15 Years and Counting — Milestones In CEI History

  • March 9, 1984 — CEI is founded. First offices were in Fred Smith’s kitchen. After the first few months, he’d spent a few thousand dollars, but received far less in contributions, and was real worried. His wife Fran said, “But Fred, that was part of your business plan.” “Yes,” he answered, “but now it’s actually happened.”
  • 1985 — CEI’s staff up to 2-1/2, and CEI moves to its first offices — above a Chinese restaurant across the street from the Heritage Foundation. Around lunchtime, the offices would fill with the pleasant smell of Chinese food. Fred’s lobbying activities often included shouted greetings and conversations from his window office to passing acquaintances on the street below.
  • 1986 — CEI moves to office on Pennsylvania Ave., above Kinko’s Copies, and expands its antitrust program that year with publication of the Washington Antitrust Report. The slogan emblazoned across the top: “Busting Trustbusters Since 1986.”
  • 1986 — Sam Kazman joins CEI as General Counsel, helping launch the free-market legal program. CEI files its first of three suits against CAFE—the new car fuel economy standards. CEI was among the first to argue that CAFE made cars more dangerous due to downsizing, thus threatening consumer safety. Eventually, CEI would win the first and only judicial remand of a CAFE standard when it turned out that NHTSA, an agency whose middle name is safety, was hiding the fact that its CAFE program kills people.
  • In late 1980s, CEI begins its “Death By Regulation” project, doing actual body counts on such fiascos as the FDA’s delay of the biotech drug TPA.
  • In 1989, CEI moves to its third office “above another place,” this time above Sherrill’s Restaurant on Capitol Hill. CEI would occasionally sponsor contests in which lunch at Sherrill’s was the grand prize, perhaps explaining the paucity of entrants.
  • During this time, responding to the growing reach of environmental regulations, CEI expands its work on environmental policy, building the largest free-market environmental policy program in Washington. The term “free-market environmentalism” was, in fact, coined by a CEI scholar.
  • By 1990, CEI’s staff climbs into double-digits.
  • 1990 — The Soviet Union’s cut-off of gas shipments to Lithuania, in an attempt to intimidate that small country’s growing freedom movement, is widely criticized. But only CEI recognizes the importance of this step for “energy conservation,” and awards Soviet leaders its “Less Power to the People” award.
  • Early 1990s. CEI staffers meet regularly with VP Dan Quayle’s Council on Competitiveness staff, providing important information and advice on how to help reduce the regulatory state.
  • 1992 — Environmental Politics: Public Costs, Private Rewards, edited by Michael Greve and CEI President Fred L. Smith, Jr., is published by Praeger.
  • 1992 — In CEI’s “Competitive Enterprise Index,” an annual ranking of congressional votes on economic issues, Al Gore is the lowest ranking senator for the second time in three years. CEI zings Gore for “increased spending, higher taxes, greater regulation, and more political interference in the marketplace.” His score of seven points out of 100 puts him dangerously close to the “0-zone.”
  • June 1992 — Fred Smith treks to Rio de Janeiro to present the free-market side as Rio Earth Summit treaty is signed, marking the start of CEI involvement in international environmental policy.
  • 1993 — CEI moves to the “heart of the beast,” acquiring office space at Connecticut and K streets in downtown Washington. In a bastion of box-shaped office buildings, Fred Smith tries to get a CEI flag planted outside. Neil Armstrong had it easier on the moon.
  • 1993 — Staff nears 20. CEI launches annual Warren Brookes Fellowship in Environmental Journalism. Ronald Bailey is first Brookes fellow.
  • March 1994 — CEI celebrates its 10th Anniversary. CEI’s budget grows by over 100 percent — to $1.9 million from $975,000 the year before. Staff size is at 23.
  • May 1994 — Fred receives response to letter to Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus: “Dear Mr. Smith, one sentence is sufficient. I fully agree with you.”
  • 1995 — The True State of the Planet, a joint project between CEI and Ronald Bailey, is published by The Free Press and hailed in the press. The book goes on to sell 25,000 copies and prompts The Wall Street Journal to label CEI “the best environmental think tank.”
  • 1995 — In the wake of an FDA proposal to regulate cigarettes as nicotine delivery systems, CEI petitions it to regulate coffees and colas as caffeine delivery systems. Some CEI supporters don’t find this funny, as Fred learns in a series of 3:00 a.m. phone calls to his hotel room in Paris. (Talk about caffeine keeping you up!)
  • December 1995 — CEI’s environmental studies program founds the Center for Private Conservation, with the mission of documenting how private, voluntary initiatives can help protect the environment.
  • 1996 — CEI enters the alcohol beverage business with Vino Veritas Freedom of Speech Wine, Stout Heart Beer, and Be An Old Grand-dad Whiskey, setting the stage for its First Amendment suit against the BATF over telling the truth about moderate consumption—namely, that it can be good for you.
  • 1996 — CEI launches its Communications Project with the aim of showing how “values-based” communications strategies can help claim the moral high-ground for our side, by making the case that capitalism is not just efficient, but fair and moral.
  • 1996 — CEI issues its first annual “Ten Thousand Commandments” report detailing the cost and number of federal regulations. The report becomes a standard reference work on government regulation.
  • December 1997 — Three CEI experts go to Kyoto to present free-market side as United Nations global-warming treaty is negotiated in Japan.
  • 1998 — CEI, now officially recognized by UN as a qualified “non-governmental organization,” attends UN global-warming talks in Buenos Aires.
  • 1999 — CEI acquires the Center for Environmental Education Research, with the mission of critiquing how environmental issues are taught in the schools and ensuring that more balanced, science-based approaches are used.
  • April 1999 — CEI celebrates 15th Anniversary with speech by former Vice President Dan Quayle at annual Warren Brookes Dinner. Former Rep. Jack Kemp joins CEI as first distinguished senior fellow.

Jonathan H. Adler ([email protected]) is senior director of environmental policy at CEI.