Environmental Defense Collection
Manuscript Collection 232

Record Group 2:  New York Office

The New York office consists of records from the East Setauket and Manhattan offices.  There are five sub-groups:

Sub-group I: Governing Committees
Records dealing with executive functions and the origins of the organization.

Sub-group II: Administrators
Recordscreated bythe executive director and associate directors

Sub-group III.1: Public Information & Communication
Contains information about ED’s activities and environmental problems to increase awareness and encourage engagement in solving environmental problems. Also contains inter-office bulletins.

Sub-group III.2: Fundraising
Contains information regarding fundraising through grants and membership initiatives.

Sub-group IV: Program Files: Research & Dissemination
EDF divided its efforts into programs areas, each focused on a different concern with its own team of experts. Sub-group IV collects monographs, government documents and manuscripts, as well as comments and testimony from EDF’s scientists, economists and lawyers. Sub-group IV is sub-divided by program area: Environmental Health, Land and Water Resources, Energy, Urban Issues and Wildlife.

Sub-group V: Program Files: Legal Papers
Represents the legal arm of the program areas. It contains litigation filings, administrative hearing testimony and casebooks.  

Descriptions

Sub-group I: Governing Committees/Organizational Materials
Arrangement: Divided into four series.

Series 1 Board of Trustees, 1967-74 [1.5 linear ft.]
Arrangement: sub-divided into memoranda, minutes, and organizational documents. The Board of Trustees determines objectives and policies that steer the entire organization. This series is composed of memoranda to trustees, memoranda received, and meeting minutes from the formative years of EDF.

Series 2 Executive Committee, 1969-78 [1.41 linear ft.]
Arrangement: Chronological. The function of the Executive Committee is to search for and supervise executive officers to ensure policies and objectives are implemented.  Contained herein are the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings.

Series 3 Litigation Review Committee, 1979-81 [5 inches]
Arrangement: Chronological. The function of the Litigation Review Committee is the evaluation and discussion of potential litigation. Contained in the series are case approval and procedural memoranda. Discussion participants include the General Counsel, program chairpersons, and other lawyers on staff.

Sub-group II: Administrators

Sub-group II.1 Executive Directors
Arrangement: Divided into four series

Series 1 Roderick Cameron, 1972-74 [1 linear foot]
Arrangement: Sub-divided:
Correspondence and memoranda
Comments and testimony of EDF
Speeches
Media clippings

Copies of memoranda from the regional counsels of the Colorado, California and Washington offices; copies of memoranda regarding the activities of EDF’s programs such as energy, water resources, toxics and transportation; comments on Federal government regulations and projects published in the Federal register; testimony before senate committee, comments on proposed guidelines and standards on issues such as toxic chemicals, utilities, noise and water quality. 

Series 2 Arlie Schardt 1974-1978 [5 inches]
Arrangement: Sub-divided into biography, correspondence, media and manuscripts. The material is just a glimpse of Mr. Schardt’s fundraising concerns, as well as relocation activities when the headquarters moved to NYC.

Series 3 Janet W. Brown 1981-84 [7 inches]
Arrangement: Sub-divided into correspondence and program files. Ms. Brown kept copies of testimony and memoranda dealing with the projects and campaigns of EDF’s programs. Among the issues touched upon are: energy conservation, land use policy, hazardous waste and wildlife conservation.

Series 4 Fredrick Krupp [Reserved]
 
Sub-group II.2 Associate Directors

Series 1 Robert Joseph Pierpoint, 1974-78 [2 inches]
Arrangement: Sub-divided into correspondence, memoranda, meetings. Mr. Pierpoint served as Chairman of Program Support, which coordinated fundraising activities, as well as interim Executive Director and Associate Director. Correspondence related to Mr. Pierpoint’s activities as Associate Director and Acting Executive Director; Memoranda discussing the selection of trustees and the next executive director; Minutes from retreat meetings detailing the programming challenges and successes.

Sub-group III: Department Files

SG III.1 Public Information and Communication - contains information about EDF's activities and environmental problems to increase awareness and encourage engagement in solving environmental problems. Also contains inter-office bulletins.

Sub-group III.1 Public Information/Communications
Arrangement: Divided into 6 series

Series 1 Annual Reports, 1971-72; 1975-79; 2001-2003 [2 inches]
Arrangement: Chronological. Annual reports describe the achievements and fiscal health of the organization.

Series 2 Advertising and Press, 1970-75 [2 inches]
The early print ads focused on EDF’s concern with the effect of toxics on human health.

Series 3 Newsletters, 1970-2000 [3 inches + cataloged materials]
Arrangement: Chronological. EDF Letter was sent to EDF members as an update of current litigation and agency policies
ORV Letter focuses more specifically on the effect of off-road vehicles on natural resources

Series 4 Inter-office bulletins, 1972-77 [5 inches]
Arrangement: By originating office; chronological. The bulletins documented program activities for the benefit of the other offices

Series 5 Environmental Defense Books & Pamphlets [5 inches + cataloged material]
The books and pamphlets series collects the publications aimed at providing useful information for the general public. Reports created from projects will be found under the appropriate sub-group.

SG III.2 Fundraising - contains information regarding fundraising through grants and membership initiatives.

Sub-group III.2 Financial Resources

Series 1 Administration, 1974-78 [1 linear ft.]
Arrangement: By format; chronological. A portion of office files of Robert Joseph Pierpoint contains correspondence, and foundation chronological files, including proposal for grants.

