Skip to content

featuring historical research, writing, and media at st. mary's university

  • World History

    World History

    Menu
    • World History
    • Pre-Classical History (to 600 BCE)
    • Classical History (600 BCE-600 CE)
    • Post-Classical History (600 CE-1492 CE)
    • Early Modern History (1492-1789)
    • Modern History (1789-1914)
    • Global History (1900-present)

    From the Ancient World

    Prehistoric Life, Medicine, and Its Dangers

    Posted by Ian Mcewen04/16/2021

    From the Modern World

    Rwanda Climbs One Hill After Another, But Can It Politically Transition Without Falling?

    Posted by Raul Colunga04/18/2021

    Regional Histories

    Menu
    • African and African American Studies
    • Latin American Studies
  • US History

    Early America

    Menu
    • US-Three Worlds Meet (to 1620)
    • US-Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)
    • US-Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
    • US-Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
    • US-Civil War & Reconstruction (1850-1877)

    Whatalife: Harmon Dobson, the Founder of Whataburger

    Posted by Courtney Pena10/02/2019

    The One Device: Story of the First iPhone

    Posted by Bruno Lezama12/08/2019

    Private Felix E. Longoria: An Affair, Some Would Rather Not Remember!

    Posted by Lulu Guadalupe Avitua-Uviedo09/20/2020

    From Being a Christian and Ex-Military to being a Serial Killer: Israel Keyes

    Posted by Adrianna Hernandez10/31/2020

    The Political Involvement of Twitter

    Posted by Janie Cheverie11/01/2020

    Where Will it Lead (Pb) Us from Here: A Global Necessity or a Disaster Waiting to Happen?

    Posted by Midori Flores11/18/2020

    Nothing keeps Amberley Snyder from getting back on the horse

    Posted by Amariz Puerta04/07/2019

    The Lack of Latinx Access to Proper Mental Care in a Metropolitan County

    Posted by Ángel Velarde11/05/2020

    Five Eyes & An Onion: Tor & the Deep Dark Web

    Posted by Stephen Talik04/08/2020

    La práctica hace al maestro: Lo difícil que es mantener ser bilingüe

    Posted by Alexandra Cantu11/24/2020

    Howard Schultz: Brewing a Multibillion Dollar Empire

    Posted by Andrea Laguna04/12/2021

    Bullying gone Technological: The Tragic Death of Megan Meier

    Posted by Arsema Abera03/29/2020

    Olvidar un Idioma: ¿Es posible?

    Posted by Edith Santos Sevilla11/22/2020

    World's Best Boss: Steve Carell and His Journey to Becoming Michael Scott

    Posted by Cristianna Tovar12/10/2019

    Show Me Money: How Gold Altered a Landscape in the Distant West and Thrived during the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Posted by Emily Bartlett11/13/2020

    Perseverance in Preservation: The Hundred-year Historical Development of Woodlawn Lake Park

    Posted by Mario Sosa05/13/2019

    ADHD Among Americans: From Childhood to Adulthood

    Posted by Josephine Tran11/15/2019

    Innovations From NASA's X-15 Program

    Posted by Nathaniel Bielawski04/21/2020

    Lucy Hobbs Taylor: The Woman Who Pulled Teeth

    Posted by Giselle Garcia02/28/2020

    Hispanophobia: La Discriminación contra las Personas que Hablan Español

    Posted by Cristian Maldonado12/22/2020

    Selena Gomez: Her Life Behind the Scenes

    Posted by Judy Reyes12/06/2019

    The Old Spanish Trail in Southern Arizona

    Posted by John Cadena05/09/2019

    ¿Es más difícil para un inmigrante adulto aprender inglés?

