£..'rW:ru: <-•-•¦ Progress for a Stronger Future CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ DECEMBER 2020 WASHINGTON D.C. ------- ^LETTER FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR^ America's environment today is cleaner than it's been in our lifetimes. President Richard M. Nixon charted this course by creating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 — guiding 50 years of progress towards a stronger future. It is an honor to serve as EPA's 15th Administrator, to celebrate this extraordinary milestone for our agency, and to iook forward to even greater success in the next 50 years. Since the moment of its founding, EPA's mission has been to protect human health and the environment, and in 1970, there was an enormous amount of work to do. Across America, an environmental crisis was unfolding. Smog was at unhealthy ieveis in many cities across the country, lead was still in common use in many products, and water pollution threatened the drinking water supplies of millions of Americans. When the first EPA Administrator William Ruckelshaus was appointed to lead the agency, environmental programs were scattered throughout the federal government and didn't properly support states, leaving enormous gaps in protections necessary to complete EPA's new mission. EPA's task, as the country's environmental enforcement agency, was to "clean up America,"a herculean job, if ever there was one. And the agency, through cooperation with states and the incredible dedication of tens of thousands of EPA employees, delivered on this difficult mission. Chemicals and compounds that were once thought to be harmless and commonplace have been banned, replaced and cleaned up. In the 50 years between 1970 and 2020, air pollution has fallen an incredible 77 percent, even as the economy grew by 285 percent. Before EPA was established, more than 40 percent of our nation's drinking water systems failed to meet even the most basic health standards. But now, more than 92 percent of community water systems in this country meet all health-based standards all the time. And the Superfund program - which was founded in 1980 - has led to the cleanup and removal of more than 400 of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites from the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). In doing these things, EPA ensures that Americans of all walks of life can breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live, work and play on land free from pollution. As we look forward to the next 50 years, we should pause for a moment and consider ways that EPA can better itself, and by doing so, better the nation's environment in the 21 st Century. EPA under the Trump Administration has worked hard to tear down the silos between programs within the agency to be more effective in addressing the environmental burdens that communities face. Communities that deal with the worst pollution iri this country—and that tend to be low-income and minority—face multiple environmental problems that need solving. By focusing on communities where past industrial pollution has had a negative impact on the well-being of people and local economies, this agency will transform itself into a much better version of government, with benefits that will last for many administrations. Cleaning up these communities more quickly and leveraging new private investment opportunities through Brownfields grants, WIFIA loans, state revolving funds, and targeted airshed grants can help solve America's environmental problems that have remained unresolved for decades. EPA has accomplished a lot over the last four years and has laid the groundwork for future agency success. We have implemented five structural changes—five pillars—that have transformed the way the agency operates today. We created a cost-benefit rule for the Clean Air Act because the American public deserves to know what the costs and benefits are for its air rules. We created a science transparency rule that can be applied consistently because the American public has a right to know the scientific justification behind a regulation. ------- We have published new guidance policy procedures that brings all of our guidance documents to light in a searchable database for the entire public to read for the first time ever. We have reorganized our regional offices so that all 10 of our regional offices mirror our headquarters structure. And we have implemented a lean management system — also known as the Toyota system — throughout the agency to improve the way we operate. America is home to some of the most exceptional natural and environmental gifts on the planet, and EPA has spent five decades improving the health