Environmentalism in Politics, Nixon sets precedence
Richard Nixon and the Environment
Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States. He was a Republican politician, born into a poor family from California. He spent many years in the public eye, including eight years as vice-president under Dwight D. Eisenhower. President Nixon was in office from 1969-1974; during a time when preservation of our natural world was perhaps at its lowest, present day excluded. Chemicals and pollution were being dumped into rivers, lakes and streams with disregard to public safety. Fish and marine life were being poisoned and dying. So were people. People in places like Love Canal were protesting and pleading for someone to help them.
Perhaps a President with a background in commercial law? Prior to entering politics, Richard Nixon was part of the California bar and practiced commercial litigation for local petroleum companies. President Nixon had many notable accomplishments but the most outstanding for the purpose here is the development of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. The EPA set parameters and regulations on corporations and pollution. Nixon also started the Clean Air Act of 1970 and Environmental Policy Act that required environmental impact reports for federal projects.
As a Republican president Nixon made waves and turned heads with his support of the conservation movement in the 1970’s. Nixon relied a lot on his domestic advisor who indicated that keeping with the movement would gain him supporters in the future. He wasn’t wrong and Richard Nixon won a second term as president in a landslide victory. Unfortunately his term was cut short due to the Watergate Scandal and Nixon resigned from the presidency, the first president of the United States to do so. In his retirement Nixon made several trips overseas and despite public scrutiny accepted a pardon from President Ford. Richard Nixon died in 1994. Source
The Environmental Protection Agency.
The Environmental Protection Agency is an independent executive agency of the federal government of the United State. The EPA has the authority to write regulations regarding the safety of the people and environment. These regulations can be challenged by the court system and the EPA must provide reports stating why they are needed. The EPA has been involved with many different programs including but not limited to: Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. Source
President Nixon had often and repeatedly approached congress to pass his bills and approve the programs he attempted to put in place for the protection of our land, water and air. Please take a moment and watch this YouTube video.Nixon pleads with congress The more research that I do, the more I begin to understand that it isn't so much the public face of the presidency, but the people who sit in judgement on them that actually make or break our laws. This has been mind opening for me, especially considering the state of the United States today.
From a student who didn't publish their comment:
ReplyDelete"Its safe to say the 1970 conservation movement opened up peoples eyes to protecting natural preserves and saving the environment but I don't think it happened right away. It took a while for peoples heads to actually turn and say we arrest living sustainably. I was unaware that there was multiple attempts though to pass many laws that did look after our land enforced by Nixon. The environmental protection agency did a lot more then I though including the Clean air act, clean water act, safe drinking water act ext. Although personally I think a lot of his work has been diminished by the following presidents. But it is still within reach to keep protecting our lands. The toxins and pollutions we leave now will effect generations to come. As you stated" it isn't so much the public face of the presidency, but the people who sit in judgement on them that actually make or break our laws." "