplemented with student loans, allowed him to study at Dartmouth, which offered new opportunities. He devoted much less time and effort to his studies at Dartmouth. However, he did learn to swim—in a required physical education class. He loved swimming because it so rewarded individual effort, and he joined Dartmouth’s intercollegiate swim team, where he discovered that he thrived on competition. An idealist, he joined the Peace Corps after graduation and spent two years teaching English in Wolisso, Ethiopia. A summer internship with a Republican legislator