Poison in the water: When the Reagan administration’s EPA met resistance from its own staff

The 1970s represented an environmental reckoning for many Americans. At the start of the decade, former President Richard Nixon created the brand-new Environmental Protection Agency.

Congress passed sweeping laws about protecting air and water. And more Americans grew concerned about major health risks from toxic waste in their communities.

But not everyone believed that the federal government should play such a large role in preventing pollution or cleaning it up.