THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT Lecture 2 The New Environmentalism

THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT Lecture 2

The New Environmentalism of the 1960 s n Prior to the 1960 s, environmentalism focused on preservation of wilderness and conservation of resources. The environmental movement flourished in the 1960 s in the midst of the Civil Rights, Peace and Women’s movements. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring brought to public attention the dangers of environmental pollution to public health, such as the use of DDT, and sparked the beginning of modern environmentalism. 1 n 1

DDT and Bioaccumulation

The New Environmentalism of the 1960 s n As people became more aware of environmental issues, such as air and water pollution, radiation, pesticide poisoning and other problems, they demanded the federal government take more responsibility. Public concern for the environment became clear during the Earth Day demonstrations of 1970. 1 n 1

The New Environmentalism In response to the environmental movement, several laws emerged to regulate environmental pollution and protect natural resources. Some of the most important laws that determine how the Mississippi River is managed are: n The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 n The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA), 1972 n Upper Mississippi River Management Act (UMRMA) of 1986

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 “The purposes of this Act are: To declare a national policy which will encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment; to promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man; to enrich the understanding of the ecological systems and natural resources important to the Nation; and to establish a Council on Environmental Quality. ” Sec. 2 [42 USC § 4321].

National Environmental Policy Act n n Amended in 1969 Signed into law January 1, 1970 by President Nixon Congress recognized the need to create a policy to protect the environment for present and future generations. The law applies only to federal agencies and requires that prior to taking any “major” or “significant” action, the agency consider the environmental impact of that action. “All agencies of the Federal Government shall include in every recommendation or report on proposals for legislation and other major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, a detailed statement by the responsible official on the action’s potential environmental impacts, adverse impacts that cannot be avoided, and alternatives to the proposed action. ” The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. [42 USC]. http: //www. nepa. gov/nepa/regs/nepaeqia. htm.

National Environmental Policy Act n n Federal agencies must analyze and disclose environmental consequences of major actions in one of these documents: n Categorical Exclusion (CE) n Environmental Assessment (EA) n Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) The document must be completed before action is taken. While NEPA forces Federal agencies to “think before they act, ” it does not control the final decision on an action. NEPA also established the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) to ensure Federal agency compliance with NEPA. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. [42 USC]. http: //www. nepa. gov/nepa/regs/nepaeqia. htm.

National Environmental Policy Act Decision-making flowchart

National Environmental Policy Act n NEPA is one of the most important laws that determines how the Mississippi River is managed. For example, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers was required to file an EIS for the Mississippi’s Nine-Foot Channel Project in the 1930 s. 3 Location of locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi River

Clean Water Act (CWA) n n The CWA is the primary federal law in the US governing water pollution. The goals of the CWA are: 1. 2. 3. n to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters, To eliminate the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters by 1985, and To make all waters swimmable and fishable 3 The CWA is one of the most important laws protecting the quality of the Mississippi River.

Clean Water Act (CWA) History: n River Harbor Act (1896), also referred to as the Refuse Act was passed to protect navigation. n In 1948, Congress passed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Since then, the Act was amended numerous times. n The burning Cuyahoga River becomes a catalyst for change. 4 6 4 1969 today

Clean Water Act History, cont. : n Following the 1972 amendments to the FWPCA, this law became commonly known as the Clean Water Act. One of the critical provisions was the establishment of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) to authorize EPA issuance of discharge permits. n The CWA underwent extensive amendments in 1977 to include many important provisions including development of the “Best Management Practices” Program. n The Water Quality Act of 1987 (P. L. 100 -4) provided the most recent series of amendments. 6 6 5

Clean Water Act October 18, 2007 will mark the 35 th anniversary of the CWA. Because of the CWA, nearly two-thirds of U. S. rivers and lakes are safe for swimming and fishing, compared with 36% in 1972. 7 Illinois Accomplishments: n Since 1972, assessed stream miles rated “good” has increased from 11% to more than 62%. n Between 1992 and 2000, there has been a 20% increase in the number of assessed streams and rivers. n Over 100 watershed groups are working to protect local rivers, lakes, streams and groundwater. 8 9 8

Upper Mississippi River Management Act (UMRMA) of 1986 n Congress declared the UMR system to be both a nationally significant ecosystem and a nationally significant commercial navigation system. The main objectives of UMRMA are: n comprehensive planning for the use, protection, growth and development of the UMR system, n habitat rehabilitation and enhancement projects n long-term resource monitoring, data inventory and analysis 10 n 3

Sources 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Environmental Movement in the United States. http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Environmental_movement_in_the_United_States The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. [42 USC]. http: //www. nepa. gov/nepa/regs/nepaeqia. htm. Fremling, Calvin R. Immortal River: the Upper Mississippi in ancient and modern times. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2005. Of Time and the River http: //www. oftimeandtheriver. org Federal Water Pollution Control Act. http: //www. fws. gov/laws_digest//fwatrpo. html Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act). http: //ipl. unm. edu/cwl/fedbook/fwpca. html. Sierra Club. Clean Water. http: //www. sieraclub. org/cleanwater. Annual Environmental Conditions Report. Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. October 2003. Illinois EPA 2003 -2004 Biennial Report. June 2005. Upper Mississippi River Management. Title 33, 652. Cornell University Law School. http: //ww. law. cornell. edu/uscode/33/usc_sec_33_00000652 ----000 -. html Photo and Illustration Credits: n Silent Spring book jacket. http: //www. booksamillion. com n Rachel Carson. csc. gallaudet. edu n DDT bioaccumulation diagram. http: //www. fws. gov/pacific/ecoservices/envicon/pim/reports/Olympia. Images/Hood%20 Canal/DDT. jpg n Earth Day 1970. www. environmental-action. org/ n Earth Day. http: //ecosofia. org/files/earth_day_1970. jpg n The National Environmental Policy Act book jacket. http: //www. tamu. edu/upress/BOOKS/2001/biglindstrom. jpg. n Richard Nixon. http: //presidency. ucsb. edu/images/37. jpg n NEPA Decision-making Flowchart. http: //Walter. arizona. edu/society/policy/neap/nepa 2. asp. n Lock and Dams on Mississippi River. http: //www. igsb. uiowa. edu/gsi/gb 70/corps. htm n Cuyahoga River burning. www. oftimeandtheriver. org/resources n Cuyahoga River today. http: //homepage. mac. com/patholleran/Park. Vision/Cuyahoga. Valley/cv-088. jpg n NPDES logo. http: //www. ces. ncsu. edu/copubs/env/water/006/npdes_logo. Feb 20 b. jpg n Conditions of Illinois Rivers and Stream. Annual Environmental Conditions Report. Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. October 2003. n Upper Mississippi River map. http: //www. emtc. usgs. gov/documents/reports/1999/status_and_trends/99 t 001_frntmatlr. pdf