WASHINGTON, D.C.—On the first day in office, presidents begin their chapter of American history by signing orders and legislation. As far as presidential autographs go, official government documents like these are the most important things a world leader will ever sign. With the stroke of a pen, an entire federal agency can be created.
When President Richard Nixon signed the executive order that established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it was a momentous event. The year was 1970 and there was growing concern over pollution. After decades of industrialization, America was beginning to feel the effects of the environmental impact. A tipping point came in 1969 when Ohio’s Cuyahoga River was so polluted it caught fire.
After forming the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), President Nixon then signed the Reorganization Plan No. 3 in July 1970. It laid the groundwork for the EPA, which was officially established on December 2, 1970. William D. Ruckelshaus became the first administrator of the agency. Ruckelshaus set to work right away investigating and banning harmful substances like DDT.
The EPA quickly passed a major piece of legislation. The Clean Air Act of 1970 was signed in December 1970. It effectively set national air quality, auto emission and anti-pollution standards. It’s estimated that in the first 20 years alone the Clean Air Act helped prevent 200,000 premature deaths. The following year the EPA passed the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act establishing restrictions on lead paint that endangered the lives of countless children. In 1972 the EPA also passed the Clean Water Act.
Many EPA Accomplishments
Over the years the EPA has had a hand in legislation that requires more fuel efficient vehicles, which reduces pollution and helps all Americans financially. It’s also helped protect the ocean from dumping, worked to cap auto emissions, put transportation control measures in place, cleaned up drinking water and banned additional cancer-causing pesticides among many other accomplishments.
The mission of the EPA has always been to “protect human health by safeguarding the air we breathe, water we drink and land on which we live.” Over the agency’s nearly 47 year history it has an impressive track record of establishing laws and regulations that do just that. It has long been respected and revered by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
Many environmentalists are now concerned by some of the latest developments within the federal government. With every administration change priorities are reorganized, and it appears the EPA won’t have the same support as in years past. In fact, all indicators suggest the agency is going to be scaled way back and some EPA regulations will be loosened.
In December of last year, President-elect Donald Trump announced Scott Pruitt, an outspoken critic of the EPA, was his pick for the new EPA administrator. For many, it was concerning to find the nominee was an individual who had sued the EPA numerous times in his former position as attorney general of oil-producing Oklahoma. Pruitt also doesn’t believe climate change is manmade and has questioned whether carbon dioxide is a pollutant.
Significant Cuts Proposed
President Trump’s proposed budget would cut the EPA’s budget by 31 percent and the workforce by 19 percent. There’s also $427 million in cuts to regional pollution cleanup programs. A summary of the EPA’s proposed budget stated, “Consistent with the President’s America First Energy Plan, the budget reorients the EPA’s air program to protect the air we breathe without unduly burdening the American economy.”
The budget also affects commercial and residential programs that are focused on environmental protection and energy efficiency. Even the ENERGY STAR program is on the chopping block. The program has helped thousands of Americans make energy efficient upgrades to their homes. Not only is the initial cost reduced, but the improvements help homeowners continue to save month after month while using less energy.
Time will tell how the Congress amends the proposed budget and if the EPA will be scaled back so sharply. Environmentalists are already opposing the budget, stating that it is tantamount to rolling the country back to the 1970s when the EPA was created because pollution had hit an all-time high.
