Introduction
It was 1970, a cornerstone year for the US modern environmental policy. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was enacted on 1 January 1970. NEPA was not based on specific legislation; instead, it referred in general manner to environmental and quality of life concerns. The Council for Environmental Quality (CEQ), established by NEPA, was one of the councils mandated to implement legislation. 22 April 1970 brought Earth Day, where thousands of demonstrators gathered all around the nation. NEPA and Earth Day were the beginning of a long, seemingly never ending debate over environmental issues.
The US Administration at that time became preoccupied with not only trying to pass more extensive environmental legislation but also implementing the laws. The White House Commission on Executive Reorganization proposed in the Reorganizational Plan of 1970 that a single, independent agency be established, separate from the CEQ. The plan was sent to Congress by President Nixon on 9 July 1970, and a new USEPA began operation on 2 December 1970. The EPA was officially born.
In many ways, the EPA is so broad. The EPA is charged to protect the nation’s air, water, and land. The EPA works with the states and local governments to develop and implement comprehensive environmental programs. The key Federal laws such as the Clean Air Act (CAA); the Clean Water Act (CWA); the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA); the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA); the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA – SUPERFUND); the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA); and the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), all mandate involvement by 50 states and local governments in the detail of implementations.
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