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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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: Early Days of Environmental Enforcement
(8 minutes) From Interview with James (Jim) SeifSeif describes his experience as a young Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting steel companies for water pollution before the Clean Water Act existed and his first tour at EPA as one of the agency&rs...
Chapter 1: A New Approach to a Large Mission but a Small Budget
(14 minutes) From The Underground Storage Tank Program's Early Management ChallengesRon Brand describes the environmental challenges facing the new program and how they chose a franchising approach for dealing with their large management challenge.
Chapter 3: Congressional Approval and the Start Up of the New Agency
(22 minutes) From Behind the Scenes at the Creation of EPA in 1970Chuck Elkins tells of the Congressional hearings that approved the creation of EPA and describes the heady opening days at EPA in 1970 and 1971.
Chapter 1: Major Elements of the Legislation and their Historical Context
(33 minutes) From Early Implementation of the Safe Drinking Water ActIn this chapter the panelists discuss the context for the passage of the legislation and the major components of the program.
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."
The Air We Breathe: A Half Century of Progress
From The Air We Breathe: A Half Century of ProgressCategories: Air: General, Air: Mobile, Air: Stationary
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.
The Coastal Environment: Wetlands: An Interview with David Davis
From Can Our Coasts Survive More Growth?, Sep. 1989Categories: Policy and Planning, Water: Wetlands
New Sponges Found at Ocean Dumpsite
From Research on the Plains, Nov. 1976Categories: Radiation, Solid Waste, Water: General
Books & Articles by Alumni
Some of the most detailed history of EPA is contained in books and articles written by alumni.
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
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 10. Living with Toxic Risks
From Borrowed Earth, Borrowed Time: Healing America's Chemical Wounds by Glenn E. SchweitzerCategories: 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
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.
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 EPA
First Presidential Environmental Message (Nixon) 1970
From First Presidential Environmental Message (Nixon) 1970
Reorganization Plan that Created EPA
From Reorganization Plan that Created 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)