Many folks view politicians with a jaundiced eye, and there’s plenty of evidence to justify their cynicism. But that just was not the case with U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who passed away June 3.

Lautenberg was a steadfast champion of the environment. During his 30 years in the Senate, he was at the forefront of cleaning up Superfund sites, promoting clean energy, advocating for green jobs, preventing offshore drilling along the Atlantic coast, and keeping our air clean.