Series 2 Membership, 1971-76 [1 linear ft.]
A sample of soliticitation brochures arranged chronologically; correspondence on planning and exhibiting the educational films "Planning for Floods" and "Last Days of the Dolphin." 

SG IV Program Files: Research and Dissemination - EDF divided its efforts into program areas, each focused on a different concern with its own team of experts. SG IV contains monographs, government documents, and manuscripts, as well as comments and testimony from EDF's scientists, economists, and lawyers. SG IV is subdivided by program area: Environmental Health, Land and Water Resources, Energy, Urban Issues, and Wildlife.

Arrangement: divided into sub-groups according to program focus.

Sub-group IV.1 Environmental Health/Toxics

Series 1 Administration, 1981 [5 inches]
The administration series contains correspondence and a grant proposal for a Love Canal project.

Series 2 Project Files, 1970-71 [2 linear ft.]
Arrangement: Chronological. This series contains research collections of clippings, correspondence, and articles on mirex, pesticides and parathion.

Series 3 Public Statements/Texts[2 inches]
This series contains comments and reports by the program staff. The majority of the writing focuses on the safety of drinking water.

Sub-group IV.2 Land and Water Issues
Arrangement: Divided into three series.

Series 1 Administration, 1978 [7 inches]
Arrangement: Chronological. In-coming and outgoing memoranda of James T.B. Tripp, Chairperson of the Land and Water Program, concerning possible litigation, funding issues, progress reports, and program goals. Also in the series are program proposals on farmland preservation, land use and coastal zone management.

Series 2 Land Projects, 1974-78 [4.17 linear ft.]
Arrangement: Chronological by year of EDF’s initial involvement. Collected research by staff scientists, economists and interns supported the efforts of the EDF litigation team.

Series 3 Water Projects, 1979-82 [12.76 linear ft.]
Arrangement: Chronological by year of ED involvement. Collection of research documents; the highlights include wastewater discharge issues on Long Island including the Southwest Sewer District No. 2, Water Quality Management in the NY area, and coal slurry transport.

Series 4 Environmental Impact Statements, 1971-83 [34.17 linear ft.]
Arrangement: By state; chronological. Impact statements on reservoir projects, wastewater treatment facilities, diversion projects and other similar projects impacting land and water resources.

Series 5 Public Statements / Texts, 1971-72, 1979 [2 inches]
Arrangement: Divided into comments and testimony. The comments and statements were delivered by program team members to governmental and regulatory bodies.

Sub-group IV.3 Energy Files

Series 1 Administration, 1974-78 [10 inches]
Ernst Habicht served as the chairperson of the Energy program.  Collected here are memoranda to the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, and comments intended for print and presentation on issues such as power projects, conservation and the U.S. energy policy

Series 2 Energy Projects, 1972-83 [9.2 linear ft.]
The focus of the energy program as found in the records was rate regulation for electricity and gas, and energy conservation; meeting records pertaining to the National Coal Policy project; media and impact statements relating to the North Central Power Project. Also collected are government documents, media, and manuscript regarding nuclear power plants, solar energy, and the Great Plains gasification project. The documents collected here may have served as basis for litigation, or public testimony.

Series 3 Environmental impact statements, 1972-84 [12 linear ft.]
Arrangement: By state, chronological. A collection of impact statements on energy related projects such as coal conversion & power plants

Series 4 Public Statements / Texts, 1974-83 [2 inches]
Arrangement: Divided into comments and testimony. The energy team submitted comments and delivered related to energy conservation, air quality and power plants.

Sub-group IV.4 Urban Environment

Series 1 Administration [Reserved]

Series 2 Transportation Projects, 1978-82 [2 linear ft]
Arrangement: chronological

Includes truck size and weight studies, highway cost allocation plan and studies, government positions on emissions standards and transportation policy and reports of EDF’s transportation committee on truck size and weight.

Sub-group IV.5 Wildlife

Series 1 Administration [Reserved]

Series 2 Projects, 1970-73 [7 inches]
The whale conservation campaign focused on the work of Scott McKay, who served the chairperson on EDF’s Committee on the Conservation of Whales. Correspondence, McKay’s speeches, and International Conference Reports form the collection. Please see the California office files for more information on endangered species.

Sub-group IV.6 Alliances

Series 1 Administration [Reserved]

Series 2 Projects, 1979-82 [7 inches]
The series consists of correspondence, meeting minutes and symposium papers of the Coastal Alliance. The alliance was a union of several environmental people who banded together to discuss coastal zone management.

SG V Program Files: Legal Papers - SG V represents the legal arm of the program areas. It contains litigation filings, administration hearing testimony, and casebooks.

Sub-group V: Legal Papers
Arrangement: Divided into two series: Litigation Files and Casebooks.

Series 1 Litigation Files 1966-1983, [126.7 linear ft.]
Arrangement: Alphabetical by project name or environmental issue. EDF used the courtroom as an arena to promote the wise use of resources through litigation and scientific testimony.  The Litigation Series consists of court documents, correspondence, and accompanying background research to cases of which EDF was a party, an amicus curiae, or intervenor. Topics include energy rate design and conservation; wildlife; land and water preservation; toxic chemicals and air quality.

Note: Under the term “pleadings” the following formats occur: motion, answer, stipulation, memoranda, petition and complaint.  Briefs, transcripts of testimony, depositions and affidavits are filed separately and follow the pleadings file unit.

Series 2: Casebooks, 1973-78, missing 1975 [3 inches]
Arrangement: Chronological. A bound compilation of the year’s litigation.