Jeff Nedelman worked as a legislative assistant (1974-1975), a legislative director (1976-1978), and an administrative assistant (1979-1980). The files in this subseries are arranged to reflect Nedelman's roles, hence the first set of files--“legislative files”--pertains to his role as legislative assistant and subsequently as legislative director. The second set of files was originally identified as Nelson's environmental files and has been kept together to reflect Nedelman's role as an administrative assistant.

Most of Nedelman's legislative files date from 1973 to 1978 and include subject and correspondence files with regard to general environmental issues with special attention to the Kickapoo Valley Dam project, and the Mississippi Locks and Dam #26 project. Other topics of interest include concessions at national parks, natural and atomic energy, sewage facilities, environmental education, floods, and the Lower St. Croix River. Mixed throughout are project and correspondence files. A portion of the files served as reference or background files in the preparation of legislative correspondence and do not contain substantive content.

The correspondence files within the legislative files are Nedelman's personal correspondence and contain “pink” copies of outgoing letters to officials and constituents concerning legislation. Some correspondence files include drafts of bills and memos to Nelson and date from 1976 to 1978 during which time Nedelman was the legislative director.

The files identified as Nelson's environmental files date primarily from 1979 to 1980 and were created by Rebecca Wodder, a legislative assistant, but may have been maintained by Nedelman as Nelson's administrative assistant. The files include information on legislative issues which were being considered at the time or which were of continuing importance to Nelson. The most extensive files contain information on the first Earth Day (1970) and subsequent annual celebrations, 1971-1975 and 1980; the Alaskan wilderness; the Apostle Islands; the Great Lakes; the Kickapoo Valley Dam project and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Project; the Milwaukee sewers; small-scale hydropower; and nuclear waste. Also present is information on Mississippi Locks and Dam #26, the Lower St. Croix River, and the Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE II).