Question

1969: National Environmental Policy Act

Answer 1

Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, has always been better known for his Watergate Scandal, which led to his resignation from office in 1973. However, this President was also known for the focus he gave to the enviromental topic, which was avid since the 1950´s and became even more important in the U.S public eye after the famous oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969. Although many criticize Nixon because they say he wasn´t really interested in the environmental movement at all, the truth is that at least for political reasons, Nixon passed several bills that reinforced the preeminence and importance of the environment for the federal government. Aside from the Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act, one of the biggest pieces of law he signed was the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, because it gave the environmentalist movement the power and the influence to control matters of environment from the high seat of the federal government. From being just a civilian movement, the formation of the EPA showed the precedence of nature in American politics and it became the central topic for election and re-election of members of one or the other party. This is why the correct answer is B.