jan 1, 1970 - Environmental Protection Agency established

Description:

EPA: Federal agency created by Congress and President Nixon in 1970 to enforce environmental laws, conduct environmental research, and reduce human health and environmental risks from pollutants



On the first day of 1970, on the heels of the Santa Barbara oil spill, Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act, which created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A bipartisan bill with broad support and White House backing, the law required developers to undertake formal environmental impact studies to assess the effect of their projects on ecosystems. A spate of additional reforms followed: the Clean Air Act (1970), the Occupational Health and Safety Act (1970), the Water Pollution Control Act (1972), and the Endangered Species Act (1973).

The Democratic majority in Congress and the Republican president generally found common ground on these issues, and Time magazine wondered if the environment was “the gut issue that can unify a polarized nation.” Despite the broad popularity of the movement, however, Time’s prediction was not borne out. Corporations opposed environmental regulations, as did many of their workers, who believed that tightened standards threatened jobs. “if you’re hungry and out of work, eat an environmentalist,” read one labor union bumper sticker. By the 1980s, environmentalism starkly divided Americans, with proponents of unrestricted growth pitted against eco-activists.

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