Environmental Policy (8.13)

Key Resource

• Oil

• From Middle Eastern nations

Creation of Israel

• 1948

• Created tension with oil partners

• Arab nations opposed, U.S. still ally

1973 Oil Crisis

• OPEC

• Reduced oil exports to America

• Raised prices on exported oil

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

• Middle Eastern Nations

Oil Crisis Results

• Fuel prices rise dramatically

• Shortage of fuel

• Policymakers realize energy sources not under their control

Nuclear Energy

• Alternative to oil

• Used uranium; plentiful and cheap

• No greenhouse gases

Three Mile Island Incident

• 1979

• Three Mile Island, PA

• Reactor partially melted and radioactive waste released into environment

• Populated city, no one was hurt

Chernobyl

• Nuclear energy disaster in Soviet Union

Silent Spring

• Rachel Carson book

• Modern society is poisoning the Earth

First Earth Day

• Celebrated in 1970

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• 1970

• President Nixon

• Manage pollution control programs

• Oversee regulation of polluter industries

Cuyahoga River

• 1969

• Ohio

• Caught fire with severe amount of pollution

Clean Air Act

• 1963

• Control air pollution on national scale

• Later managed by EPA