Environmental Law Timeline

Environmental Law Timeline

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Also in 1970

First Earth Day

Organized by Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes, Earth Day was started to try and spread environmental awareness across America, and is now celebrated across the globe.

Safe Drinking Water Act

Passed by Congress, the act gave the EPA the ability to regulate public drinking water, and is still enforced today.

Clean Air Act

This was the first such act passed by Congress, and showed that the government was finally starting to realize that we needed to do something about air pollution and emissions.

The Antarctic Treaty

This treaty protects Antarctica from being a site for the dumping of nuclear waste. The treaty, now having been signed by 46 countries, was a very good movement to protect a relatively untouched continent.

Congress establishes the National Park Service

This shows a movement toward protecting America's land, even though there were relatively few national parks at the time. Now, there are approximately 400, showing that this service was definitely needed.

"Blue Marble" photo is released

The first 'outside' look of the Earth, given to Americans by NASA, showed Americans that it is important to protect our planet. In doing so, the photo also helped bring awareness about environmental problems.

William Penn, governor of the Pennsylvania colony, orders colonists to conserve one tree for every five that they cut down.

This marks the first effort made to preserve natural resources and was an attempt to help forests last for future generations.

Establishment of the EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was created by President Nixon and aimed to help man and nature work together harmoniously. Today, the EPA works as a kind of environmental police force, regulating laws designed to preserve the environment.

An Inconvenient Truth

Released by Al Gore, presidential candidate and former vice president, this book tried to raise awareness about global warming and was made into a documentary that same year. Gore received the Nobel Peace Prize for this the next year.

Exxon Valdez oil spill

11 million gallons of oil were dumped into the Prince William Sound (Alaska) and brought oil-covered ocean life to the attention of Americans. However, the spill also led to Exxon v. Baker, in which punitive damages awarded to victims were significantly decreased.

Missouri v. Illinois and the Sanitary District of Chicago

This court case was definitely not a positive moment in environmental history, as Chicago was allowed to empty their sewers into rivers. However, this was the first time that the matter of pollution in rivers was raised, which is a step toward a step forward.

Emergency Conservation Work Act passes

Not only did this act provide thousands of jobs in the new Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, but it also was a big improvement for conservation. The young men working in the CCC tried to protect against soil erosion (important during the Dust Bowl) as well as the destruction of natural resources.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund)

The establishment of this act provided funds for cleaning hazardous waste sites that have been abandoned or are uncontrolled, in addition to other forms of pollution and contaminants. The EPA was also given the power to prosecute polluters through this act.

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1964

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Passage of the Wilderness Act

The act established the National Wilderness Preservation System, which aimed to protect and preserve the American wilderness for future generations.

Endangered Species Act

The act was an attempt by Congress to prevent species from going extinct. Today, many species have been removed from the list, but others have also been added.

Ignition of the Cuyahoga River

This Cleveland river was so polluted that it caught fire, the images of which were captured and published in Time magazine. These pictures spread awareness about pollution nationwide.

Kyoto Protocol

Many countries around the world agreed to try to reduce emission of gases that contribute to global warming. The U.S., however, was not one of the countries, despite being one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gases.

The Montreal Protocol

This international treaty was signed by many countries with the intent of eliminating ozone-depleting hydrocarbons from the environment. The production of harmful hydrocarbons has significantly decreased since this treaty.

Passage of the Yellowstone Act.

Yellowstone was the first national park in the U.S. and aimed to protect the natural resources and beauty of the land. The park also served to educate people on why this land needs to be protected.

The Everglades: River of Grass

Written by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, this book drew attention to the wonder of the Everglades, which was quickly being destroyed at the time. This book also mustered support for President Truman's establishment of Everglades National Park later this same year.

Silent Spring

Published near the end of Rachel Carson's life, this book began the modern environmental movement in the U.S. It brought the dangers of DDT to the public's attention and led to the government banning the use of pesticides like DDT.

Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill et al.

The construction of Tellico Dam by the TVA, costing $80 million, was stopped by Hiram Hill, a scientist, because the dam would harm the newly discovered snail darter fish population. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hill, despite the amount of money already spent.

Passage of Raker Act

This act authorized the flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley and the building of O'Shaughnessy Dam in Yosemite, which environmentalist John Muir had spent the final years of his life fighting. This was also a setback, because the needs of the environment were ignored.

San Francisco Oil Spill

A container ship heading to South Korea ran into a tower supporting the Bay Bridge and spilled 58,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay. The oil immediately killed and injured many seabirds and threatened the lives of all of the Bay's inhabitants. The oil spread rapidly, and several beaches had to be closed.

New York v. New Jersey and Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners

As in the Mississippi River case, the Supreme Court once again ruled to allow sewage dumping to continue, this time by New Jersey in the New York harbor. This is once again a setback for environmentalists, as well as our nation's waters.