9. Major Environmental Laws National Environmental Policy Act (1969) Clean Air Act (1970) Federal Coastal Zone Management Act (1972) Endangered Species Act (1973) Clean Water Act (1977) Hazardous Waste Regulation (RCRA 1976)

10. Improvement in Air Quality 4/5 primary air pollutants decreased since 1970 Nitrogen oxides per vehicle down, but overall emissions increased due to larger number of cars Lead emissions way down after switch to unleaded gasoline

12. The Environmental Protection Agency Develop and enforce regulations Offer financial assistance research grants, environmental education, environmental programs Perform environmental research Sponsor voluntary partnerships and programs Further environmental education

24. New York Times Interior Official and Federal Biologists Clash on Danger to Bird December 5, 2004 The scientific opinions of a Bush administration appointee at the Interior Department with no background in wildlife biology were provided as part of the source material for the panel of Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and managers who recommended against giving the greater sage grouse protection under the endangered species act. The appointee, Julie MacDonald, a senior policymaker, criticized studies showing widespread loss of grouse territory and sporadic declines in grouse populations. The sage grouse, whose habitat overlaps areas of likely oil and gas deposits across states like Wyoming and Montana, would likely become an economic headache to the energy and cattle industries if it were listed. Ms. MacDonald's critique of sage grouse biology and the biologists who work for an agency she oversees showed flashes of her strong property-rights background and her deference to industry views.

25. No Endangered Status for Plains Bird By JOHN M. BRODER Published: March 5, 2010 WASHINGTON — The Interior Department said Friday that the greater sage grouse, a dweller of the high plains of the American West, was facing extinction but would not be designated an endangered species for now. As a compromise measure, the bird will be placed on the list of “candidate species” for future inclusion on the list and its status will be reviewed yearly. Yet the decision in essence reverses a 2004 determination by the Bush administration that the sage grouse did not need protection, a decision that a federal court later ruled was tainted by political tampering with the Interior Department ’s scientific conclusions.

26. No Endangered Status for Plains Bird By JOHN M. BRODER Published: March 5, 2010 A group of lawmakers from Western states had strongly urged to keep the sage grouse off the endangered species list, saying that the states had made significant progress in protecting its habitat. They said adding the bird to the list would hurt ranchers and energy producers who need access to sagebrush-covered lands that would be off limits under the listing. “ Today’s unnecessary federal designation is one more on a growing list of examples that ,” Representative Rob Bishop, Republican of Utah, said Friday. Representative Jason Chaffetz, another Utah Republican, has been more pungent in his opinion. “The only good place for a sage grouse to be listed is on the menu of a French bistro ,” he said recently. “It does not deserve federal protection, period.”

27. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama on Tuesday overturned a last-minute Bush administration regulation that many environmentalists claim weakened the Endangered Species Act. The regulation, issued a few weeks before George W. Bush left office, made it easier for federal agencies to skip consultations with government scientists before launching projects that could affect endangered wildlife. By overturning the regulation, Obama said during an enthusiastic reception at the Interior Department, he had restored "the scientific process to its rightful place at the heart of the Endangered Species Act, a process undermined by past administrations." March 3, 2009 Obama overturns Bush endangered species rule

28. Congress, in a First, Removes an Animal From the Endangered Species List April 12, 2011 Congress for the first time is directly intervening in the Endangered Species List and removing an animal from it, establishing a precedent for political influence over the list that has outraged environmental groups. A rider to the Congressional budget measure agreed to last weekend dictates that wolves in Montana and Idaho be taken off the endangered species list and managed instead by state wildlife agencies, which is in direct opposition to a federal judge ’ s recent decision forbidding the Interior Department to take such an action

29. Problems Today Over fishing Climate Change Invasive Species Biodiversity Loss Fossil fuels use and energy Persistent Organic Pollutants World Population Growth

33. Greening of Geopolitics Environmental “Green” politics becoming more mainstream around world. Ecological degradation in any nation is now understood almost inevitably to impinge on quality of life in others. Most formidable obstacle may be entrenched economic and political interests of the world ’s most advanced nations.

34. Where does the money go?

35. Where does the money go?

39. What can you do? Don ’t transport exotic species Landscape with native plants Buy products with minimal packaging Alter your diet – use local farmers ’ markets Know the origin of products Buy the most fuel-efficient vehicle for your needs Drive less -- Use public transportation Buy energy-efficient appliances Conserve energy: turn off lights, use compact fluorescent bulbs, adjust your thermostat Conserve water: Fix leaks, turn off water, run appliances only when full

40. http://www.sierraclub.org/ Take Action! Sierra Club World Wildlife Fund National Resources Defense Council http://www.nrdc.org/ The Nature Conservancy Greenpeace http://nature.org/ http://www.wwf.org/ http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/

41. Take Action! http://www2.uiuc.edu/ro/earthdocs/ Earth Doctors Complete list of RSO http://www.iurso.uiuc.edu/ Champaign County Audubon Society www.web-makers.com/audubon Prairie Rivers Network www.prairierivers.org Red Bison Students for Environmental Concerns http://www2.uiuc.edu/ro/secs/ http://www.isenonline.org/ Illinois Student Environmental Network http://www2.uiuc.edu/ro/redbison/