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Chopping of Mother of the Forest
Workers try to chop down an enormous tree in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They managed to kill it, but the outrage over the act leads to calls for a national park system, which will help protect forests from further destruction in isolated areas. -
Cholera Epidemic of 1855
The water of many places, mostly in crowded cities, was very polluted due to the fast urbanization and creation of crowded cities with little thought towards sanitation. Scientists soon traced a cholera epidemic to polluted water. This gave awareness to the people that their environment needs to be kept clean in order for them to stay healthy. -
Rockefeller Started the Standard Oil Company
By refining 90 percent of American oil, Rockefeller allowed a large amount of oil to go out to consumers who used it for their machines. This caused pollution of the air from both the refining factories and the machines that used the oil. -
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The building of transcontinental railroads
The building of the railroads caused many issues. The land was covered in tracks on which large, coal-burning trains drove. The pollution caused by the railroads was extensive due to the extensive use of the new form of transportation. -
National Coast Anti Pollution League
National Coast Anti Pollution League is formed by officials were concerned about oil and sewage pollution detracting from tourism.
The issue of water pollution is confronted and actions are made to clean the water and prevent future pollution. -
Clean Air Act
This act aimed to reduce the amount of smog, smoke, and air pollution in general caused by the smoke-belching coal-burning facilities and transportations.
Due to the cramped cities filled with large power plants and transportation such as cars and trains, the air was very dirty and unhealthy to breathe. -
Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act
This act set vehicle exhaust emission standards. These included 72% reduction for hydrocarbons, 56% reduction for carbon monoxide, and 100% reduction for crankcase hydrocarbons. This reduced acid rain, created better air quality, and strove to slow down the decomposition of the ozone layer. -
Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966
This was the start of endangered species laws and provided some support and safety for endangered animals. This inclued the prohibition of killing these animals within the national wildlife refuge system and allowed for people to aqcuire habitats for them.
Protecting these animals was not required, but only suggested.
This included only vertebrates like the bison, which previously roamed the great plains but were killed off due to the building of the transcontinental railroad in the late 1800s. -
The Burning Cuyahoga River
On June 22, 1969, oil and chemicals in the Cuyahoga River in catch fire in Cleveland, Ohio. The fire was caused by the disposal of the wastes of industrial facilities into the river. -
Endangered Species Conservation Act
This was an amendment to the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. It began to protect amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, and crustaceans, groups previously unprotected. -
National Environmental Policy Act
Ths includes the declaration of national environmental policies and goals, establishment of provisions to enforce these policies and goals, and the establishment of a Council on Environmental Quality in the Executive Office of the President, which coordinates federal environmental efforts in the United States.
This act was caused by concerns for the environment caused by harmful industrial machinery and the carelessness of people towards the environment. -
Endangered Species Act of 1973
This is yet another amendment on the previous endangered species acts. It was signed by President Richard Nixon and was made to protect endangered species from complete extinction even more than the previous laws.
It was written by scientists and lawyers and provided more protection for endangered species. It also protected the environment on which the species survive. -
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
This faced the problems of the increasing amount of wastes being dumped in America. It strove to protect human health and the environment from the harmful wastes such as chemicals. It also conserved energy and natural resources and ensured that wastes were taken care of in a way that preserved the health of the environment. -
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA)
This act regulates the environmental effects of coal mining in the United States.
It also created the Office of Surface Mining.
Surface mining damages the vegetation and water sources. By using large machinery, the coal is able to be dug out and transported quickly, but it horribly hurts the environment and leave the soil infertile. -
The Clean Water Act
This act aimed to eliminate releases of toxic substances into water from sources such as industrial facilities (manufacturing, oil, gas) and other water pollution. -
Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was asked to force that federal agency make carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases caused by industrial machines and large, smoke-puffing plants polutants. -
LD 2126, "An Act To Minimize Carbon Dioxide Emissions from New Coal-Powered Industrial and Electrical Generating Facilities in the State."
Due to the increasing awareness of the disastrous effects of greenhouse gasses, the Board of Environmental Protection was told to develop greenhouse gas emission standards for coal facilities.
This act also put the development of new coal-burning facilities on hold until concrete restrictions and standards are created.
