The concern over environmental policy surrounded many presidential administrations. The Nixon Administration, typically overshadowed by the Watergate Scandal, took great strides to promote sustainability for the United States. Regardless of being a Republican, Nixon implemented government to support environmentalist efforts. The 1969-1974 administration and the current administration under President Donald Trump, both Republican led, are not homogenous in nature. Despite bearing minor similarities, the differences between the policies of the Nixon and Trump Administrations on pollution control are distinct.
The future of policy is often determined by the rhetoric of the administration about the topic. For the Nixon Administration, rhetoric about environmentalism was positive from the beginning. In Nixon’s Union Address on 22 January, 1970, the President expressed the initiate of his administration on environmental policy. He gave recognition to the shape of the environment and he called the nation to action by stating: “The great question of the seventies is, shall we surrender to our surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make reparations for the damage we have done to our air, our land, and our water?… Clean air, clean water, open spaces– these should once again be the birthright of every American if we act now– they can be.” Through this address, Nixon focuses on pollution control and how his administration can create a better future for the environment.
The rhetoric of the Trump Administration on environmental issues has been dismissive of its threat to the world. In December of 2017, President Trump took to social media to mock Global Warming. He stated that “in the East, it could be the coldest New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming.” Before his presidency, Donald Trump was quoted in 2013 saying that “Global Warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax.” Trump’s attitude has manifested itself into a policy that completely rejects the importance of sustainability.
Nixon’s encouraging rhetoric led to many ambitious acts and regulations; much of this policy focused on pollution control. On November 2, 1970, Nixon’s Administrations created the Environmental Protection Agency. This agency’s main intention was to enforce pollution control laws and research emission sources and their levels. Nixon understood the threat that pollution held. His policy helped to eradicate the pollution crisis of Lake Erie and its tributary rivers– the Detroit River, MI and the Cuyahoga River, OH. In the 1960s, factories dumped waste into the waterways. The result was devastating to the wildlife. In 1969, the Cuyahoga caught on fire from the oil pollution in the water. Fires on this river had occured at least twelve times prior to the 1969 fire due to industrial dumping. Elaine March, an environmentalist, recalled visiting the area. She claimed the river “didn’t even look like water. It looked like oil and grease and paint.” The University of Michigan published the history of Lake Erie in regards to this pollution. They noted:
Since the Great Lakes Basin lacked substantial government oversight, waste and pesticides from surrounding cities' sewers, industrial plants and agriculture made its way into the lake. as did fertilizer and pesticides from agricultural runoff. Dead fish began to appear along the Lake's shoreline, leading to the coining of the phrase “Lake Erie is dead,” which started to appear in national publications in the late 1960s.
Nixon found the industrial pollution of the Great Lakes Basin to be important, therefore he took the initiative to halt the dumping and restore the health of the ecosystem through his Clean Water Act of 1972.
President Trump also found water pollution to be an important issue. In 2018, the Administration passed the Save Our Seas Act. The purpose of the act is to “address sources of marine debris” and “expand waste management systems internationally”. Garbage had been washing up on the American shoreline from international and domestic sources. This debris threatened wildlife and human activities. This stands as one of the only commonalities between the two administrations.
Although the two administrations find common ground on water pollution, their opinions on air pollution differ. The Nixon Administration’s initiative started with the first annual Earth Day which preceded the creation of the EPA and Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act was “the first block in the construction of a new-policy framework.” The Administration recognized the threat of air pollution on sustainability and public health. The legislature of the Clean Air Act tackled this threat by incorporating “several key elements of the Clean AIr approach: standard-setting mechanisms; an increased federal role in the development of control technologies; and ambitious target dates for eliminating of greatly reducing emissions or discharges, particularly more visible and treatable forms of pollution such as sulfur dioxide emissions.”
The Trump Administration took a much different approach to air pollution policy. In January 2018, the administration made a statement about rolling back a previous policy on air emissions. Bill Wehrum, the assistant administrator for the EPA’s Air and Radiation Office, explained the intention behind doing away with the policy. He states that “[not having the policy] will reduce regulatory burden for industries and the states, while continuing to ensure stringent and effective controls on hazardous air pollutants.” For some, this action is concerning. John Walke, the director of clean air issues at the National Resources Defense Council voiced his concern about the possible increase in hazardous air pollutants from rolling back protections such as this one. Ending this long standing policy has proven favorable for the fossil fuel companies.
Understanding the causes for such polarized stances on air pollution control between the Nixon and Trump Administrations reveals the power of lobbying from special interest groups. When President Nixon was elected, environmentalist movements were on the rise. Since Nixon was known for his fear of not being re-elected, he often did anything in his power to protect his position. Whether Nixon was truly an environmentalist or a people pleaser remains controversial among historians. Either way, his policy was not influenced by the wealthy and powerful fuel industry like President Trump’s has been.
The Trump Administration has created its policy based on the desires of special interest groups such as the fossil fuel industry. Fossil fuel companies continue to spend an enormous amount of money to payoff Congressmen in an attempt to block any policies that may be disadvantageous to their profits. These companies divide Congress by lobbying. For example, Senator James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and author of The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future, is “one of the largest recipients of fossil fuel money in the U.S. Senate.” Of the 535 Congressmen, 131 are climate deniers, meaning that bills to protect the environment from threats like air pollution will not pass due to fossil fuel lobbyists. The Trump Administration cannot protect the environment and the fossil fuel industry. It appears that efforts to keep the economy growing for the 1% are more important than the health of our nation’s people and the sustainability of our world.
The pollution policies of the Nixon and Trump Administrations differ considerably. Both were influenced by the interest groups and found clean water to be important, however, the two Republican administrations lack common ground on the importance of air pollution control. With rolling back Nixon’s clean air policy and Trump’s focus on economic growth for lobbying interest groups, little environmental restoration can be expected from the current Administration.