1978: NOAA announces gender-neutral hurricane naming system
Federal News Network presents a daily update of important moments in the history of the U.S. government.
The Environmental Protection Agency was inspired by a rise in public concern about the impact of human activity on the environment in the 1950s and 1960s. On July 9, 1970, President Richard Nixon proposed an executive reorganization that consolidated many environmental responsibilities of the federal government under one agency, and merged antipollution programs from a number of organizations, such as the combination of pesticide programs from the departments of Agriculture and Interior. After conducting hearings during that summer, the House and Senate approved the proposal. The EPA was created 90 days before it had to operate, and officially opened its doors on Dec. 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. At its start, the EPA was primarily a technical assistance agency that set goals and standards. Soon, new acts and amendments passed by Congress gave the agency its regulatory authority. EPA staff recall that in the early days there was “an enormous sense of purpose and excitement,” leading to tens of thousands of resumes from those eager to participate in the mighty effort to clean up America’s environment. When EPA first began operation, members of the private sector felt strongly that the environmental protection movement was a passing fad. The agency’s first Administrator William Ruckelshaus stated that he felt pressure to show a skeptical public that the EPA could respond effectively to widespread concerns about pollution.
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