Air & water regulation
All 16 modern US presidents ranked by their net score on this single sub-criterion. Good and harm are scored 0–10 independently; net is good minus harm. Click a name for the full scorecard.
EPA established (December 1970, Reorganization Plan No. 3). Clean Air Act 1970 (major federal air-pollution regulation). Clean Water Act 1972 (passed over Nixon's veto but signed via override implementation). Single largest expansion of federal environmental authority in US history.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
EPA creation and Clean Air Act/Clean Water Act enactment in 1970-1972 established the modern US environmental regulatory regime; among the largest regulatory expansions of any administration.
epa.gov ↗
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 — most consequential air-pollution law since 1970. Acid rain cap-and-trade. CFC phase-out (Montreal Protocol implementation).
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
1990 CAA Amendments expanded air-pollution regulation, created acid rain cap-and-trade system (foundational for subsequent emissions trading), and accelerated CFC phase-out.
congress.gov ↗
Air Quality Act 1967. Water Quality Act 1965. Major federal environmental regulation framework expanding.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Air Quality Act 1967 and Water Quality Act 1965 expanded federal pollution-regulation authority preceding 1970 EPA creation.
congress.gov ↗
Clean Water Act Amendments 1977. Clean Air Act amendments. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act 1977.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
SMCRA established federal regulation of surface coal mining; CWA amendments strengthened pollution-control framework.
congress.gov ↗
EPA enforcement restored. Strong methane rule. Power plant emissions rule. PFAS regulation expanded. WOTUS rule revised.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
EPA methane rule (November 2023) and power plant emissions rule (May 2024) substantially strengthened federal air-pollution regulation.
epa.gov ↗
Strong EPA enforcement. Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (2011). Methane rules. Waters of the United States rule.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
MATS rule reduced mercury emissions from power plants substantially; WOTUS expanded Clean Water Act jurisdiction (later contested).
epa.gov ↗
Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 — first federal water-pollution law. Limited authority but established federal role.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
First federal legislation directly addressing water pollution; established federal grants to states for water-pollution research and control.
congress.gov ↗
EPA strong enforcement. Clean Water Action Plan 1998. Diesel emissions rule (late-term). Acid rain cap-and-trade implementation.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Clinton EPA implemented 1990 CAA Amendments effectively; acid rain emissions fell substantially via cap-and-trade.
epa.gov ↗
Clean Air Act of 1955 (Public Law 84-159) — first federal air-pollution legislation, though research-only without regulatory authority. Federal Water Pollution Control Act amendments (1956) strengthened 1948 framework.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
1955 Air Pollution Control Act and 1956 Water Pollution Control Act amendments established the federal research infrastructure later expanded into EPA regulation in 1970.
congress.gov ↗
Continued EPA enforcement. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 1976 (hazardous waste regulation).
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
RCRA established federal hazardous-waste regulation framework still in effect.
congress.gov ↗
Clean Air Act of 1963 — first federal air pollution regulation with enforcement authority.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
1963 Clean Air Act expanded the 1955 framework with limited federal enforcement authority.
congress.gov ↗
TVA addressed water management and flood control at regional scale. No federal air-pollution regulation existed yet. Calibration v1.1 revision: good 5→3 per cross-president-rankings.md — current score made FDR look comparable to post-1955 regulatory-era presidents; era_context emphasized.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
TVA was the first major federal water-resource and regional-development authority, addressing flood control, soil erosion, and rural electrification across seven states.
congress.gov ↗
Clear Skies initiative (weakened CAA — failed). Mercury rule (weakened then struck down). Mountaintop removal mining facilitated.
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- harm·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Bush EPA pursued 'Clear Skies' deregulatory framework that would have weakened CAA; failed in Congress and was substantially struck down in courts.
Clear Skies initiative 2002-2005; Mercury rule litigation
Reversed ~125+ environmental regulations per Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program tracker. WOTUS rule rolled back. Mercury rule weakened.
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- harm·Tier 1·Academic·Unverified
Trump T1 reversed approximately 125+ environmental regulations across EPA, Interior, USDA — major environmental regulatory rollback era.
eelp.law.harvard.edu ↗
Anne Gorsuch EPA administrator (1981-83) attempted to dismantle EPA enforcement. Rita Lavelle (Superfund) convicted of perjury. EPA enforcement actions fell ~75% in early term. Acid rain legislation blocked for years.
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- harm·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
EPA Administrator Anne Gorsuch resigned amid contempt-of-Congress finding for refusing to provide Superfund documents; Asst. Administrator Rita Lavelle convicted of perjury; era-defining environmental enforcement collapse.
congress.gov ↗
EPA enforcement substantially reduced. Methane rule reversals. PFAS rule rollback attempts. Air quality and water-pollution enforcement dismantled.
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- harm·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Trump T2 initiated rollback of Biden-era methane rule, power-plant emissions rule, and PFAS standards; EPA staff reduced substantially.
epa.gov ↗