Through our years of past carelessness we incurred a debt to nature, and now that debt is being called. Nixon followed his State of the Union with a special message to Congress in which he put forth more than a dozen orders and 23 requests to address problems like automobile emission standards.
Critics noted, however , that some major problems, like enforcement, were largely ignored. One problem, however, was that as awareness of various aspects of pollution had come to attention, different agencies and offices had popped up to address them. In doing so, he told Congress that it was clear that the piecemeal development of environmental agencies would no longer serve such a large project.
Present assignments of departmental responsibilities do not reflect this interrelatedness. Write to Lily Rothman at lily. The Olin Mathieson Alkali Works plant seen in in the Appalachian town of Saltville, Va,, for decades dumped its calcium chloride effluent into the North Fork of the Holston River which flowed past the plant.
In the company announced it could not meet the new Environmental Protection Agency EPA water pollution standards and would close the plant. By Lily Rothman. Get our History Newsletter. Put today's news in context and see highlights from the archives. Please enter a valid email address. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now. An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Two days after his confirmation, on December 4, Ruckelshaus took the oath of office and the initial organization of the agency was drawn up in EPA Order The American conversation about protecting the environment began in the s.
Rachel Carson had published her attack on the indiscriminate use of pesticides, Silent Spring , in Concern about air and water pollution had spread in the wake of disasters. An offshore oil rig in California fouled beaches with millions of gallons of spilled oil. Near Cleveland, Ohio, the Cuyahoga River, choking with chemical contaminants, had spontaneously burst into flames. Around the same time, President Nixon also created a council in part to consider how to organize federal government programs designed to reduce pollution, so that those programs could efficiently address the goals laid out in his message on the environment.
This reorganization would permit response to environmental problems in a manner beyond the previous capability of government pollution control programs:. After conducting hearings during that summer, the House and Senate approved the proposal. The documents below shed more light on EPA's birth and early years. Note that these documents are now in EPA's archive.
It consists of different programs—such as The Energy Star program, The Smart Growth Program, and Water Sense—that promote energy efficiency, environmental care, and pollution prevention. Not all concerns with the environment are handled by the EPA, however.
For example, protecting endangered species falls under the jurisdiction of the U. Fish and Wildlife Service and protecting our nation's wetlands is under the authority of the U. Army Corps of Engineers. Critics argue that the EPA imposes unnecessary and large costs on corporations and strains the economy and international trade. However, the agency stands firms on its mission to create a better tomorrow for future generations by promoting a cleaner and safer environment and protecting human health.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. AP News. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
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List of Partners vendors. Your Money. Personal Finance. Your Practice. Popular Courses. Table of Contents Expand. What Is the EPA? Understanding the EPA. Examples of EPA Programs. Criticism of the EPA.
The Bottom Line. Key Takeaways The Environmental Protection Agency is a United States federal government agency whose mission is to protect human and environmental health. The EPA regulates the manufacturing, processing, distribution, and use of chemicals and other pollutants. The agency enforces its findings through fines, sanctions, and other procedures.
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