Politics | lists Kennedy a Green Warrior Before His Time By Jane Yager Posted Aug 27, 2009 3:15 AM CDT Copied Ted Kennedy stands with his wife, Victoria, in front of houses inside the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., in this 1992 file photo. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Ted Kennedy was a crusader for environmental protection and energy efficiency long before those causes became fashionable. Climate Progress lists his accomplishments: He eliminated the “oil depletion allowance,” which excluded 22% of oil producer’s revenue from taxes. Kennedy created the 2007 American COMPETES Act, which funds clean energy research. He fought Bush administration efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act and strip the EPA of enforcement staff. The senator boosted funding for mass transit to reduce pollution and congestion. He played a key role in the defeat of a proposal to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. Click the link below for the full list of Kennedy's contributions to environmental protection. Read These Next Defense officials react to Hegseth's Quantico meeting. Colorado wants to give 'peace of mind' on Hunter S. Thompson. Government shutdown is here. Here's what to expect. Turns out life on the California coast isn't always breezy. Report an error