A Reflection on the EPA

Dear Reader,

Today I wanted to talk about the Environmental Protection Agency, or the EPA.

First, a brief history.

The EPA was born out of crisis. In the 1960s, America was waking up to the environmental damage wrought by decades of industrial growth. Rivers were catching fire (most infamously in 1969, when the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio caught fire due to years of unchecked industrial pollution), smog was choking cities, and pesticides like DDT (or dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, a crystalline chemical compound) were decimating wildlife populations. Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring, had sounded a nationwide alarm, linking pollution and chemical use to widespread ecological harm and public health issues.

By the end of the decade, the public had had enough.

In 1970, under President Richard Nixon, the EPA was established by executive reorganization. It officially opened its doors on December 2 of that year. The idea was to consolidate numerous federal programs under one roof, creating a centralized agency responsible for enforcing environmental regulations and protecting human health.

The timing was key. Just months earlier, on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day had mobilized over 20 million Americans in a massive demonstration for environmental reform. The public's message was clear: protect the planet—or face political consequences.

From that moment forward, the EPA began to carve its legacy. In its first decade, the agency tackled big challenges with landmark legislation:

• The Clean Air Act (1970) gave the EPA the authority to regulate air pollution.

• The Clean Water Act (1972) addressed pollution in the nation’s rivers, lakes, and streams.

• The Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) ensured Americans could trust what came out of their taps.

• The Toxic Substances Control Act (1976) gave the EPA power to track and regulate chemicals.

• And after the Love Canal disaster in New York, Congress created Superfund (1980) to clean up hazardous waste sites.

And more recently:

• The Clean Power Plan (2015) aimed to reduce carbon emissions from power plants to combat climate change.

• The Safer Choice Program encourages manufacturers to use safer chemical ingredients in everyday products.

• New regulations have targeted methane emissions from the oil and gas industry to reduce greenhouse gases.

• The EPA increased efforts to address contamination from PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” linked to health risks.

• Environmental justice initiatives focus on protecting vulnerable communities from disproportionate pollution and hazards.

• Updated water quality standards and lead reduction rules were implemented to improve drinking water safety.

• The EPA has partnered with states to restore wetlands and natural habitats, supporting biodiversity and climate resilience.

• Climate adaptation programs help communities prepare for extreme weather and the impacts of climate change.

The EPA’s work hasn’t always been easy. It has weathered changes in political winds, legal challenges, and criticism from all sides—sometimes accused of overreach, other times of doing too little. But it has always endured.

In the decades since its creation, the EPA has helped phase out lead in gasoline, banned asbestos in many products, improved fuel efficiency standards, and fought for cleaner energy. It’s been on the front lines of climate science and emissions regulation, most recently grappling with the challenges of global warming, environmental justice, and the legacy of industrial pollution in marginalized communities.

But some threats need to be addressed further. Climate change, fossil fuels, microplastics in the ocean, deforestation, and air pollution only barely scratch the surface of the issues concerning our beautiful earth. The EPA stood as a vital player in addressing those. 

The EPA's mission: to protect human health and the environment. Not one or the other, but both, because they're inextricably linked. We are not separate from the ecosystems we inhabit; we are part of them. Therefore, the choices we make that affect the environment in the road ahead will inevitably come back to all living beings.

Environmental protection has never been more important than now. Sustainability serves as the foundation for the future, so it should never be an afterthought. A healthy environment is something that we must all be held accountable for, and one we must all work together to keep. Whether we harm or help our planet will be up to us.

So the next time you find yourself taking the air you breathe and water you drink for granted, remember that it may not be like this forever. The choices we make today will shape the world we leave behind tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Inquisitive Hummingbird