| The variety and uniqueness of America's
environment has long been a blessing and a challenge to its
people. America has been blessed with a richness of natural
resources, vast costal waters as well as broad, tall forests and
furtive, open plains. At the same time we have been challenged
by arid deserts, rugged mountains and elusive resources
requiring ingenuity and effort to tame. America's reactions to
her environment have been as varied as the environment itself,
ranging from overuse and exploitation to complex regulation and
restriction. The greatest of all challenges lay in balancing
economic and human development with a sustainable environmental
policy for future generations of Americans.
History
Throughout United States history the American people have
attempted to tame the environment for their own growth and
success. Early colonists cleared forests for farmland and built
early America on the foundations of an agrarian society and
trapped American forests for the furs demanded by European
fashion. Later, as the industrial revolution raged, early
entrepreneurs and companies fueled industrial growth by
extracting the riches of the soil in oil, coal and iron ore. As
the twentieth century unfolded, many looked to preserve and
protect the environment for future generations, setting aside
wild lands and protected spaces. As science better helped to
understand the dangers and impacts of industry and development
on the environment, regulations were introduced, not only to
ensure the health and safety of the environment, but of the
human population as well.
Regulation
Federal and state agencies such as the Department of
Environmental Conservation, the Environmental Protection Agency,
the National Parks Service and the Department of the Interior
are responsible for enforcement of countless environmental
regulations. Many significant laws such as the Newlands
Reclamation Act, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act have
helped to shape environmental policy within America.
Environmental
Issues
In the modern era the United States struggles to weigh concerns
over the world's environment, such as greenhouse gas emissions
and ozone depletion, with the drive for economic development.
Modern issues such as these, along with "sprawl", endangered
species protection, nuclear waste storage, environmental
cleanup, pesticide and chemical impacts as well as many others
make modern environmental policy increasingly complex and
contentious. |
