32.4 Environmental Activism

How did the United States balance preserving the environment and

continued industrial growth?

What are the some of the current Environmental issues facing the country today?

Key Terms

• Rachel Carson• Earth Day• Environmentalist• Environmental Protection Agency • Three Mile Island • Fracking• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill• Deep Water Horizons Oil Spill

Key Dates

• April 22, 1970-First Earth Day• December 2, 1970- Nixon creates EPA• March 28, 1979- Three Mile Island• March 1989- Exxon Valdez Oil Spill• April 2010- BP Oil Spill

Beginning of the Environmental Movement

• Silent Spring- Rachel Carson– 1963

• Attacked use of pesticides in farming– DDT especially– Traces would get into

human food supply

Nixon and Environmentalism

• Began to focus more on environmental issues in 1970- created EPA that year

• Renewed Clean Air Act– Imposed stricter pollution regulations on industry– Especially which one?

• Other laws curbing pesticide use, strip-mining, protecting endangered species and setting aside land for preservation

Nuclear Power

• Nuclear power is seen as cheap, clean solution to energy crisis in the 1970s– Also creates toxic

waste and there is possibility for a core Meltdown- would release lots of radiation into the environment

Three Mile Island

• March 28, 1979- Nuclear Power Plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

• Reactor over-heats and cooling system fails• due to human error

– Small amount of radiation begins to leak out of plant– 100,000 people evacuated– Clean up cost over 1 billion dollars

• Raises concerns over the use of Nuclear Power in the United States

Oil Spills and Modern Environmental Issues

• Exxon Valdez- March 24, 1989– At least 11 Million gallons of oil spilled into the

ocean off Alaska– Cost 3 Billion to clean up

• BP Oil Spill- April 20, 2010– Underwater Oil well leaked for 87 days– Released 4.9 million barrels (210 Million Gallons) – Cost 40 Billion to clean up

Exxon Valdez

Current Issues

• Climate Change – Idea that human caused C02 emissions are causing

the global climate to change – Debated among the scientific community and is a

controversial political issue• Less regulations for business (R) vs. more regulations for

conservation (D)

• What are the different issues at hand?– Is the earth warming?– Is the warming caused by humans or other natural

reasons? – What is the best actions to take to confront this

problem?

Fracking• Used to extract previously inaccessible oil and

natural gas that is trapped in rock or shale formations underground

• High pressure water is shot into a well fracturing the rock and making it possible to access the oil and gas– Responsible for the U.S. resurgence in fossil fuel

production• U.S. is projected to be World’s #1 oil and natural gas producer

by 2020

• Faces heavy opposition from environmental groups– Possibility of introducing harmful chemicals into ground

water supplies, destruction of farmland

• “Fracking” has created an economic boom in states like Pennsylvania and North Dakota– North Dakota has lowest unemployment rate in

the country– New York has banned fracking for 5 years

• What is more important economic progress or environmental protection?

The Fracking Song

Article Reflection Questions

1. What are the credentials of the men who have co-authored this article?

2. What is this article a response to?3. What is the thesis? Summarize in 2-3

sentences?4. Do you agree or disagree with argument

being made?