Mention Richard Nixon and you conjure images of a bungled break in, cover-ups, clandestine meetings in parking lots and the death of America’s trust in its political systems. As historic as the Nixon presidency was for the wrong reasons, it was equally historic for shaping the future of environmental policy, though very few people are aware of this. Though some critics say that he was politically motivated to appeal to the zeitgeist of the times, there is no denying that Nixon, a staunch conservative, and his administration had the most impact on U.S. environmental policy since Teddy Roosevelt. These are the six acts he either requested or signed into law:

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969: This was one of the first laws that established the framework for protecting the environment. It outline a formal declaration of national environmental policies and goals; it required federal agencies to prepare environmental impact statements before receiving funding; and it created the Presidential Council on the Environment within the executive office. Nixon signed this into law on January 1, 1970.

He created the Environmental Protection Agency: Prior to this, there was no centralized government agency to protect the environment.

Clean Air Act Extension of 1970: This was written by Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine and was the most important air pollution bill in history. It required the EPA to create and enforce regulations to protect people from airborne pollutants. Nixon signed it into law on December 31, 1970.

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972- This act was the first to grant the government the authority to reduce marine mammal casualties. It created guidelines for captured marine mammals and protected dolphins from injury and death due to the fishing industry; it also regulated the import and export of marine mammals and permitted native Alaskans to kill whales and other marine mammals as a part of their subsistence hunting. A few days after he signed this Act into law, President Nixon also signed the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act, a/k/a the Ocean Dumping Act.

Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 – This was proposed by Nixon and signed into law by President Ford to protect drinking water sources including reservoirs, springs and groundwater wells.

Endangered Species Act of 1973 – Nixon asked Congress to strengthen the existing conservation laws and they responded with the Endangered Species Act.

Source: Gunther, Shea. (2024) 6 Good Things Richard Nixon Did For The Environment. Treehugger. http://www.treehugger.com/six-good-things-richard-nixon-did-for-the-environment-4869322