Name Class Date
2.2United States Environmental Policy
Key Concepts
Environmental policy makes use of science, ethics, economics, and the political process
to solve environmental problems.
Throughout its history, the United States government has reinvented its approach to the
relationship between the nation’s goals and the environment.
Modern U.S. environmental policy reveals lessons learned from past misuses of
resources and strives for a sustainable future.
Vocabulary Preview
Define each vocabulary term in your own words. Then, write yourself a quick note on
how you will remember each. One term has been done for you.
Policy
Environmental
policy
Environmental
Impact
Statement (EIS) / A report that evaluates the impact of
new construction on the environment / To impact means “to affect,” so an
Environmental Impact Statement tells
how something will affect the environ-
ment
What Is Environmental Policy?
1.Identify three goals of modern-day environmental policies.
2.Name five individuals and groups that help make environmental policies.
3.What role does science play in making environmental policy?
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4.How do environmental catastrophes tend to influence environmental policies in state and
local governments?
5.Fill in the T-chart with short descriptions of how different
branches of the U.S. government are involved in environmental policy.
Government / Its Role in Environmental Policy
History of U.S. Environmental Policy
For Questions 6–8, write True if the statement is true. If the statement is false, replace
the underlined word to make the statement true. Write your changes on the line.
6.From the 1780s to the late 1800s, people thought the amount of
land and resources in the West was limited.
7.People overused natural resources in the West from the late 1800s
through the mid-1960s.
8.The pristine condition of Ohio’s CuyahogaRiver during the 1950s
and 1960s helped make more people aware of environmental issues.
9.How did Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring help change U.S. environmental policies?
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Name Class Date
Modern U.S. Environmental Policy
10.Add labels to the timeline for the following environmental events and
laws.
11.After studying the timeline above, what observations can you make about U.S.
environmental policy between 1970 and 1996?
12.What is the current direction of environmental policy in the United States? Give examples.
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Organize Information
13.Fill in the compare/contrast table with information about the three historical periods of
U.S. environmental policy and modern-day U.S. environmental policy.
(1780s to late
1800s) / Second Period
(late 1800s to
mid-1900s) / Third Period
(mid- to late
1900s) / Modern Day
Policy
catalyst
Policy focus
Answer the questions to test your knowledge of lesson concepts. You can check your
work using the answers on the bottom of the page.
14.Describe how an environmental policy becomes law in the United States.
15.Since the late 1800s, how has the United States tried to protect the environment?
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