Environmental Reform

1970 to present

The National Environmental Policy

Signed by President Nixon, the National Environmental Policy Act was the first national policy implemented for protection of the environment. The act established a Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) that was to provide ecological research. Furthermore, it mandated that environmental impact statements be prepared for major federal actions that would potentially have a significant effect on the environment. The main objective was to simply administer more research on the environment and use this to prevent pollution in the future. Nixon’s signing of the bill was a testament to the popularity of the environmental movement because he, as a conservative Republican, felt compelled to support environmental legislation in an effort to outmaneuver Democratic rivals, and appeal to voters (Walkowitz, “The 1990s”). The Environmental Protection Agency was also created during Nixon’s Presidency; it brought together fifteen central government programs so the environmental preservation could be made a priority by the government ("Environmental History")

Nixon signing the NEPA

"President Richard Nixon signed in the National Environment Policy Act of 1969." Environmental Issues: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and K. Lee Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 24 May 2012.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, also known as the “Superfund” legislation was created in 1980. It mandated that the EPA clean up abandoned toxic waste dumps in reaction to the discovery of very high levels of dioxin found in various areas around the country including Times Beach, a small town in Missouri. Dioxin is a manufacturing byproduct that had been linked to cancer, birth defects and liver damage. In this case, very high exposure resulted when dioxin was deliberately mixed with waste oil and sprayed on Times Beach's unpaved roads to control dust. Between 1983 and 1985, the federal government spent $33 million to buy the homes and property of 2,400 people in Times Beach. They were relocated and the town was demolished. The “Superfund” legislation showed that the EPA was an effective agency because they had discovered the issue. Furthermore the legislation demonstrated the great measures the government would go to protect the citizens and environment from pollution (“Environmental History”).

Clean Air Act amendments

The Clean Air Act was originally enacted in December 17, 1963. It set national policy for air pollution control. The Clean Air Act, with its along with its subsequent amendments in 1966 and 1990 (and support by the Air Quality Act of 1967) gave states the bases to establish air pollution control programs. The amendments included a pledge to cut acid rain emissions almost in half, to establish a national research and development program for the prevention and control of air pollution among other environmental conscious provisions. In 1990 an EPA air pollution report stated that sulfur dioxide emissions declined by 40% from1970 to 1990. Furthermore, the report concluded that smog, carbon monoxide and ozone levels decreased since the enactment of the Clean Air Act of 1970. (“Environmental History”).

President George Bush signs the Clean Air Act Amendments in July 1990

"George Bush signs the Clean Air Act Amendments." Image. George Bush Library. Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 29 May 2012.

California imposes a cap on greenhouse gas emissions

On Sept 27 California was the first state to imposed a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. The bill was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it required the states reduce greenhouse gas emissions to levels that existed in 1990 by the year 2020. In 2011 the state continued to lead the way in terms of environmental protection legislation as it produced the United States’ first statewide cap-and-trade system to reduce emissions. The program will begin in 2013. It implements the gradually declining limit on green gas emissions from 600 plants that produce a majority of the state’s air pollution. It will also set up a policy that is designed to reward the most efficient companies and penalize inefficient companies. It is the first bill in the nation to include all components of the economy, and is a major landmark in environmentalism reform ("California's Persistence").

"Arnold Schwarzenegger, with his wife Maria Shriver, is sworn in as governor of California by that..." U.S. Immigration and Migration Reference Library. Ed. Lawrence W. Baker, et al. Vol. 4: Vol. 2: Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2004. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 29 May 2012.