of these gifts. It's been my experience that EPA employees have an uncommon allegiance to the mission of the agency, a devotion you don't find in many other places — and we can see this devotion in the fact that EPA has seven charter employees still working at the agency. These seven charter employees have been working for EPA since it was founded a half century ago and are representative of the dedication that has made America's environment what it is today — the cleanest on record. Fifty years ago, the environmental challenges before us were very large and difficult to overcome. But many of these challenges have been overcome, and even conquered. And as hard as the agency has worked, the environmental challenges before us in the coming 50 years will surely be difficult. But if we do the work before us, with transparency and fairness, we can protect the places we love and bring back the places that have been hurt by pollution — and make them better than they were before. I hope everyone can support our agency as we continue to work on delivering this vision of a great environmental future for all Americans. Andrew Wheeler Administrator ------- ^EPA Administrators^ William D. Ruckelshaus EPA Administrator 12/4/70-4/30/73 Russell E. Train EPA Administrator 9/13/73- 1/20/77 Douglas M. Costle EPA Administrator 3/7/77- 1/20/81 Anne M. Gorsuch (Burford) EPA Administrator 5/20/81 - 3/9/83 William D. Ruckelshaus EPA Administrator 5/18/83- 1/4/85 Christine Todd Whitman EPA Administrator 1/31/01 - 6/27/03 Lee M. Thomas EPA Administrator 2/8/85- 1/20/89 Michael O. Leavitt EPA Administrator 11/6/03- 1/25/05 William K. Reilly EPA Administrator 2/6/89 - 1/20/93 Stephen L. Johnson EPA Administrator 5/2/05-1/20/09 Carol M. Browner EPA Administrator 1/22/93- 1/19/01 Lisa P. Jackson EPA Administrator 1/26/09-2/14/13 Gina McCarthy EPA Administrator 1/19/13-1/20/17 Scott Pruitt EPA Administrator 2/17/17-7/6/18 Andrew Wheeler EPA Administrator 2/28/19 - Present ------- 50TH ANNIVERSARY LAPEL PIN<^ Thank you for your commitment to cleaning up America 50 years of protecting human health and the environment Progress for a Stronger Future Award for Excellence in Public Service PROGRESS FOR A STRONGER FUTURE ------- ^>50th Anniversary Themes^ A Cleaner, Healthier Environment for All Progress for a Stronger Future JANUARY MAY FEBRUARY JUIME Protecting Children's Health Progress for a Stronger Future SEPTEMBER OCTOBER ------- ^>50th Anniversary Themes^ MARCH JULY APRIL AUGUST 50 Years of Earth Day Progress for o Stronger Future Ensuring Environmental Compliance Progress for a Stronger Future NOVEMBER DECEMBER ------- 50 Year Environmental Timeline 1970 Twenty million people celebrate the first Earth Day. 1970 President Richard Nixon creates EPA with a mission to protect the environment and public health. 1970 Congress amends the Clean Air Act to set national air quality, auto emission, and anti-pollution standards. 1971 Congress restricts use of lead-based paint in residences and on cribs and toys. XOUW ."'i 1972 EPA bans DDT, a cancer-causing pesticide, and requires extensive review of all pesticides. 1972 The United States and Canada agree to clean up the Great Lakes, which contain 95 percent of America's fresh water and supply drinking water for 25 million people. 1972 Congress passes the Clean Water Act, limiting raw sewage and other pollutants flowing into rivers, iakes, and streams. 1973 EPA begins phasing out leaded gasoline. FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS THE INTRODUCTION OF ANY GASOLINE CONTAINING LEAD. OR 0H6SPHORUS INTO ANY MOTOR LABELED "UNLEADED GASOLINE ONLY" 1973 OPEC oil embargo triggers energy crisis, stimulating conservation and research on alternative energy sources. 1973 If-5 EPA issues its first permit limiting a factory's polluted discharges into waterways. 1974 Congress passes the Safe Drinking Water Act, allowing EPA to regulate the quality of public drinking water. 1975 Congress establishes fuel economy standards and sets tail-pipe emission standards for cars, resulting in the introduction of catalytic converters. 1976 Congress passes the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, regulating hazardous waste from its production to its disposal. 1976 President Gerald Ford signs the Toxic Substances Control Act to reduce environmental and human health risks. 1976 EPA begins phase-out of cancer-causing PCB production and use. 1977 President Jimmy Carter signs the Clean Air Act Amendments to strengthen air quality standards and protect human health. 1978 Residents discover that Love Canal, New York, is contaminated by buried leaking chemical containers. 