Environmental Policy

Environmental policy in the United States has significantly evolved throughout history, shaped by many factors such as environmental disasters and public awareness which has lead to government intervention. Early environmental concerns were addressed mainly at the state and local level until the 1960s when government involvement in such matters began. This era marked the start of the modern environmental policies as we know them.

The rise of environmental awareness began in the late 1960s and early 1970s in which there was an increase of public awareness towards environmental issues spurred by events such as the publishing of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Silent Spring is an environmental science book that sheds light on the use of harmful pesticides that were killing off birds thus leading to a silent spring. The scrutinization of pollution in her book is credited for jump-starting the environmental movement in the United States.

Major landmark disasters made people realize that the environment needed care and management such as the fire on the Cuyahoga River in 1969. This Ohio river had become so polluted that it caught on fire not once, but thirteen times. The most famous incident is the one that took place in 1969 which spurred a ton of legislative action against water pollution such as the Clean Water Act. This fire helped bring national attention to water pollution and was an important part in helping the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

The Santa Barbara oil spill was also another disaster that shed light on the need for environmental legislation. It is one of the largest oil spills in America to date. It harmed a lot of sea life and highlighted the need for urgent action in creating federal environmental regulations.

These main events were some of many that laid the foundation for the actions that took place in the 1970s. The first Earth Day took place which raised national awareness and eventually led to the passage of the NEPA and the creation of the EPA under the Nixon administration to regulate environmental protection matters. The EPA works closely with state level agencies to implement and improve environmental concerns such as air and water quality.

After the creation of the EPA, a plethora of major legislation followed. Acts such as the Clean Air Act (1970), the Clean Water Act (1972), the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (1972), the Ocean Dumping Act (1972), and the Endangered Species Act (1973) provided much-needed standards and protections for each category of environment concern. In 1978, the tragedy of chemical contamination that fell upon the Love Canal in New York resulted in the creation of the Superfund Act to hold polluters responsible and allocate funds for cleanup and relocation.

Throughout the decades, environmental policy in the United States has changed immensely. From reactionary responses to actual action measures being taken and legislation passed to support it. The EPA has made a significant contribution to the nature of our environment today, but there are still issues and concerns that are topics of discussion. Modern crises such as the Ohio train derailment and drinking water contamination in Michigan show that environmental policies and protection remain an ongoing issue. As we continue to modernize, environmental policy will continue to be an important topic of relevance in the future.