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.
The Anthrax Cleanup on Capitol Hill
This documentary tells the story of how EPA, the National Institutes of Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Center for Communicable Diseases (CDC), and other federal military and civilian agencies, working under severe time pressure and in the full glare of intensive media coverage, collaborated to solve a scientific and engineering challenge never before faced -- the decontamination of an entire building contaminated with deadly anthrax spores.
Chapter 2: Move to Washington
(22 minutes) From David Dominick, Commissioner of the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (1969-1970)David Dominick describes the interesting days at the beginning of the Nixon Administration with the appointment of Wally Hickel, Governor of Alaska, as the Secretary of the Interior, and environmen...
Chapter 2: Chernobyl's Radiation Emergency
(8 minutes) From Interview with Lee Thomas, EPA's 6th AdministratorLee Thomas describes his being put in charge of handling the consequences for the United States of the Chernobyl Radiation Emergency in the Soviet Union.
Chapter 5: EPA Leadership and Staff
(3 minutes) From Reflections on US Environmental Policy: Interview with William K. ReillyBill Reilly discusses how his view of the EPA staff changed (in a favorable direction) once he arrived at the Agency. He also discusses his approach to choosing the Agency's political lea...
Chapter 3: DDT & the Clean Air Act of 1970
(13 minutes) From Bill Ruckelshaus and some of his closest aides recall the Opening Months of the New Agency in 1970Bill Ruckelshaus talks about his taking on two difficult problems--tailpipe emissions of automobiles and DDT.
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."
Drinking Water: A Half Century of Progress
From Drinking Water: A Half Century of ProgressCategories: Water: Drinking
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.
Revisiting the Lead Phasedown by Richard G. Kozlowski
From The Challenge of Ozone Pollution, Oct. 1987Categories: Air: Mobile, Lead
Of Offshore Oil, The Nile River and Plagues
From Furor over Offshore Drilling, Mar. 1976Categories: Water: General
Ozone Loss: Modern Tools for a Modern Problem by David Lee
From Trading for the Future: New Approaches to Environmental Protection, May. 1992Categories: Air: General, Policy and Planning
Update
From Searching for Environmental Safety, Nov. 1983Categories: Air: General, Air: Stationary, Enforcement, Other Federal Agencies, Pesticides, Policy and Planning, Radiation, States, 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 1: Toxic Chemicals Move to Center Stage
From Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Time: Healing America's Chemical Wounds by Glenn E. SchweitzerCategories: Air: General, Toxics
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 4. Explaining Risks to an Aroused Public
From Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Time: Healing America's Chemical Wounds by Glenn E. SchweitzerCategories: Toxics
Chapter 2. Controlling 3000 chemicals: One by One
From Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Time: Healing America's Chemical Wounds by Glenn E. SchweitzerHistorical 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
Creation of EPA: Message to Congress
From Creation of EPA: Message to Congress
White House Fact Sheet re Creation of EPA
From White House Fact Sheet re Creation of 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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