History of the EPA
Below we serve up glimpses of EPA's history in five different "flavors":
Oral History Videos
Alumni have recorded videos on a variety of subjects. Most videos are 45 to 60 minutes in length but are broken down into chapters for easier viewing. Transcripts and podcast versions of these videos are also provided. HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS TO PEEK YOUR INTEREST.
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Early Implementation of the Clean Air Act of 1970 in California
Three former Region 9 employees (John Wise, Dave Calkins, and David Souten) and Bill Ruckelshaus and Mary Nichols tell the story of how EPA applied the new Clean Air Act of 1970 with its stringent standards and deadlines to the very difficult challenge of cleaning up the most polluted region in the nation--the Los Angeles Air Basin.
Chapter 3: Running an Independent Program within a Larger Agency.
(18 minutes) From The Underground Storage Tank Program's Early Management ChallengesHow the UST program ran relatively independently plus Ron Brand's suggestions for "lessons learned."
Chapter 4: Priorities at EPA
(5 minutes) From Reflections on US Environmental Policy: Interview with William K. ReillyBill Reilly discusses the importance of science as the unifying factor at EPA and the need to communicate effectively with the public before crises arise. He also emphasizes the importance of...
Chapter 1: A Public and Private Sector Career in Environmental Protection
(9 minutes) From Interview with James (Jim) SeifJim Seif discusses the origins of his commitment to environmental protection and how this and his political activism have shaped his career
Chapter 4: Leadership at the New Agency
(12 minutes) From Bill Ruckelshaus and some of his closest aides recall the Opening Months of the New Agency in 1970Bill Ruckelshaus's assistants talk about the leadership challenges of those opening months and how Bill Ruckelshaus's leadership style made a big difference in how the Agency operated then ...
Half Century of Environmental Progress
High school and college students as well as others may not know about the major environmental problems and issues encountered in the United States in the latter half of the 20th century, how they were addressed, and the importance of continued vigilance in attacking remaining and evolving issues. This history of EPA has been written for them."
Water Quality: A Half Century of Progress
From Water Quality: A Half Century of ProgressCategories: Water: General
EPA Journals
For many years, EPA published the "EPA Journal" with interesting articles on a very wide variety of topics. The Association is slowly digitizing and categorizing these Journals. To date we have digitized 3034 articles. HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTED ARTICLES FOR YOU TO SAMPLE.
Environmentally Speaking: International Cooperation in Regulating Toxics by Douglas M. Costle
From Protecting Against Poisons, Jul. 1979Categories: Congress, Management of Agency, Policy and Planning, Toxics
Striking a Balance in Pesticide Use by Edwin L. Johnson
From Controlling Pesticide Use, Jun. 1975Categories: Pesticides, Policy and Planning
Going Underground with UST by June Taylor
From Emergency Response in the Gulf and Hazardous Waste Cleanup at Home, Jul. 1991Categories: RCRA
Books & Articles by Alumni
Some of the most detailed history of EPA is contained in books and articles written by alumni.
Before Earth Day: The Origins of American Environmental Law, 1945-1970 by Karl Brooks
From Before Earth Day: The Origins of American Environmental Law, 1945-1970 by Karl Brooks
Chapter 7. The Greening of Industry
From Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Time: Healing America's Chemical Wounds by Glenn E. SchweitzerCategories: Toxics
Chapter 5: Cleaning Up the Wastes of an Industrial Economy
From Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Time: Healing America's Chemical Wounds by Glenn E. SchweitzerCategories: Toxics
Chapter 6. The States Begin to Take Charge
From Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Time: Healing America's Chemical Wounds by Glenn E. SchweitzerCategories: Toxics
Historical Documents
Some documents have made a big difference in the direction that EPA has taken through the years. Here we present some of them.
First Presidential Environmental Message (Nixon) 1970
From First Presidential Environmental Message (Nixon) 1970
Reorganization Plan that Created EPA
From Reorganization Plan that Created EPA
Interview with Alvin Alm in 1993
From Interview of Alvin Alm January 1994Categories: Congress, Economic Impact, Enforcement, Management of Agency, OMB, Other Federal Agencies
White House Fact Sheet re Creation of EPA
From White House Fact Sheet re Creation of EPASearch all history files.
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Headline Media, Bob Bell (Developer), Nicole Lane (Developer), and Chuck Elkins & Barry Gilbert (Members)
Headline Media, Bob Bell (Developer), Nicole Lane (Developer), and Chuck Elkins & Barry Gilbert (Members)