New Laws and New Roles for the Courts.

Debate over environmental protection grew markedly during the 1970s, and much of the struggle occurred in the courts. Congress passed several statutes that gave courts a central role in environmental enforcement. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 (NEPA) required the federal government to write an environmental impact statement for all "federal projects with a significant environmental impact." Opponents of a project could go to court to challenge the adequacy of the impact statement. The Clean Air Act amendments of 1970 required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set health-based standards for local air quality. Areas whose air quality did not meet those standards had to develop plans for meeting them. The Water Pollution Control Act amendments of 1972 imposed similar requirements for water pollution. Standards could be challenged by environmental groups or by companies required to reduce their...