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Yellowstone Act
Congress created Yellowstone, the first national park to set aside land for the enjoyment of the public and preservation of nature. This marks the first major government effort to preserve nature. -
Burton Act
In order to preserve Niagra Falls from hydroelectric power facilities, the Burton Act was passed. By preventing human intervention, we have allowed for Niagra Falls to remain one of the aesthetic tourist sites in America. -
Georgia v. Tennessee Copper Co. and Ducktown Sulphur
In a Supreme Court ruling, Tennessee Copper Company was ordered to regulate fumes traveling across state lines. This event marked the beginnings of pollution regulation. Such a ruling has enabled us to go about our daily lives without worrying about pollution from increasingly industrial states nearby. -
National Park Service
In 1906, Congress established the National Park Service to advocate land preservation. This event enabled the proliferation of National Parks; today, national parks compromise 4% of preserved land in the United States. -
NY v. NJ and Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners
In 1921, New York sued New Jersey for dumping sewage into the New York Harbor. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey and the dumping continued. This case communicates the importance of practicality; although dumping into the river is not environmentally friendly, expelling pollution in any other way is too economically unviable to consider. Sometimes, economic concerns overrule environmental ones. -
President Franklin Roosevelt New Deal Plan CCC
Roosevelt recruited thousands of unemployed men into a "peacetime army" called the Civilian Conservation Corps. They protected against erosion and destruction of natural resources. This plan was important because it combatted unemployment while building public works and enhancing public parks. Furthermore, this plan shows that it is possible to simultaneously enact economics and preservation efforts. -
Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act
This act was an effort to to reduce the possibility and detriments of Dust Bowl storms. This act also attempted to manage land use and conservation. It demonstrates the power of the government and its ability to aid an entire area devastated by a natural disaster. -
Everglades National Park
This park was established by Truman right after "The Everglades: River of Grass" was published. This park demonstrates the power vested in literature and its influence on the people/government. -
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, a book discussing the dangers of pesticides in regard to water and wildlife. This book serves as an exmaple of how literature can influence views of preservation of nature. -
Clean Air Act
Congress passed the Clean Air Act in an attempt to regulate air pollution and emissions. This is one of the first instances in which government regulated air pollution. It's important to regulate pollution so that we may breathe clean air. -
NASA "Blue Marble" Photo
NASA released a photo of earth taken from space to give Americans an outside look of their planet. This photograph helped raise awareness about environmental issues. -
National Environmental Policy Act
This Act demanded that all branches of government give consideration to the environment prior to building airports, buildings, military complexes, highways, parks, and other projects. This was one of the first laws to estabish a national framework for environmental protection. -
Cuyahoga River Fire
In 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught fire because of various chemicals floating atop the war. This disaster sparked widespread awareness about the dangers and threats of pollution. -
First Earth Day
The first Earth Day was celebrated in the United States on April 22, 1970. It was organized by Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes and was significant because it promotes mankind to care for its home- Earth. -
Endangered Species Act
Congress introduces the Endangered Species Act, which protects endangered species from possible extinction. This act is siginificant because it regulates threats to wildlife and protects them. It also proved the legitimacy of the endangered species list. -
Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill et al.
The federal government, through the TVA, began construction on an $80 million dam on the Little Tennessee River when an endangered species, the snail darter, was found upstream. Potential flooding of the reservoir posed a threat to the species so the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hill, the scientist who discovered the fish. This ruling was the first major federal action on endangered species since the Endangered Species Act. -
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
Established to provide funds for cleaning uncontrolled/abandoned hazardous waste sites as well as accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of pollutants/contaminants. The program is pivotal in cleaning up biohazards around the country; it is active to this day. -
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
Congress passed this act, which designated over 100 million acres to parks, wildlife regugees, and wilderness areas throughout Alaska. This act was a significant step in federal intervention for wildlife preserves and maintaining a clean environment. -
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol was an international treaty that was created to eliminate ozone-depleting hydrocarbons from the environment. It is also deemed the best example of international cooperate to date. This treaty is important because it significantly reduced dangerous hydrocarbonds around the world. -
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil off the coast of Alaska at Prince William Sound. This incident resulted in the Exxon v. Baker trial. Images of an oil soaked ocean showed the dangers of extracting minerals from the earth. This case further instilled the idea of caution when dealing with the environment. -
Oil Pollution Act
The Oil Pollution Act states the EPA's ability to prevent and clean spills. Oil spills heavily damage marine life, thus, cleaning and preventing oil spills is vital in saving animals and plants of the water -
Kyoto Protocol
Countries around the world pledged to reduce the emission of gases. Due to globar warning, there seems to be an increase in unusual weather patters and a hole in the ozone layer, a stratum of the atmosphere that protects us from UV rays. -
An Inconvenient Truth
US VP Al Gore released an "Inconvenient Truth" and won the Nobel Prize for his attempt at raising awareness of Global Warming. Al Gore helped spread the word that our environment is being heavily polluted us, thus making us take the concept of sustainiblity into further consideration. -
Massachusetts v. EPA
In 2007, Massachusetts filed a suit against EPA for not establishing a greenhouse gas requirement. EPA argued that they couldn't handle state affairs, but they lost. Due to this ruling, states are able to regulate laws for greenhouse gases. Rulings like this are vital to providing American citizens with a clean place to live. -
San Francisco Oil Spill
A South Korean ship struck a tower, spilling around 58000 gallons of oil in the San Francisco Bay. Many seabirds were injured or killed. According to scientists, this spill leave damage in regards to marine life and birds several years into the future. This incident shows how fragile marine life is.