Activity 4.1 – US Environmental History and Major Regulations

 

After reading and analyzing Chapter One, it is clear that the focus of environmental policy has been on managing natural resources and preserving public health since colonial times and continues to be so today. Scientific breakthroughs, technological developments, and changes in public attitudes toward natural resources are significantly responsible for significant changes in US environmental legislation. What precisely are environmental policies? Environmental policy relates to public-sector legislation, regulations, and incentives. Almost as soon as Europeans landed in the Americas, they attempted to govern the use of natural resources. The environment they found had been extensively altered by native people. As a result, settlers faced a number of environmental issues, such as safeguarding cattle from predators, managing trees, and avoiding overhunting. The simple duty of feeding their family and heating their houses made environmental management one of the most serious environmental issues in colonial America. Natural resource laws, at the time. were frequently based on species. However, not all species were equally deserving of protection in the eyes of colonial and municipal governments. The scarcity of labor impacted early American life more than any other aspect. As a result, livestock wandered freely, making them prey for predators. After reading and analyzing Chapter Two, I learned that when the first Europeans arrived in the Americas, they were awestruck by the unfamiliar landscapes, which were overwhelmed by an array of riches that appeared to have been left unspoiled by local populations. The first Spanish empire paved the way, establishing a lasting link between Europe and the Americas through Christopher Columbus' travels.  According to the first paragraph in "Relations between the Empire and Colonies," the transformation of land into a commodity that could be purchased and sold was critical in the early development of American environmental policy. European colonists brought to the Americas their understanding of property and markets, as well as a vision for bringing the old tradition of land ownership and administration to their new home. The initial blueprint for US land policy outlined a plan for arranging and streamlining authority over the natural environment. Above all, the development of federal land policy shows how haphazardly congressmen have responded to the demands of the people and the country. To sum up, the 1870s saw other modifications to federal land policy, such as the Homestead Act, which aimed to better fit the requirements of federal land law to the environment and topography west of the 100 Meridian.

Major US federal environmental laws in a graphical form:

References: 

Russell, E., & Fairfax, S. K. (2014). Guide to U.S. Environmental Policy (Links to an external site.)