IN SR0021

President Barack Obama awarded William Ruckelshaus the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 24, 2015, for his significant contributions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Ruckelshaus served as the first EPA Administrator for two and a half years beginning in 1970 and returned to the position in 1983 for two years.

During his EPA tenure, Ruckelshaus established the agency's foundation by hiring leaders, defining its mission, and setting organizational structure; upon his return, he revived the agency and restored its public esteem.

Indiana-born Ruckelshaus graduated from Princeton cum laude and Harvard Law School in 1960, served two years in the U.S. Army, and helped draft the 1961 Indiana Air Pollution Control Act.

The Indiana Senate honors Ruckelshaus for his National Medal of Freedom achievement, and the Senate Secretary is directed to transmit a copy of this resolution to him.