What America looked like before the EPA stepped in

Images of pollution in the 1970s

While the Environmental Protection Agency was still in its infancy, President Richard Nixon ordered 70 photographers to capture images of the environmental crisis in America and how it impacted urban life.

Click through to some of the most grim photos of pollution from the 1970s. less Images of pollution in the 1970s

While the Environmental Protection Agency was still in its infancy, President Richard Nixon ordered 70 photographers to capture images of the environmental crisis in America ... more Photo: NARA Photo: NARA Image 1 of / 63 Caption Close What America looked like before the EPA stepped in 1 / 63 Back to Gallery

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt ordered an aide to help his wife seek a "business opportunity" with Chick-fil-A.

The Washington Post bombshell, which later also revealed that Pruit asked his security detail to help him find lotion and pick up dry cleaning, is the latest scandal to hit the agency.

It's tough to imagine now, but there was once a time when the EPA and what it stood for was a bipartisan effort, pushed enthusiastically into law by Republican President Richard Nixon.

In his 1970 State of the Union Address, Nixon asked Congress, "shall we surrender to our surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make reparations for the damage we have done to our air, to our land and to our water?"

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Shortly after, the Environmental Protection Agency was created. To help foster support for the newly created agency, Nixon sent out 70 photographers tasked with documenting "subjects of environmental concern" all throughout the United States.

At the time, environmental laws were only just beginning to be formed and regulate the environment.

Known as "The Documerica Project," the photographers captured thousands of images of rural and urban life. Back then, the images demonstrated the toll that unchecked manufacturing and energy industries had on the environment.

Today, they continue to serve as a reminder of what Nixon called the "price tag" on pollution: "Through our years of past carelessness we incurred a debt to nature, and now that debt is being called."

See images of pollution in 1970's America.

Fernando.ramirez@chron.com

Twitter.com/fernramirez93