EPA History

Early part of 19th centenary and till 1970, the use of DDT was prevalent in agriculture crops and forest. Although the use of DDT kept insects away from agriculture but they also killed wildlife. The soil was getting day by day poisons and birds eating stuff from soil were dying.

It took Rachel Carson’s book about protecting environment under name - Silent Spring – to create mass awareness in American public. The book was instrumental in creating interest in public about environment and need to protect it. The discussion and debate ran from county to state capitol and to Washington DC. State government came with different laws to protect environment and punish pesticide polluters. All these different laws and their meaning made laws to understand difficult and there interprettion to common public was very little.

Finally, it was in 1969 under the leadership of Richard Nixon then president of America to establish a environment policy and a group to advice government on environmental related matters. Further more president signed memorandum for national environment policy act (NEPA). This was first step by government to involve federal authorities in environment related matters. Within couple of years new agency was constituted under name EPA.

EPA monitors pollution, air quality, water, hygiene, waste management and other environment related issues. Over the years EPA has come long way in reconstructing laws and environment programs.

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