We need to protect the EPA

Since its inception in the 70's the EPA has been under near constant attack from hard-line conservative politicians and activists that like to claim the agency is a "job killer". In the past that just meant that the EPA was slightly inconvenienced in certain states, but with the new head of the EPA Scott Pruitt being recorded at CPAC saying it was completely justified to support the complete destruction of the EPA it is incredibly important to inform the public of the work of the environmental agency.

A pre-EPA dumping ground

Immediately after its foundation the Nixon administration sent a team of photographers across the country to document the vast amount of pollution in the US. The images of toxic lakes filled with rusting cars, smog filled cities and frothing lakes stand as a testament to the amazing work the EPA has done across the decades to clean and maintain rural and urban environments.

In the coming months every single politician and pundit that calls for the destruction or deregulation of the EPA should be reminded of what the United States looked like before the agency was introduced and how many lives have been saved due to lowered pollution levels.