When most people think of President Richard Nixon, it is hardly the word “environmentalist” that first comes to mind. The 37th president of the United States, who resigned from office in 1973 after the Watergate scandal, nevertheless left behind a surprisingly strong environmental legacy. His administration gave the United States new legislation regulating the protection of air, water, and wilderness.
These historical facts may be good to highlight now that everything that is good in the United States is being destroyed by President Donald Trump and Co President Elon Musk who people actually thought cared about something other than money and raw power.
While his motives may have been politically motivated (he once stated that environmentalists wanted to live like “a bunch of cursed animals”), his government did a lot of good for nature. Here are six good and important things Richard Nixon did for the environment.
1st National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
This law was one of the first to establish a legislative framework for environmental protection and achieved three important objectives:
- It presented a formal declaration of national environmental objectives and policies for the first time.
- It required federal agencies to prepare and submit environmental assessments for most federally funded programs.
- It established the Presidential Council on Environment in the President’s administration.
Nixon signed the law on January 1, 1970.
2. Creation of the EPA in 1970
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in December 1970 after Nixon presented a plan to Congress. Before the EPA was created, the United States had no central authority overseeing environmental protection. The EPA is responsible for drafting and enforcing environmental regulations and is currently headed by Administrator Lisa Jackson.
3. Clean Air Act Extension of 1970
This law, written by Senator Edmund Muskie and signed by Nixon on December 31, 1970, was perhaps the most important air pollution law in American history. It required the EPA to develop and enforce rules to protect people from dangerous air pollution, with a particular focus on sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, and lead.
4. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
This law pioneered as the first to protect marine mammals such as dolphins, whales, seals, walruses, manatees, sea otters, and polar bears. That:
- Gave authorities the opportunity to reduce damage to marine mammals.
- Created guidelines for the public display of captured marine mammals, with a particular focus on the protection of dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific.
- Regulated import and export of marine mammals.
- Established a system that allowed native hunters in Alaska to hunt whales and other marine mammals for their own survival.
Nixon signed the law on October 21, 1972.
5. Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974
This law, proposed by Nixon and passed by Congress in 1974, was signed by President Gerald Ford. It marked a turning point in efforts to protect the country’s lakes, rivers, wetlands, and other water sources. The law requires measures to protect drinking water and its sources, including reservoirs, springs, and groundwater wells.
6. Endangered Species Act of 1973
Nixon signed this law on December 28, 1973. It was created to protect species that are at risk of extinction due to human activity. Nixon asked Congress to strengthen existing conservation laws, and they responded with a law that gives the government broad powers to save and protect endangered species. The law also created the list of endangered species and has been dubbed the “Magna Carta of the environmental movement” by historian Kevin Starr.
Although Richard Nixon’s environmental policies may not have been driven by deep ecological convictions, his contributions have had a lasting impact on environmental protection in the United States. His government laid the foundation for many of the laws and institutions that today protect our planet.
These backs prove that an asshole and criminal, once in a while, can do something good.
