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Fulfilling the Promise of Earth Day (continued)
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MEETING THE CHALLENGE
By the time the Nation came together to celebrate the first Earth Day in
1970, it had developed an understanding that, to ensure a good quality of
life for ourselves and our children, we must act as responsible stewards
of the air, water, and land. However, at the time of first Earth Day, the
dangers associated with past industrial activities were not fully understood.
The events at Love Canal awoke the Nation to the consequences of past practices of the industrial age. Hazardous wastes that many thought had been appropriately taken care of were re-emerging into our environment. The discovery of the dangers resulting from sites like Love Canal presented the Nation with new challenges.
An entire new program needed to be created to fulfill the Earth Day goal of achieving a clean and safe environment. However, by the close of Superfund's first decade, it became clear that the goal could not be achieved simply by laws and regulations -- or by the Federal government alone. Instead, partnerships needed to be formed. EPA reached out to States, Tribes, communities, and industry to forge stronger relationships.
EPA facilitated these partnerships through reform of existing programs and creation of new innovative ones. The goals of protecting human health and the environment remained the same, but the means were reinvented. Today, Superfund is more flexible, more effective, more sensible, and more affordable -- seeking to achieve the best environmental results for the least cost.
But the proof of Superfund's success is found in our backyards.
