On the first day of Barak Obama's presidency, environmentalists are turning handsprings. The environment is high on the list of President Obama's priority list. But Don Shelby said the other party gets credit for cleaning the air and extending our lives.

With all the talk of global warming and fossil fuel pollution of our atmosphere, a new study appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.

After exhaustive research on the subject, between 1978 and 2001, our lifespan in the United States has increased to an average of 77 years. About five months of that can be attributed to cleaner air.

We got cleaner air after Congress passed the obviously named Clean Air Act that reduced pollution from power plants, dust, soot, toxic chemicals and diesel engines. The bill was passed, and the economy didn't grind to a halt, despite warnings from big business.

It passed unanimously. Republican President Richard M. Nixon signed it into law, and said, "This is just the beginning."

We all get an extra five months to be alive and for that, we can thank bi-partisanship.