The date will never resonate like July 4, 1776, or December 7, 1941, or 9/11, but Aug. 8, 1974 -- exactly 38 years ago today -- was a monumentally important day for those of us old enough to remember it. It was on a Thursday evening that Richard Nixon announced he was stepping down as President of the United States — the first president in U.S. history to resign from office, and so far, the only one. I was about to enter my junior year of college, and for my friends and me, it was a day to celebrate. We pretty much hated Nixon. He had failed to end the Vietnam War with the so-called “secret plan” he’d promised as a candidate back in 1968. In fact, he escalated it by bombing Cambodia, a ploy that led to the tragic Kent State shootings. He kept an enemies list of people he thought were out to get him, and he masterminded and covered up a burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel, a sleazy bit of thuggery that culminated in his disgrace and ultimate resignation.

I despised Nixon so much back then that even now it’s hard for me to get it into my head that he was a hero in at least one important way: he was a champion of protecting the environment, like no president before him since Teddy Roosevelt, and like no president since. fresh air focus air purifierThe list of his green accomplishments — things he actually initiated, and laws he approved with his signature — is truly impressive. best solvent for cleaning paint gunThey include (deep breath, now):air purifier refills — The National Environmental Policy Act (1969), which among other things required that all federal agencies produce environmental impact statements on the possible negative effects of any and all regulations.

It also created the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. — The Environmental Protection Agency (1970). — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 1970). Proposed by Nixon “...for better protection of life and property from natural hazards...for a better understanding of the total environment...[and] for exploration and development leading to the intelligent use of our marine resources...” That's what he wanted, and that's what the agency does. — The Clean Air Act (1970). Before the act, America’s skies were filthy. Afterward, they weren’t exactly pristine, but they were dramatically better, and later amendments cleaned the air up even more. — Earth Week (1971). OK, something of a gimmick, but still, Nixon endorsed it to commemorate the first anniversary of Earth Day. He may not have sported Birkenstocks, but in some ways the man was practically a tree-hugger. — The Clean Water Act (1972). If this is beginning to sound like the green legislation hall of fame, it’s not just you.

— The Endangered Species Act (1973):  Even if this was all Nixon had achieved, he would rank among one of our greenest presidents. His opponents claimed, naturally, that all of these seemingly noble gestures were politically motivated. Nixon didn’t care about he environment: he knew lots of Americans did care, and he wanted to divert attention from the disaster in Vietnam. There’s probably a grain of truth in it, but so what? Try to imagine a political leader in either party advocating for such a bold pro-environment agenda today, let along getting even a fraction of Nixon-level laws passed.For all his faults, and there were plenty, Richard Nixon did more for the environment than most of the bona fide environmentalists I know. And for that reason, I can’t quite celebrate Nixon Resignation Day the way I would have imagined back in 1974.Epub 2008 Jun 21.Author information1Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, 3535 Harbor Blvd, Suite 110, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA.

AbstractThe Clean Water Act (CWA) has regulated discharges of contaminants since 1972. However, evaluations of the CWA's effectiveness at improving regional water quality are lacking, primarily because integration of monitoring data from multiple dischargers to assess cumulative effects is not required. A rare opportunity exists to assess CWA effectiveness by integrating mass emissions data from all major sources of contaminants to the Southern California Bight from 1971 to 2000. While the coastal population grew by 56% and total effluent volume increased 31% since 1971, mass emissions of nearly all constituents decreased since passage of the CWA, most by greater than 65%. Publicly owned treatment works were the dominant point source of many contaminants, but also accounted for the greatest reductions in pollutant discharge since 1971. As point source treatment has improved, the relative contribution of non-point sources, such as storm water runoff has increased. Despite the increased importance of storm water discharges, regional monitoring and data compilation of this source is lacking, making it difficult to accurately assess trends in non-point source discharge.

PMID: 18568406 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-008-0408-1 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] MeSH TermsCaliforniaEnvironmental Monitoring/legislation & jurisprudence*Seawater/chemistry*Time FactorsWater MovementsWater Pollutants, Chemical/analysis*SubstancesWater Pollutants, ChemicalFull Text SourcesSpringerMiscellaneousNCI CPTAC Assay Portal in emissions trading: Acid rain and greenhouse gases in environmental economics: Examples of regulation using corrective instruments in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in incrementalism: Public demands for policy reform in toxic waste: Laws Getting into the (Clean Water) ActBy Michael Heintz, MS, JD, senior specialist, environmental laboratories, APHL Raise a glass—of tap water, that is. December 16, 2014 marks the 40 years since the enactment of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Although many states had drinking water standards before SDWA, there was no national standard for public drinking water protections. The 1970s saw a significant wave of environmental statutes enacted by the US government.

President Gerald Ford signed SDWA into law on December 16, 1974. In addition to SDWA, that decade also saw the enactment of the Clean Air Act (1970) and the Clean Water Act (1972), as well as the formation of the US Environmental Protection Agency (1970) and the first Earth Day (1970). But this isn’t a history or civics lesson (well, maybe a little). The question then is: What does the Safe Drinking Water Act do? The Safe Drinking Water Act sets standards for the safety of drinking water including disinfection, filtration, and setting maximum contaminant levels. Public water supplies must meet these minimum, health-based standards when supplying drinking water to 25 or more people. In addition to setting standards for the distributed water, SDWA reaches secondary parts of the drinking water system. For instance, SDWA sets the amount of lead that can be in plumbing products that come in contact with drinking water, and regulates potable water on airline flights. For drinking water that comes from groundwater sources, SDWA requires protections for wellhead zones—those areas where groundwater is extracted for municipal drinking water.

And yes, SDWA protects areas that use surface water as drinking water sources (like rivers, lakes, and reservoirs). There are even whistleblower safeguards for people who report violations of the standards. In total, SDWA is responsible for substantial improvements to public health through virus and chemical removal, source protection, and monitoring and other efforts. It is also important to note, though, that SDWA does not regulate bottled water or private wells (those serving fewer than 25 people). While there are recommendations for private wells, non-public sources of drinking water are largely unregulated. In order to ensure public systems are meeting the SDWA requirements, the law requires certified laboratory testing for drinking water—overseen by a Principal State Laboratory (usually the state public health or environmental laboratory; to learn more, see APHL’s position statement). Those results must be made available to the public in the form of Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs).