Info Panel
1965

Presidential Acknowledgement

1965 President Lyndon Johnson states in a Special Message to Congress, “This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale through … a steady increase in carbon …

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1970

EPA Formed

1970 President Richard Nixon establishes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 takes effect President Richard Nixon’s Special Message to Congress in establishing the …

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Clean Air Act

1970 Congress enacts the Clean Air Act, in a near-unanimous endorsement of strong environmental protections In a remarkable show of bipartisanship, the Senate vote for the Clean Air Act is …

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1971

Transportation’s Impact

1971 Development of supersonic transport raises concerns about impacts on climate, and the Climate Impact Assessment Program is created under the Department of Transportation Described as “the first major project …

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1977

Carter’s Energy Plan

President Jimmy Carter sends Congress a comprehensive National Energy Plan with 113 legislative proposals, including new taxes on automobiles, on utilities that burn oil or natural gas instead of coal, …

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1978

Funding Climate Research

The National Climate Program Act increases federal funding for climate research, under the National Climate Program Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The law includes a Congressional finding …

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1979

Solar on White House

President Jimmy Carter climbs to the roof of the White House to mark the installation of 32 solar panels to heat water for the White House At the dedication ceremony …

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1980

Cuts to Energy R&D

The Reagan Administration cuts energy R&D funding by more than half; numerous battles erupt in Congress over the Department of Energy’s attempts to reduce its climate research budget and the …

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2016
NASA

Plans to Defund NASA Climate Work

The Trump transition team announces a plan to strip NASA of funding for its Earth Science Division The Earth Science Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration works on …

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Arctic Drilling Ban

Dec. 2016 President Obama announces that 98 percent of U.S.-controlled Arctic waters (115 million acres) and 3.8 million acres of underwater canyon along the Atlantic coast will be permanently withheld …

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