U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in July 1970, a landmark year for environmental concerns, having been preceded by the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in January 1970, the passage of the Clean Air Act (CAA) Extension of 1970, and the celebration of the first Earth Day in April 1970. President Richard Nixon and Congress, working together in response to the growing public demand for cleaner air, land, and water, sought to create a new agency of the federal government structured to make a coordinated attack on the pollutants that endanger human health and degrade the environment. The EPA was charged with repairing the damage already done to the environment and with instituting new policies designed...