General Discussion

The Clean Air Act was established in 1963 and strengthened in 1965 by the first pollution limits on automobiles, the Solid Waste Disposal Act was passed in 1965 and the Clean Water Restoration Act was passed in 1966.
And in 1967 the Secretary of Health Education and Welfare, John Gardner, commissioned a Task Force on Environmental Health and Related Problems. It went to Congress with 34 recommendations, the last ten calling for NEPA.
In 1969 when Nixon assumed office the nation would be shocked by two environmental catastrophes, the oil well blowouts off the coast of Santa Barbara and the Cuyahoga River catching fire off Cleveland. The people were demanding laws protecting the environment.
The bill was hashed out in Congress and Nixon signed it Jan.1st, 1970.
The Johnson administration also signed into law the Wilderness Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.