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.
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Interview with James (Jim) Seif
Jim Seif, former Regional Administrator in EPA’s Region 3 and Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection discusses his experiences during a 45-year career in environmental regulation.
Chapter 3: Program Management & Public/Private Partnerships
(18 minutes) From Former Deputy Administrator Hank Habicht talks about management at EPAHank Habicht describes his approach to program management within EPA and the importance of Public/Private Partnerships, including specific program examples.
Chapter 7: Major Accomplishments
(5 minutes) From Reflections on US Environmental Policy: Interview with William K. ReillyBill Reilly reflects on the major accomplishments during his tenure, with an emphasis on the Clean Air Act and environmental education.
Chapter 1: The Public and Social Context for the Creation of EPA
(16 minutes) From Behind the Scenes at the Creation of EPA in 1970Chuck Elkins describes events leading to President Nixon's decision to create EPA and details the status of environmental programs at time of EPA's creation.
Chapter 1: Introduction: A New Challenge for EPA
(10 minutes) From The Anthrax Cleanup on Capitol HillWorking under severe time pressure and under intense scrutiny by a nation still reeling from the 9/11 attacks just one week earlier, EPA and an interagency task force are given a challenge never be...
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."
Waste Management: A Half Century of Progress
From Waste Management: A Half Century of ProgressCategories: RCRA
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.
Chemical Waste Cleanup
From Chemicals and the Environment, Nov. 1981Categories: Enforcement, Industry, Toxics
Safe Drinking Water Act Reform
From Clean Water Agenda: Remaking the Laws that Protect Our Water Resources, Jun. 1994Categories: Water: Drinking
Update
From Environmental Risk, Nov. 1987Categories: Air: Mobile, Pesticides, Superfund, Water: Drinking, Water: General
EPA's Unique Soil Research Laboratory by William C. Galegar
From Land and the Environment, Jul. 1980Categories: Research, Toxics, Water: Drinking
Books & Articles by Alumni
Some of the most detailed history of EPA is contained in books and articles written by alumni.
Chapter 3. The Uncertainty of Risk but the Reality of Cost
From Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Time: Healing America's Chemical Wounds by Glenn E. SchweitzerCategories: Toxics
Chapter 8. Exceeding the Absorptive Limits of the Global Commons
From Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Time: Healing America's Chemical Wounds by Glenn E. SchweitzerCategories: Toxics
Cleaning up America: An Insider's View of EPA by John Quarles
From Cleaning up America: An Insider's View of EPA by John Quarles
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.
Creation of EPA: Message to Congress
From Creation of EPA: Message to Congress
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
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