The Nixon Administration’s Environmental Protection Policies And Urban Development

In 1960s and 1970s, with industries developing rapidly and the population growing fast, urban economies became prosperous in the United States. Because of ignorance of environmental problems by the federal government and enterprises, natural resources were seriously damaged. Also, air pollution, water pollution and solid waste pollution went worse and even threatened citizens’health and surviving environment in urban areas at the same time. Therefore, environmental protection movement swept the whole nation and developed into a political power which could not be neglected, forcing the federal government to pass environmental protection legislations. Under the pressure of the populace, environmental protection organizations and political rivals, Nixon signed a series of remarkable environmental protection legislations and embarked on federal agencies adjustments which initiated a new era when the Federal Administration was involved in environmental problems settlement.This thesis consists of three chapters, besides the introduction and conclusion.The first chapter mainly introduces the background under which Nixon passed environmental protection legislations. The first section of this chapter is about urban population growth and the heavy burden it put on natural resources. The second section analyzes major environmental problems urban areas faced back then. The third section deals with destructive effects suburban sprawl (an important tendency at that time) had on natural and social environment.The second chapter illustrates Nixon’s important environmental legislations, National Environmental Policy Act (which is called Magna Carta of environmental protection), Clean Air Act of 1970 amendments and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) included.The third chapter focuses on the influence of Nixon’s environmental protection legislations. The practice of Nixon’s environmental legislations interacted with the public’s environmental awareness. However, the implementation of environmental legislations could slow down the speed of economic development in the short run. Thus, the Nixon administration promoted environmental protection courses on the one hand, and hesitated to push them further on the other hand.In conclusion, this thesis discusses the causes and effects of Nixon’s environmental protection legislations, further places environmental protection issue in international background and summarizes experience and lessons we get from above. It needs the joint efforts of the government and the public to solve urban environmental problems.