    Posted by Maria Obregón11/11/2020

    Al Capone: The Real Life Scarface

    Posted by Raul Vallejo11/15/2019

    The Bearded Lady

    Posted by Maya Mani04/07/2019

    The Louisiana Purchase: The Greatest Land Grab In History

    Posted by Joshua Collins04/18/2021

    The Wet Railing that Solved the Clarence Hiller Murder Case

    Posted by Diamond Davidson04/07/2019

    Claudette Colvin: The Woman Who Wasn’t Rosa Parks

    Posted by Abilene Solano10/27/2020

    Music from the heart: How Heart influenced rock and roll

    Posted by Michael Hinojosa05/06/2019

    The First Girl Scout, Juliette Gordon Low

    Posted by Margaret Maguire12/06/2019

    Contemporary America

    Menu
    • US-Industrial United States (1870-1900)
    • US-Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
    • US-Great Depression & WWII (1929-1945)
    • US-Postwar United States (1945-early 1970s)
    • US-Contemporary United States (1968-present)
  • Themes

    SPICE Categories

    Specialty Categories

    Special Themes

    Menu
    • Social History
    • Political History
    • Environmental History
    • Cultural History
    • Economic History
    Menu
    • Art History
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Gender Studies
    • Human Rights
    • Public Health and Medicine
    • International Relations
    • Linguistics
    Menu
    • Military History
    • Music
    • People
    • Psychology
    • Religion
    • Science & Technology
    • Sports
    Menu
    • Catholic Heritage
    • The Year 1968
    • COVID-19
    • Social Justice
    • Spanish Language
  • Showcase

    Showcase Editions

    • Vol 1 – 2016
      • Vol 1 No 1 Aug-Sep 2016
      • Vol 1 No 2 Oct-Nov 2016
    • Vol 2 – 2017
      • Vol 2 No 1 Jan-Feb 2017
      • Vol 2 No 2 Mar-Apr 2017
      • Vol 2 No 3 Aug-Sep 2017
      • Vol 2 No 4 Oct-Nov 2017
    • Vol 3 – 2018
      • Vol 3 No 1 Jan-Feb 2018
      • Vol 3 No 2 Mar-Apr 2018
      • Vol 3 No 3 Aug-Sep 2018
      • Vol 3 No 4 Oct-Nov 2018
    • Vol 4 – 2019
      • Vol 4 No 1 Jan-Feb 2019
      • Vol 4 No 2 Mar-Apr 2019
      • Vol 4 No 3 Aug-Sep 2019
      • Vol 4 No 4 Oct-Nov 2019
    • Vol 5 – 2020
      • Vol 5 No 1 Jan-Feb 2020
      • Vol 5 No 2 Mar-Apr 2020
      • Vol 5 No 3 Aug-Sep 2020
    Menu
    • Vol 1 – 2016
      • Vol 1 No 1 Aug-Sep 2016
      • Vol 1 No 2 Oct-Nov 2016
    • Vol 2 – 2017
      • Vol 2 No 1 Jan-Feb 2017
      • Vol 2 No 2 Mar-Apr 2017
      • Vol 2 No 3 Aug-Sep 2017
      • Vol 2 No 4 Oct-Nov 2017
    • Vol 3 – 2018
      • Vol 3 No 1 Jan-Feb 2018
      • Vol 3 No 2 Mar-Apr 2018
      • Vol 3 No 3 Aug-Sep 2018
      • Vol 3 No 4 Oct-Nov 2018
    • Vol 4 – 2019
      • Vol 4 No 1 Jan-Feb 2019
      • Vol 4 No 2 Mar-Apr 2019
      • Vol 4 No 3 Aug-Sep 2019
      • Vol 4 No 4 Oct-Nov 2019
    • Vol 5 – 2020
      • Vol 5 No 1 Jan-Feb 2020
      • Vol 5 No 2 Mar-Apr 2020
      • Vol 5 No 3 Aug-Sep 2020
  • About