1978 The federal government bans chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as propellants in aerosol cans because CFCs destroy the ozone layer, which protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. 1979 EPA demonstrates scrubber technology for removing air pollution from coal- fired power plants.This technology is widely adopted in the 1980s. 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, increases awareness and discussion about nuclear power safety. EPA and other agencies monitor radioactive fallout. 1980 Congress creates Superfund to clean up hazardous waste sites. Polluters are made responsible for cleaning up the most hazardous sites. WE'VE SOT SETTER THINGS to DO t«am »¦ SIT AMD At® BE" IsiWJ TOtcni •r. ' '•< 1981 National Research Council report finds acid rain intensifying in the northeastern United States and Canada. STOP ACID RAIN ------- 50 Year Environmental Timeline WARNING:RADON IS DEADLY IN THIS AREA. 1982 Congress enacts laws for safe disposal of nuclear waste. 1982 Dioxin contamination forces the government to purchase homes in Times Beach, Missouri. The federal government and the responsible polluters share the cleanup costs. 1982 A PCB landfill protest in North Carolina begins the environmental justice movement. 1983 Cleanup actions begin to rid the Chesapeake Bay of pollution stemming from sewage treatment plants, urban runoff, and farm waste. 1983 EPA encourages homeowners to test for radon gas, which causes lung cancer. 1985 Scientists report that a giant hole in the earth's — ozone layer opens each spring over Antarctica. 1986 Congress declares the public has a right to know when toxic chemicals are released into air, land, and water. 1987 The United States signs the Montreal Protocol, pledging to phase-out production of CFCs. 1987 Medical and other waste washes up on shores, closing beaches in New York and New Jersey. 1987 EPA's"Unfinished Business" report compares relative risks of environmental challenges for the first time. 1988 Congress bans ocean dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste. 1989 Exxon Valdez spills 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound. 1990 Congress passes the Clean Air Act Amendments, requiring states to demonstrate progress in improving air quality. 1990 EPA's Toxic Release Inventory tells the public which pollutants are being released from specific facilities in their communities. 1990 President George Bush signs the Pollution Prevention Act, emphasizing the importance of preventing—not just correcting—environmental damage. 1990 President George Bush signs the National Environmental Education Act, signifying the importance of educating the public to ensure scientifically sound, balanced, and responsible decisions about the environment. 1991 ^ - Federal agencies begin using recycled content products. 1991 EPA launches voluntary industry partnership programs for energy- efficient lighting and for reducing toxic chemical emissions. 1992 EPA launches the ENERGY STAR® Program to help consumers identify energy- efficient products. ENERGY STAR 1993 EPA reports secondhand smoke contaminates indoor air, posing serious health risks to nonsmokers. 1993 A Cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee, Wisconsin's drinking water sickens 400,000 people and kills more than 100. 1993 President Bill Clinton directs the federal government to use its $200 billion annual purchasing power to buy recycled and environmentally preferable products. ------- 1994 EPA launches its Browrifields Program to clean up abandoned, contaminated sites to return them to productive community use. 1994 EPA issues new standards for chemical plants that will reduce toxic air pollution by more than half a million tons each year—the equivalent of taking 38 million vehicles off the road annually. 1995 EPA launches an incentive-based acid rain program to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. 1995 EPA requires municipal incinerators to reduce toxic emissions by 90 percent from 1990 levels. 1996 Public drinking water suppliers are required to inform customers about chemicals and microbes in their water, and funding is made available to upgrade water treatment plants. 1996 EPA requires that home buyers and renters be informed about lead-based paint hazards. 1996 President Bill Clinton signs the Food Quality Protection Act to tighten standards for pesticides used to grow food, with special protections to ensure that foods are safe for children to eat. 1997 An Executive Order is issued to protect children from environmental health risks, including childhood asthma and lead poisoning. 1997 EPA issues tough new air quality standards for smog and soot, an action that would improve air quality for 125 million Americans. 