Shira UngarThe United States Federal Government has made three significant moves to reduce the power of the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA and even to terminate the agency all together this year. The Stream Protection Rule introduced by Obama in December that significantly reduces the allowances for coal companies to dump into surrounding water has been repealed on February 9th by President Trump.
In January, Congress received a bill that restricts the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases or to establish or continue any other climate change regulation. The term “air pollutant” will no longer be applied to carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or sulfur hexafluoride. The ruling on this act has not yet been announced.
The third Bill that restricts the EPA’s power to regulate climate change simply states that it is a bill: to terminate the Environmental Protection Agency by December 31, 2018.
Here’s’ a look at what America looked like before the EPA began its work. The progress that EPA has made toward regulating climate change and conserving water and air – and the reason we need them strong, now more than ever.
Water Pollution
Photo: The U.S. National Archives via Flickr
This sign was was pictured on the banks of the Androscoggin River. The river was polluted for years by the Fraser paper mill. The mill belched smoke into the air surrounding the river and six years ago the river was designated one of the 20 most polluted rivers in America by Envirnment Maine. The Clean Water Act of 1977 was largely inspired by the pollution found in the Adroscoggin River. And while the river still holds “unacceptably high levels of mercury-contaminated wastewater” it has begun its healing process and the paper mill has closed its doors.
Arsenic and Lead
Photo: The U.S. National Archives via Flickr
These children are playing in a neighborhood yard in Rustin, Louisiana in 1972. The smoke stacks pictured behind them belong to the Tacoma Smelter Stack which released arsenic and lead residue into the air that these children were breathing. The stack was eventually demolished in 1993 but the affects of the poisonous emissions that the soil of the homes in Ruston is still contaminated. The inhalation of arsenic and lead affects over 5% of children in Louisiana today. The EPA tracks these levels and is continuously fighting to close stacks like these.
Illegal Dumping
Photo: The U.S. National Archives via Flickr
Pictured above is a popular illegal dumping site off of the New Jersey Turnpike near New York City. Illegal dumping has become a serious problem in New York city as many people choose to pay unauthorized people to haul their trash but they do not take it to legal dumping grounds. The EPA put out a flyer in 2008 detailing the dangers of illegal dumping and giving citizens the opportunity to report it. The dangers include rodent and bug infestations, flooding caused by blocked drainage, water contamination from toxic chemicals that are not disposed of properly, and fire caused by spontaneous combustion. The EPA has implemented some fines and regulations on illegal waste dumping that $5 million dollars for corporations and $1 million for individuals that willfully participate in waste dumping.
Smog
Photo: The U.S. National Archives via Flickr
Smog is also a critical problem that the EPA has addressed since its inception in 1973. This photo shows the heavy amounts of smog that covered the George Washington Bridge in the same year. Smog is created by coal fires which used to be the primary heating system for individual buildings or to produce power in a power plant. Transportation emissions is also a leading cause of smog. In November of 1966 at least 169 people were killed from smog inhalation and this is a global phenomenon. Since the 70s the EPA has implemented a federal health-based standard for smog density in the U.S. which cut down on smog significantly all over New York State.
Air Pollution
Photo: The U.S. National Archives via Flickr
The Clark Avenue Bridge, pictured above in 1973, was Clevelands longest running bridge at 6,687 feet long. The bridge housed many steel mills underneath that let out smoke that eventually damaged the bridge itself. The bridge was closed and dismantled in 1981 and replaced with the I-490 Bridge. This photo was taken as part of the newly minted EPA’s program to document places where pollution was rampant and visible. Air pollutants are significantly more toxic to humans and animals than air or land pollution because of constant inhalation.
Acidification
Photo: The U.S. National Archives via Flickr
This photo from 1972 pictures the Atlas Chemical Company belching its black soot across beautiful Harrison County, Texas. Animal exposure to air pollutants often causes increased risk of tumors, cardiac arrest, and death particularly for dogs and other household pets. Air pollution also causes “acidification” which is the increased acidity of rain water. This can damage plants, animals, and under-water ecosystems. Atlas has repeatedly been sued for their continuous pollution of the country’s water and air.
Hazardous Drinking Water
Photo: The U.S. National Archives via Flickr
This is Mary Workman, a resident of Steubenville, Ohio who was surrounded by land owned by the Hanna Coal Company. Her well was contaminated by the coal company so she had to walk many miles in order to get clean drinking water. Most roads were closed around her as well but she refused to sell her house. Instead, she filed a damage suit against the Hanna Coal Company. The story is reminiscent of the current fight in Flint, Michigan and many other towns across the U.S. in which companies freely pollute water and air without care of the cost to residents of the towns. In fact, only 1 in 10 people have access to clean drinking water today.
Burning Trash
Photo: The U.S. National Archives via Flickr
Back at the Androscoggin River in Gorham, New Hampshire trash burned freely riverside in an illegal trash dump that ran toxic chemicals into the already polluted river. The burning of solid waste creates toxic gas that can cause lung and heart disease, cancer, and other cardiovascular problems. The smoke has also been linked to pneumonia and other infectious lung disease. The burning of large amounts of trash in wet environments causes the trash to burn at lower heats and for longer periods of time which allows them to put off more gas. The EPA has made steps toward regulating the burning of trash and implement systems to prevent the release of these toxic gas.
Photo: The U.S. National Archives on Flickr
The EPA website is under threat of being deleted entirely or of significant information being removed from it. An organization under the FOIA is working to create a mirror site in order to preserve the vital scientific evidence and data that the EPA has gathered. Check out the EPA snapshot website and the Data dump to find opportunities to help out.
You can also call you Senator and Congress Representative at (202) 224-3121 and tell them what the EPA means to you.
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