    Course Readings

    Article Indexes

    About Us

    Menu
    • Course Readings – SC 3300 – Nash
    • Course Readings – SMC 1301 – Wieck
    • Course Readings – PO 4334 – Dr Celine
    • Course Readings _ PO 3365 – Dr Celine
    Menu
    • Course Readings – HS 2321 – Whitener
    • Course Readings – HS 2322 – Whitener
    • Course Readings – SMC 1301 – Whitener
    Menu
    • Our Article/Author Index
    • Award Winning Articles
    Menu
    • Our StMU History Media Project
    • Our Faculty Consultants
    • Our Writers
    • Contact Us
  • Descriptive Article, Environmental History, United States History
  • May 1, 2017

Protecting the Environment: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

July 9, 1970 was the birth of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered by President Nixon | Courtesy of Wikipedia
July 9, 1970 was the birth of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered by President Nixon | Courtesy of Wikipedia
Marissa Gonzalez

Marissa Gonzalez

As our society continues to grow and increase in population, more and more people use the earth’s resources. The use of these resources affects the land, water, air, and even human life. Taking advantage of these resources can lead to negative effects on one’s health or on the condition of our environment. Because of this, restrictions are created to sustain the earth and its resources. While concern for the environment has been decades in the making, it was not until 1970 that the environment received its most powerful ally in the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The events that led up to the establishment of the EPA were influenced by the involvement and actions of a series of Presidents. President Theodore Roosevelt was one of the first presidents to recognize the importance of focusing on environmental issues. The four main issues he focused on were: reforestation, topsoil erosion, conservation of resources, and water pollution. President Kennedy was another president to address environmental issues. One of his best decisions was in appointing Stewert L. Udall as Secretary of Interior. Udall worked with Congress to bring investments to National Parks and other recreational areas. This was to promote awareness to the public on conserving the environment. President Johnson and his wife were also involved in environmentalism. Ladybird Johnson was involved in a campaign called “Beautify America,” which sought to clean up the environment. Environmental groups were formed, such as the Environmental Defense Fund and Friends of the Earth. In 1968, there was a law that prevented construction to take place around any system associated with the Grand Canyon. After that, President Johnson established the National Wild and Scenic River System. Finally, President Richard Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). These were all contributing steps that resulted in the establishment of the EPA.1

The polluted air “smog” in New York City | Courtesy of Walter Albertin

In 1970, President Nixon submitted an Executive Order to create the Environmental Protection Agency. The purpose of this agency was to inform the public with information about the environment and to set regulations in order to protect it. This included the protection of water, air, land, and human life since the environment effects our health as well.2 During the 1960’s, there was great need for environmental regulations; however, there were other agencies that had existed for that purpose. These agencies were not as organized and as consistent in regulating the environment as the EPA.3 The air in major cities in the 1960s became more contaminated as air pollution increased. In 1963, there was an increase in smog in the atmosphere in New York, which caused four hundred people to die from these atmospheric conditions.4 Another environmental incident occurred in California where an oil spill covered four hundred square miles of the Pacific coastline with slime that killed hundred of animals, including many birds.5 These were but two events of many that displayed how the environment was affected by human activity. This led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency. However, before the EPA was formed, there were a few agencies that already existed, such as the Environmental Quality Council, established by President Nixon in 1969. This then allowed Congress to pass the  Environmental Policy Act of 1969. President Nixon then formed the EPA one year later to take more responsibility over the smaller environmental agencies.6  By 1979, twenty-seven new environmental laws and regulations were formed from the EPA, some of which included the Resource Recovery Act, and the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.7

