Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 234 / Tuesday, December 7, 2010 / Presidential Documents 75847 

Proclamation 8611 of December 2, 2010 

40th Anniversary of the Environmental Protection Agency 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

From the air we breathe to the water we drink, the quality of our environment 

has a profound effect on our public health, the well-being of future generations, and the vitality of our economy. Just four decades ago, smog choked 

communities across America, pollution clotted numerous waterways, and 

our Nation watched in shock as Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River ignited from 

a tragic accumulation of industrial waste and sewage. Americans realized 

that we must work together to preserve the beauty and utility of our planet, 

and we have come to expect clean air and drinking water. 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 

1970 to protect Americans’ health and our natural resources from pollution. 

Since its formation, EPA has responded to our Nation’s most urgent environmental challenges, including industrial waste polluting our waters, acid 

rain poisoning our forests and lakes, the thinning of the ozone layer that 

shields the Earth, and safe handling of electronic waste. Throughout its 

history, EPA has been a champion for healthy families by reducing the 

environmental risks that affect children, fostering cleaner communities, and 

building a stronger America. 

Looking to the future, we must safeguard the rich resources that have supported centuries of American growth and economic expansion, while also 

protecting the clean air and water that has helped keep our families healthy. 

To carry out these obligations, EPA will continue to make clean air, safe 

water, and unpolluted land a priority, and encourage America to be a leader 

in environmental protection through pollution prevention and the development of clean-energy alternatives to fossil fuels. The advances we make 

today will build a sustainable future for our country, creating new cleanenergy jobs and laying the foundation for our long-term economic security. 

Four decades after its creation, EPA is building on its legacy of responsible 

stewardship and advancing environmental quality in the face of new challenges. As we strive to protect the integrity of our planet in the 21st century, 

EPA continues to lead on critical global issues like reducing mercury pollution, fighting for environmental justice in overburdened communities, and 

confronting global climate change. The work of EPA benefits every American 

by making our environment safer and healthier while securing the path 

to a better future for our children and grandchildren. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 2, 2010, 

as the 40th Anniversary of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. I call upon all Americans to observe this anniversary with appropriate 

programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor EPA’s history, accomplishments, and contributions to our environment. 


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75848 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 234 / Tuesday, December 7, 2010 / Presidential Documents 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day 

of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth. 

[FR Doc. 2010–30809 

Filed 12–6–10; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3195–W1–P 


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