1998 President Bill Clinton announces the Clean Water Action Plan to continue making America's waterways safe for fishing and swimming. 1999 President Bill Clinton announces new emissions standards for cars, sport utility vehicles, minivans and trucks, requiring them to be 77 to 95 percent cleaner than in 1999. 1999 EPA announces new requirements to improve air quality in national parks and wilderness areas. 2000 EPA establishes regulations requiring more than 90 percent cleaner heavy duty highway diesel engines and fuel. 2000 National Performance Track program is launched to recognize facilities that exceed legal requirements to make measurable environmental progress. 2002 President George W. Bush signs the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act to reclaim and restore thousands of abandoned properties. 2003 EPA provides funds for more than 4,000 school buses to be retrofitted through the Clean School Bus USA program, removing 200,000 pounds of particulate matter from the air over the next 10 years. 2004 New, more protective, 8-hour ozone and fine particulate standards go into effect across the country. 2004 EPA requires cleaner fuels and engines for off-road diesei machinery such as farm or construction equipment. 2005 EPA issues the Clean Air Act Interstate Rule to achieve the largest reduction in air pollution in more than a decade, by permanently capping S02 and NOx emissions in the Eastern United States. 2006 EPA launches the WaterSense program to help families and businesses identify water-efficient products. CLEAN SCHOOL BUS ------- V 2007 Diesel trucks and buses are as much as 95 percent cleaner than in 2006. 2007 President George W. Bush signs the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, increasing the national fuel economy standard to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 and requiring fuel producers to use at least 36 billion gallons of biofuel in 2022. 2008 National Performance Track program reaches over 500 members. 2008 EPA issues the most health-protective standards for smog in our nation's history. 2008 EPA issues new diesel locomotives and marine engine standards to cut emissions of particulate matter by 90 percent and nitrogen oxides by 80 percent. 2009 Initiative to Monitor Toxic Air Pollutants Near Schools - EPA and its state partners begin to monitor schools for more extensive air quality analysis. 2010 The BP-operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico explodes leading to the largest oil spill in American history. EPA joins the emergency response, environmental data collection and analysis, and cleanups. 2011 Fukishima Nuclear Reactor Damaged - An earthquake and the resulting tsunami damage Japan's Fukishima nuclear power plant, releasing radiation into the air. EPA responds with radiation monitors. 2012 First Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants Proposed - The rule creates opportunities for new technologies at future facilities to burn coal, while emitting less carbon pollution. 2014 New Rules for Cleaner Fuels and Cars - The"Tier 3" standards sets new vehicle emissions standards and lowers the sulfur content of gasoline beginning in 2017. 2016 Drinking Water Action Plan- The Plan outlines how government, utilities, community organizations, and other stakeholders can increase the safety and reliability of drinking water. 2016 President Obama signs the Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21 st Century Act which amends the Toxic Substances Control Act, the nation's primary chemicals management law, requiring EPA to evaluate existing chemicals with clear and enforceable deadlines. 2016 Paris Climate Accord -196 nations negotiated the Accord to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and climate change. 2017 EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt establishes the Superfund Task Force to provide recommendations for improving and expediting cleanup and promoting redevelopment. 2017 Agency announces actions to support local communities and increase research on PFOA, PFOS and other Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). 2019 Administrator Wheeler Signs Memo to Reduce Animal Testing - The memo calls for EPA to reduce mammal study requests and funding by 30% by 2025 and eliminate them by 2035. 2019 EPA announces plans to establish national recycling goals. 2020 National Water Reuse Action Plan - The Action Plan supports water reuse technology to ensure the viability of our water economy. 2020 Federal Strategy for Addressing Global Marine Litter - EPA, USAID and NOAA implements innovative programs and finance initiatives to address marine litter. * ------- ^tD Sr4£ PRO"^j ------- |