Profiling a Figure In U.S. Environmental History

This is an Image of the 37th POTUS, Richard Nixon from Wikipedia 

    Richard Nixon played a very big role in the course of environmental history. Nixon played a big role in establishing the EPA and many environmental laws in the United States which had and continue to have an incredibly positive impact. In Nixons presidency from early 1969 to the end of 1974 there was concern growing in the country about the state of the environment. Recognizing this concern, Nixon saw an opportunity for political gain as well as his own care for protecting the environment. Richard Nixon signed many pieces of legislation to bring environmental change including, the National Environmental Policy Act, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the signing of the Clean Air Act of 1970, the creation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the signing of the Endangered Species Act, the signing of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the creation of the Legacy of Parks program. As Nixon may have seen the upcoming concern of environmental impact growing and could have used it as a move for political gain, his care for the environment is clear as the legislation passed and organizations created have incredible impacts and took lots of work on Nixons part to get them in place. With the work it took to pass these pieces of legislation and the amount of effort in making effective legislation shows his work was from his care for the environment, as if it was just for political gain then not nearly a much would have been done.

    On December 2nd, 1970 the Environmental protection Agency was founded due to the work of Richard Nixon signing an executive order. Prior to this there was growing concern throughout the 60's due to many disasters including oil spills and chemical contaminated rivers burning in flames. This was due in part to the lack of regulations regarding public sanitation, allowing corporations to improperly dispose of their waste products and operate in a dirty manner which was polluting the water and air. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was initially founded to "consolidate many environmental responsibilities of the federal government under one agency" (Environmental Protection 

This is the logo of the Environmental Protection Agency from Wikipedia

Agency). This meaning that instead of the government trying to handle these problems with the limited regulations in place, they would create a whole branch of government specifically for environmental protection that would have all the resources necessary. The EPA is tasked with enforcing the Clean Air Act enacted by Nixon at the same time period. The Clean Air Act was created to combat the deteriorating air quality due to industrial outputs, vehicle emissions, and other careless work practices ruining the air and environment. The implementation of the EPA brought huge change to the quality of air and water in the country, these changes came in many ways from improvements to water treatment facilities, the implementation of guidelines to lower vehicle emissions, air quality standards, legislation to stop dumping in the Great Lakes and to tighten standards around oil drilling and the process of cleaning spills, as well as much much more. With all of these implemented the quality of air, water, and the environment in the U.S. ended up halting deterioration and even improving. Richard Nixon has a tight correlation with all of this as he was the main promoter and the one who pushed to get the legislation implemented. 

This is an Image of smog over New York City in 1966.
This image is from the New York Times

    In 1970 as well the Clean Air Act was enacted. Prior to the Clean Air Act the United States was facing an air pollution crisis, according to the University of Michigan "Nearly 100 million vehicles filled American roads by 1970, producing more than half of the country’s emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. In the 1960s, the US did not yet have strong air quality standards, and the emissions of automobiles and industries polluted the air, sometimes resulting in deadly smog"(Univ. of Michigan) With this massive production of carbon, in big cities like Los Angeles and New York smog was beginning to become common. This was a major reason for the rising environmental concern in America in the late 60's, and therefore the Clean Air Act was created. With this came a major change by heightening the role of the federal government in the rising air pollution crisis. Legislation was passed which allowed federal and state governments to regulate and limit emissions from industrial and vehicular sources of air pollution. With this came the implementation of regulatory programs effecting industrial pollution sources as well as the enforcement authority for these regulations increased. One of the regulations put in place is the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The main goal of the NAAQS is to "to protect public health and public welfare and to regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants"(EPA.gov). These regulations were a major step in the right direction to preserving our environment and changed the way the people and industries did/do their work, for the better. The enactment of the Clean Air Act came at a very close time to the creation of the EPA and the two go hand in hand, as the EPA's first priority was to authorize and enforce the Clean Air Act.

    Although Richard Nixon made great strides towards preserving and improving the state of the environment, he is also the highlight of a main point of political controversy in U.S. political history. This being the Watergate Scandal, in June of 1972 five men were arrested in connection to a burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office-apartment-hotel complex in Washington, D.C. The investigation came from money on the burglars being linked back to the committee for re-election for President Nixon. This along with further investigation led to the creation of the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee which held hearings where witnesses testified that 

Watergate Office Building In Washington D.C. from Wikipedia

Nixon had planned to coverup his administrations involvement with the break in. Through testimonies and evidence collected, this eventually led to the start of the impeachment process of Richard Nixon. From audio recording and first hand accounts testifying it was clear Nixons administration was involved in the burglary and made effort to cover up their attempt. Throughout the trials and investigations Nixons support had plummeted, and on the edge of impeachment, Nixon announced his resignation on August 9th, 1974. Although being the face of one of the largest political scandals in U.S. history, Nixon is still remembered and recognized for the environmental legislation he signed and the effects of this legislation have been monumental in the United States environmental health. Richard Nixon is the only U.S. president to resign from office and was pardoned by his replacement Gerald Ford in the following weeks after his resignation.

    Without Richard Nixon and the legislation he put in place, specifically the Clean Air Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the creation of the EPA, life as we know it in Keene and the United States would be drastically different. Without the Clean Air Act it is without a doubt the air quality would be extremely poor, maybe even to the point of Beijing and other large, out of country cities that have serious smog problems to the point where people need respirators and masks to go to work. Along with the air pollution without the Endangered Species Act then it is certain that many of the plant, tree, and wildlife species would be extinct. This is clear because even with the legislation in place we face the problem of the extinction of species every day in Keene and without the legislation we have to protect the few left, then it is safe to say they would be gone long ago. Finally the National Environmental Policy Act and the creation of the EPA, without these acts then the prior acts mentions would not have sufficient support to be effective.
   

This is a graph showing the decline in air pollution in the years after Nixon and the legislation he put in place. Image from the EPA website.