1. The Start of Environmental Activism
Unit 12

2. Bipartisan In the beginning environmentalism was not a partisan issue.
It was not favored by Republicans or Democrats
Today environmentalism is largely a liberal issue
Ironically environmentalism was trail blazed by many Republican Presidents – Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon

3. The Mother of American Environmentalism
Rachel Carson
Wrote a book titled Silent Spring
Campaigned against the use of pesticides

4. Rachel Carson

5. Earth Day
April 22, 1970
The First Earth Day

6. Environmental Protection Agency
There were 15 separate Federal programs that dealt with different environmental problems
Nixon combined all those programs into one and created the EPA
Which is today the Federal Government’s main instrument for dealing with environmental issues

7. Cap & Trade Video

8. Clean Air Act of 1970
Passed by Nixon requiring automobile companies to reduce emissions on vehicles by 90% in 5 years
EPA gave them a 10 year extension, and with the invention of the catalytic converter they were successful

9. Alaska Pipeline

10. Alaskan Pipeline
With pressure to become energy independent there was a large incentive to tap into oil in Northern Alaska
Environmentalist fought against it.
Pipeline was the compromise to oil fields
Alaska Native American also laid claim to a large part of Northern Alaska (1 million plus acres) signed over by Nixon – Native American Reserve – for tribal purposes and conservation
Carter sat aside 56 million more acres as a national monument
People of Alaska because of the money the pipeline generates, pay no state income tax and no state sales tax

11. Nuclear Energy Nuclear Energy Fission of uranium atoms
Electricity created by fission does not create pollution
Does however create nuclear waste
Also creates a risk for nuclear disasters
Leaks, explosions, etc
Uranium is a nonrenewable resource
The process of refining uranium does creates pollution
Very inexpensive Power Source

13. Three Mile Island http://www.threemileisland.org/
Three Mile Island Museum

14. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
1989
11 million gallons of crude oil covered 1,200 miles of coastlines and beaches
10 percent of the local wildlife and fisheries were killed
The Federal Government sued Exxon for 5 billion dollars

15. Timeline of Environmentalism
1970s it grew in popularity abroad
1980s-2000 it became viewed as a roadblock for business
“tell the government that the size of your wallet is more important than some two-inch-long minnow” said an angry resident when Dam construction ended when a species of endangered fish was discovered.
2010 Environmentalism is picking up support as a part of a larger conservation and thrift theme