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William Penn
William Penn, Pennsylvania colony governor, order colonists to conserve oe tree for every five cut down. -
Yellowstone Act
Congress passed this making Yellowstone the first national park. This was to have a public park for the enjyement of people and for the preservation of the park. -
The Lacey Act
Prohbitied the transport of illegally obtained wildlife across state lines, and outlawed hunting in Yellowstone National Park. Signed by President William McKinley. -
Missouri v. Illinois and the Sanitary District of Chicago
Missouri filed a suit against Illionois to stop polluting the Mississippi River with waste from Chicago. The Supreme court rulled infavor of Illinois allowing the city of Chicago to contnirue draning city sewage into neighboringrivers. -
Burton Act
Passed by Congress to preserve Niagra falls from hydroelectric power facilities. -
Georgia v. Tennessee Copper Company and Ducktown Sulphur
Georgia filed a suit against the Tennessee Copper Company and Ducktown Sulphur because fumes from the companies were coming across te state border and polluting communities, killing forests, and causing come Georgians to become ill. The Supreme Court rulled in favor of Georgia and that the Tennessee Copper Company must regualte their fumes. -
Raker Act
Passed by Congress authorizing the floosing of Hetch Hetchy Valley and the building of O'Shaughnessy Dam, in Yosemite National Park. -
New York v. New Jersey and Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners
New York field a suit agaisnt New Jersey commissioners to stop dumping sewage in the New York harbor. The Supreme court rulled in favor of New Jersey and the dumping continued. -
Everglades National Park
Established by President Truman. It is the largest tropical wilderness in the U.S. Before the park Marjorie Stoneman Douglas published The Everglades: River of Grass. -
The Antartica Treaty
Protected Antartica from the dumping of nuclear waste. 46 countries including the U.S. have signed the treaty. -
Silent Spring
Publsihed by Rachel Carson. The book warned about the dnagers of pesticides (DDT) to water supplies and wildlife. Also the book documented the detrimental effects on the environment—particularly on birds—of the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Several years later the govenrment outlawed the use of pesticides like DDT. -
First Clean Air Act
1963 Congress passed the first clean air act. This was to control air pollution and emissions on a national level. It requires the EPA to develop and enforce regulations to protect the public from airborne contaminants known to be hazardous to human health. -
Wilderness Act
Congressed passed the Wilderness Act, establishing the Naitonal Wilderness Preservation system for the permanent good of the whole people. -
Water Quality Act
Signed by President Johnson ot develop water quality standards. This strengthened the federal water pollution laws and outline water quality guidlines for states. -
Sierra club v. Morton
The Sierra Club filed a suit against Morton to stop the building of Mineral King near Sequio Naitonal Park. This was weird because the building did not personally affect the Sierra Club. The Supreme Court ruled that the Sierra Club could only file a suit if it was personaly afeected by the buildng of Mineral King. -
"Blue Marble"
NASA released the "Blue Marble" photo f earth from pace. This gave Americans a first ' outside' look at their planet and raise awareness of enviornmental issues. -
The National Environmental Policy Act
An Act to establish a national policy for the environment, to provide for the establishment of a Council on Environmental Quality and a framework for protectiong the environement.. This act demanded that all branched fo government give proper consideration to the envrionmental. -
Safe Drinking Water Act
Passed by Congress to protect the public health by regualting the nation's public drinking water supply. The EPA still regulates publc drinking water as a result of the act -
Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill et al.
The federal governemnt spent $80 million to begin construction of Tellico Cam in Tenessee Valley. Hill, a scientist, held up construction to protec the snail darter and to add them to the endangered species list. The Supreme court ruled in favor of Hill despite how much money was spent on the dam. -
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
Designated over 100 million acres of parks, wildlife refuges, and ailderness areas throughout the state. Signed by Presi Jimmy Carter. -
Montreal Protocol
An international treaty to eliminate ozone-depleting hydrocarbons from the environment. The ozone is slowly recovering. -
NASA
Nasa warned congress of the effects of global warning. By James Hansen for his testimony on climate change to congressional committees. -
The Oil Pollition Act
Passed by Congress and singed by President George H. W. Bush to mitigate and prevent civil liability from the future oil spills off the coast of the United States. Streamlined the EPA's ability to prevent and clean up catastrophic oil spolls. -
Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife
The Defenders of Wildlife filed a suit against the Department of the Interior to modify the Endangered Species Act to apply to U.S. actions taken in foreign nations. The Supreme Court rulles against the Defenders of Wildlife, they decided that they failed to to show sufficent standing to sue. This is like Sierra Club v. Morton beccause they were not personally affected. -
Julia Butterfly Hill
Julia Butterfly Hill (age 23) lived for 735 days in the redwood foresrt. Het protest successfully blocked its destruction. -
San Francisco Oil Spill
58,000 gallons of oil was spilled into the San Francisco Bay when a Korean containter ship struck the Oakland Bay Bridge. The spill polluted miles of coastland and could damagine to the marine life there for years. Many beaches were closed and dead and injured seabirds were immediarely found.