Visualizing Environmental Science

Greg Dale/NG Image Collection

Joshua Tree National Park,



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Formerly a national monument, Joshua Tree

was declared a national park in 1994.

of these laws have been around in some form since the

middle of the 20th century, but new laws and amendments

in the early 1970s created the basis for environmental

law as we know it today.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), part of

the executive branch of the federal government, is respon-

sible for translating each law’s language into specific regu-

lations. Before the EPA can enforce new regulations, sev-

eral rounds of public comments allow affected parties to

present their views. The EPA is required to r espond to all

of these comments. The Office of Management and Bud-

get then assesses the anticipated environmental impacts of

each new regulation. Implementation and enforcement

often fall to state governments, which must send the EPA

details for achieving the goals of the new regulations.

Accomplishments of

Environmental Legislation

During the period since Earth Day 1970, Congress has

updated or passed almost 40 major environmental laws

that address a wide range of issues, such as endangered

species, clean water, clean air, energy conservation, haz-

ardous wastes, and pesticides. This tough interlocking

mesh of laws has greatly improved environmental quality.

Despite imperfections, environmental legislation has

had overall positive effects. Since 1970,

s Fifteen national parks have been established (Fig-

ure 3.11), and the National Wilderness Preservation

into NEPA—particularly the provision for public scru-
tiny, which places intense pressure on federal agencies
to respect EIS findings.
NEPA revolutionized environmental protection
in the United States. Federal agencies manage federal
highway construction, flood and erosion control, mili-
tary projects, and many other public works. They over-
see nearly one-third of the land in the United States.
Federal holdings include fossil fuel and mineral reserves,
millions of hectares of public grazing land, and public
forests. Since 1970 few federal activities have been initi-
ated without some sort of environmental review. NEPA
has also influenced environmental legislation in at least
36 states and in many other countries.
Although almost everyone agrees that NEPA has suc-
cessfully reduced adverse environmental impacts of federal
activities and projects, it has its critics. Some environmen-
talists complain that EISs are sometimes incomplete or
that reports are ignored when decisions are made. Other
critics think the EISs delay important projects (“paralysis
by analysis”) because the documents are too involved, take
too long to prepare, and are often the targets of lawsuits.

Environmental Regulations

In the United States, Congress has passed federal laws
including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to serve
as the foundation of environmental management. Most