The Wilderness Society awards Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi its top honor

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today in the nation’s capital, The Wilderness Society will present its highest honor for elected officials and advocates to House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Known as the Ansel Adams Award, the prize recognizes tireless dedication to protecting America’s wild places and meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing planet.

“Over 36 years in Congress and 20 years as the House Democratic Leader and Speaker, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has been a tireless stalwart dedicated to addressing the climate crisis, environmental justice and preserving America’s natural landscapes and ecosystems,” said The Wilderness Society President Jamie Williams. “The clean water our children drink, the fresh air they breathe and the future they inherit will be brighter, thanks to the remarkable and sweeping climate and conservation victories Speaker Emerita Pelosi secured.”

In 2007, when she had been Speaker for less than a year, she oversaw passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act, which improved federal fuel efficiency standards and created the first renewable fuel standards. Two years later, she championed the first major House comprehensive climate legislation to passage on the floor. While the Senate failed to pass a similar bill, it set the stage for enactment years later of the historic bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, both of which made unprecedented investments in clean energy, improving water quality, pollution cleanup and reducing climate emissions.

Speaker Emerita Pelosi also championed the Dingell Conservation act to passage, which created the Every Kid Outdoors Program while also designating 1.3 million acres of wilderness. In addition, she secured House passage of the Great American Outdoors Act which, after years of delay, permanently funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund.

“Ansel Adams captured the magnificent beauty of the American wilderness – and his stunning photography and passion for conservation stirred Americans to preserve our natural wonders,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said.  “It is my privilege to humbly accept the distinguished Ansel Adams award: a reminder of our sacred duty to protect the planet, especially amid our fight against the climate crisis.  Alongside committed advocates like The Wilderness Society, we must – and we will – continue working together For The Children to ensure they have clear air to breathe, clean water to drink and a healthy planet to call home.”

The Ansel Adams Award is named after the renowned nature photographer and conservationist Ansel Adams, who dedicated his life and work to the preservation of national parks and wilderness areas. The annual award recognizes an individual whose work embodies this legacy of conservation and environmental stewardship. The award has been previously given to a number of distinguished recipients, including former President Jimmy Carter, Vice President Al Gore, Secretaries of the Interior Stewart Udall and Ken Salazar, CEQ Chair Katie McGinty, Senators Maria Cantwell and Dianne Feinstein, and Representatives John Lewis and George Miller.

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For more information, contact tony_iallonardo@tws.org.