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50 Years in Review: Milestones in U.S. Environmental Legislation

The past 50 years encompass nearly all of the major milestones in U.S. environmental legislation. Key policies were established for air and water quality, for plant and animal life, to heal the ozone layer, and to combat climate change. Learn about some of the significant moments in U.S. environmental history since the first Earth Day in 1970! 

LEARN ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Earth Day Alarm
April 22, 1970

The First Earth Day

The United States observed the first Earth Day, galvanizing the conservation movement.
April 22, 1970
1970

The Environmental Protection Agency is founded

President Richard Nixon created the EPA to fix, monitor, and enforce national pollution-control guidelines.
1970
1970

The Clean Air Act

A groundbreaking piece of environmental legislation, the Clean Air Act was passed to prevent and reduce air pollution and thereby promote public health and protect the ozone layer.
1970
Take Action - Protect Coral Reef
1972

The Clean Water Act

In response to the public’s increasing concern for the environment, the Clean Water Act was enacted to restore and maintain clean and healthy waters. 
1972
1972

DDT banned

Public outcry over the growing scientific evidence of the bioaccumulation of the toxic pesticide in birds and other organisms led to the near total ban of DDT by the EPA.
1972
1973

The Endangered Species Act

This hallmark piece of legislation obligates federal and state governments to protect all species threatened with extinction that fall within the borders of the United States and its outlying territories.
1973
1980

Superfund

The Superfund was established as a government fund intended to pay for the cleanup of hazardous-waste dump sites and spills. If Superfund monies were used for a site, the pollutors would be sued for reimbursement. 
1980
1988

Montreal Protocol Ratified

The United States was one of the original 46 signatories of this landmark international treaty that aimed to regulate the chemicals that contribute to the depletion of Earth’s ozone layer. 
1988
1990

Oil Pollution Act

Following the catastrophic Exxon-Valdez oil spill in Alaska, the Oil Pollution Act was enacted to strengthen the EPA’s capacity to prevent and respond to oil spills. 
1990
2016

U.S. Signs Paris Agreement

The United States joined nearly every country in the world in signing the Paris Agreement to address the climate crisis. President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the U.S. from the international treaty, though the formal exiting process does not conclude until late 2020. 
2016

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