First Hand Account of the Enactment of the 1972 Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act Celebrates 50 Years

After the failure of five earlier federal laws and worsening water pollution across the nation, Congress, in 1972 and over the Presidents veto, enacted the Clean Water Act PL 92-500. The Clean Water Act fundamentally reoriented the regulatory approach to water pollution control. The fact that now, 50 years later, the nation’s waters are cleaner, supporting much healthier ecosystems, is a testament to its effectiveness. This keynote from one of the staff who assisted in crafting the CWA will look back at the circumstances, the people and the process, and something of the elements of the law that produced such a dramatic change in controlling water pollution. Hopefully, this keynote will answer, at least partially, the “Why Then?” and “How Come?” questions many might have about a real and responsive success of Government policy.

This panel is co-sponsored by: Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment

Lunch will be provided (to those who RSVP and attend in person) after the event.

Please contact Heather Morphew, morphew@law.ucla.edu with any questions.