A woman participating in the Love Canal Protest | Courtesy of Wikipedia

The Environmental Protection Agency is separated into ten regions in the United States, each of which is responsible for environmental oversight in three to five states. The purpose of this is so that each region is able to supervise individual states to make sure regulations and laws are enforced. In some cases, the EPA has been sued. Industries would sue the EPA if regulations seemed impossible to meet. Environmentalists sued the EPA as well because they felt the agency was making slow progress in environmental sustainability. The EPA enforced “Clean Up” regulations, where polluting industries would be required to clean up or reduce the pollution they caused in productions. For example, Love Canal in New York was a target for clean up regulations. A chemical company was responsible for restoring and cleaning Love Canal, since it had contaminated the canal with waste and other chemicals. New York had declared this incident as a health emergency in 1976. The intentions of these regulations was not only to keep water clean, but to protect people from contamination.8 A goal of the Environmental Protection Agency was to inform the public about the environment and how their everyday lifestyles affect the earth. The EPA in the 1990’s changed from focusing on environmental regulations and laws, to figuring out ways to prevent pollution and contamination.9

The Environmental Protection Agency helps to save our environment from the negative impacts of human activity. President Nixon’s choice in establishing the agency was a great idea because if it had not been created, the condition of our environment would have become worse. The EPA has also spread awareness to other countries that do not have environmentally-regulated industries on how we must protect our earth for later generations to come.

  1.  D. T. Kuzmiak, “The American Environmental Movement,” The Geographical Journal vol. 157, no. 3 (Nov 1991): 269-271. ↵
  2.  Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, 2009, s.v. “U. S. Environmental Protection Agency,” by Robert Collin. ↵
  3. Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, 2009, s.v. “U. S. Environmental Protection Agency,” by Robert Collin. ↵
  4. Lily Rothman, “Here’s Why the Environmental Protection Agency Was Created,” Time Magazine, April 4, 2017. ↵
  5. Lily Rothman, “Here’s Why the Environmental Protection Agency Was Created,” Time Magazine, April 4, 2017. ↵
  6. Lily Rothman, “Here’s Why the Environmental Protection Agency Was Created,” Time Magazine, April 4, 2017. ↵
  7. Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, 2009, s.v. “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” by Robert Collin. ↵
  8. Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, 2009, s.v. “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” by Robert Collin. ↵
  9. Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, 2009, s.v. “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” by Robert Collin. ↵

Tags from the story

  • The Environmental Protection Agency

Share this post

Share on facebook
Share on google
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on pinterest
Share on print
Share on email
Marissa Gonzalez

Marissa Gonzalez

Author Portfolio Page

Rosie the Riveter: We Can Do It!

From 1941 to 1945, during World War II, many woman were needed in the workplace

Read More »

The Statue of Liberty

On October 28, 1886, a 240-foot tall structure originally named “Liberty Enlightening the World” was

Read More »

This Post Has 42 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Wilzave Quiles Guzman 24 Aug 2019 Reply

    I like that this article starts with the fact that global environmental issues affect us all and shows the interconnections of global environmental issues. Sadly, most humans think more in terms of money than in taking care of the environment and forget how important it is for the next generations and for the world’s health. I am pleased to know that environmental-friendly organizations like the EPA were made to make people conscious about the damage we have caused to the Earth. It is important to know that in the same way that we have caused damage to our environment we can try to recover and restore it. I hope that each day more initiatives to protect our environment can grow and be implemented in our society so that we learn to respect our world in a better way.

  2. Avatar
    Diego Terrazas 10 Mar 2019 Reply

    The EPA is an essential component in conserving and protecting the environment. It is a shame that funds towards this agency were cut during Trump’s presidency. i feel as if many people overlook their efforts in which are only towards the greater good of the American people. This agency should be top priority for the government, especially in the next 50 years.

Comments navigation

Previous commentPrevious

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

StMU History Media

A Student Organization of St. Mary's University of San Antonio Texas

Sponsors

  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, St. Mary's University
  • Department of History, St. Mary's University
  • Department of Political Science, St. Mary's University
  • Center for Catholic Studies, St. Mary's University

Support Services

  • The Learning Assistance Center, St. Mary's University
  • Louis J. Blume Library Services, St. Mary's University
  • STRIVE Career Center, St. Mary's University
  • Academic Technology Services, St. Mary's University

About

  • About Us
  • Our Authors
  • Our Archive
  • Contacts

© All rights reserved

Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest