Pollution of our environment is an issue that concerns each and
every one of us. "The threat of environmental degradation now looms
greater than the threat of nuclear war." Patrick Henry said, "I know no
way of judging the future but by the past." In the past man has trampled
on the environment.
"The word 'ecology' means 'a study of home.'" It means
discovering what damage man has done, then finding ways to fix it.The Environmental
Protection Agency is trying to fix our home, the planet Earth.
Destruction of forests, land degradation, atmosperic
contamination, and water scarcity are some of the major environmental
problems. In 1970, the EPA was created by President Nixon to protect the
public health and environment. The cancer-causing DDT was banned in 1972
and was found accumulating in the food chain. The use of lead in
gasoline was phased out in '73 which caused lead levels to drop 98%. In
'74 the agency required drinking water to be physically and chemically
treated. CFCs were banned in '78 and a nation-wide toxic waste site
cleanup program was developed in 1980. The EPA then evacuated Times
Beach, Montana for dangerous levels of dioxin in soil, which was then
criticized for its heavyhandedness and arrogance. Charges of
mismanagement and undue political influence caused the head of the EPA to
resign in '83. "The deputy director resigns because of charges of making
a 'hit list' of employees to be hired, fired, or promoted because of
political leanings. The former head of the toxic waste cleanup is found
guilty of perjury and obstructing congressional inquiry. A regulation
requiring treatment of hazardous wastes before disposal underground was
made in 1984." The spill of the Exxon Valdez caused the Environmental
Protection Agency to be ctiticized for slow response in '89. Texas
Eastern Gas Pipeline was fined $15 million for the contamination of PCB
at 89 sites in '90. They were also required to pay $750 million in
cleanups. "The EPA then develops the new Clean Air Act which required
states to demonstrate progress toward meeting national air quality
standards for harmful pollutants such as smog and carbon monoxide." The
EPA issued a report in 1990 ranking the most serious threats to the
environment and to human health. The highest-risk problems to human
health are air pollution, exposure to toxic chemicals, and pollution of
drinking water. In '91, $25 million in fines was given by Exxon
Corporation and Exxon Shipping and the U.S. and Alaskan governments
received $100 million. They also estimated a $900 million redemption
fund. In '93, the EPA announced that secondhand smoke can cause cancer,
which the tobacco industry representatives said were inconclusive. The
Clinton administration then doubled the list of chemicals that must be
publicly reported under community right-to-know laws in 1994. There was
then a proposal to cut their budget by $1 billion from a Republican
controlled Congress, to the level it was 15 years ago.
"The Environmental Protection Agency has made the country a
better place for people to live," according to EPA Administrator Carol
Browner. But notice other comments that have been made about them. "The
federal EPA is enmeshed in political controversy and a struggle for its
very existance." When it was created in December 1970, they have been
embroiled in one drama after another- both environmental and political.
"Congress distrusts it, businesses hate it, and even its friends
criticize it.
The EPA has made a commendable effort at trying to protect our
environment. For instance, in reducing indoor pollution where we see
non-smoking areas designated and the restriction of cigarette ads from
television have helped people in general. The recycling effort, the
disposal of toxic wastes, and the passage of laws to protect our
environment have been beneficial, however, special interest groups and
lobbyists have made their job difficult. Because of the controversy and
termoil in and out of the agency, would certainly indicate that the EPA
is not capable of solving our environmental problems.
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