By: Sophia Wagner
Photo from: Grist
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as we know it, has grown and evolved since its foundation on December 2, 1970. Near the end of the 1960s, societal pressure caused the U.S. to no longer be able to ignore the grotesque environmental consequences of the overconsumption of natural resources used in the massive manufacturing industry. Whether it was the smog that killed 400 people in New York in 1963 or the oil spill off the coast of California in 1969, the fact of the matter was clear; the country was in dire need of an advisory group to focus on the new-found climate crisis. Environmentalists such as Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, jump-started the 1960’s environmental movement and the critical lens on the U.S.'s pollution rates. As a birdwatcher, Carson realized that the heavy use of toxic pesticide waste was killing off birds and making the forests “silent.” Her book became so renowned that in 1963, President Kennedy’s Science Advisory Committee supported her call for the ban of insidious and long-lasting chemicals such as Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) that were leaving harmful effects on pollinators and humans alike. Her devout research and persistence carried beyond the specific problem of pesticide use; she prompted governmental action against water and air pollution, in addition to the misuse of pesticides, years before any policies would have been made.
During his first year in office, President Richard Nixon established the Environmental Quality Council to advise him through environmental legislation. Simply put, the council’s job was to coordinate governmental action against environmental decay and propose new ways to control pollution. In the following year, Nixon planned to consolidate the federal government’s role in monitoring and enforcing activities by creating the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
So, what exactly does the EPA do? Well, this advisory agency oversees the manufacturing, distribution, and use of pollutants. The EPA also sets regulations for air and water quality and evaluates certain toxic substances to assess whether they are considered low or high priority. High-priority substances are submitted for further evaluation which could change chemical restrictions and regulations for companies in the future. In essence, the EPA’s mission is to protect human health by safeguarding the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land on which we live.
The first head of the Environmental Protection Agency was William D. Ruckelshaus. In his tenure, he oversaw the seven-month-long hearing regarding the carcinogenic pesticide, DDT. He also required states to submit new air quality plans and set health-based standards for air pollutants and automobile emissions.
Under Richard Nixon's presidency, the Documerica Project, a photo documentary project, had taken root. The EPA had hired freelance photographers to capture captivating images of America’s rapidly decaying natural environment, and humans interacting with it, in the hopes of emotionally compelling society to develop compassion for the environment through art. Originally, the project focused on environmental concerns of the 1970s including water and air pollution, unchecked urbanization, poverty, and the environmental impact on public health. However, as more Americans caught wind of the climate crisis, more inspiring and positive images arose. For instance, designer Michael Reynolds constructed experimental housing made out of empty soft-drink cans in New Mexico in 1974. According to Reynolds, these houses required about 70,000 cans and could be built as much as 20% cheaper than conventional homes.
Photo from: The Atlantic
Water cooling towers of the John Amos Power Plant loom over a home located across the Kanawha River, near Poca, West Virginia, in August of 1973
Photo from: The Atlantic
Clark Avenue and Clark Avenue Bridge, looking east from West 13th Street, obscured by industrial smoke, in Cleveland, Ohio, in July of 1973
Photo from: The Atlantic
Fast forward to 1994, President Bill Clinton issued an executive order that required all federal agencies to prioritize environmental justice for minorities and low-income populations after a 1992 report revealed that those populations were exposed to poor air quality and prone to upper respiratory illnesses more than other populations.
In 2006, the EPA required the production of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel, which contains 97% less sulfur than the diesel used previously. This shift to clean-burning fuel was expected to lower air pollution from diesel engines by 90%.
In recent years, the EPA finalized the first greenhouse gas emission standards for aircrafts and released a comprehensive plan to prevent trash, litter, and garbage from entering marine and freshwater environments. In addition, they crafted America’s newest National Recycling Goal which is meant to increase national recycling by up to 50% by 2030.
In the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris Administration in office, the administration has worked towards awarding $10.5 million to replace old diesel fueled school buses with cleaner, alternative fuel/electric buses. In June 2021, the Biden administration, EPA, and Army Corps of Engineers, set out to craft new sets of waterways and habitats for wildlife as well as a clean-water system in the U.S.. Furthermore, as of August 18, 2021, the EPA issued a final rule prohibiting the use of chlorpyrifos (a pesticide used on corn, strawberries, broccoli etc.) because of potential health hazards. Furthermore, Biden’s fiscal 2022 budget shows a 7.5% increase in EPA staffing and a request for $3.4 billion in order to properly enforce the EPA’s Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act and fund EPA offices with adequate resources. The new budget will leave room for new scientific research into air emissions, water contaminants, and sustainable communities to support new regulations.
Discussion Questions:
How have the EPA’s standards affected you?
If you could propose one policy to the EPA, what would it be?
Work Cited
EPA. (2021). The Origins of EPA. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/history/origins-epa.
Grandoni, D. (2021, June 14). Biden pushes protection for more streams and wetlands. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/06/09/biden-epa-clean-water-act/.
Lee, S. (2021, May 28). Biden budget SEEKS boost for Epa core programs and research (1). Bloomberg Law. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/biden-budget-seeks-big-boost-for-epa-core-programs-and-research.
Press Office, E. P. A. (2021, April 29). Administrator Regan Statement on the First 100 Days of the Biden-Harris Administration. EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/administrator-regan-statement-first-100-days-biden-harris-administration.
Rothman, L. (2017, March 22). Environmental protection Agency: Why the EPA was created. Time. https://time.com/4696104/environmental-protection-agency-1970-history/.
Taylor, A. (2011, November 16). DOCUMERICA: Images of America in crisis in the 1970s. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/11/documerica-images-of-america-in-crisis-in-the-1970s/100190/.