Essay On Richard Nixon

"The Congress, the Administration and the public all share a profound commitment to the rescue of our natural environment, and the preservation of the Earth as a place both habitable by and hospitable to man." (epa.gov) President Richard Nixon delivered this quote in his State of the Union Address of 1970 in order to establish a baseline for environmental protection in the United States. Nixon wished to fix the problems established with the start of the industrial revolution in order to create better environmental conditions for the future. As his first official act of 1970, he signed into law the National Environmental Policy Act which established the Council on Environmental Quality. Though some citizens became concerned with Nixon’s policies,

He served as a U.S. Representative and Senator in California, the vice president to Dwight D. Eisenhower, and eventually the 37th president of the United States once elected in 1969. His win against both Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace sparked the progress for some of Nixon’s many accomplishments while in office, many being part of his remarkable and innovative environmental

In February of 1970, Nixon gave an environmental message calling for a new air quality legislation. Nixon believed the Clean Air Act of 1967, which had been previously enacted and depended primarily on standards set by states, had inconsistent standards put forth by the states and had long delays of implementation. He proposed national standards for 'ambient air quality' and 'hazardous emissions' and gave an environmental message in 1971 to state that he would propose a Clean Air Emissions Charge of emissions related to sulfur oxides, as it pollutes the atmosphere. (Train 189) The Clean Air Emissions Charge against sulfur oxide appeared in the Pure Air Tax Act of 1972, but ultimately, congress failed to act on Nixon's proposal due to the fact that these proposals were seen as a radical way to approach pollution reduction. (191) Similarly in 1970, President Nixon started a series of four annual messages he sent to congress regarding the basis of his environmental program. The first message sent called for a new comprehensive water quality legislation for wastewater treatment facilities. Another asked for an extension on water quality programs run by the government to all navigable waters and a national enforcement program. (188) Due to these requests, congress enacted the