The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established on December 2, 1970, by President Richard Nixon in response to growing public concern over environmental degradation and pollution. Its creation marked a pivotal moment in U.S. environmental history, consolidating federal research, monitoring, standard-setting, and enforcement activities into a single agency. Tasked with safeguarding human health and the environment, the EPA played a critical role in implementing landmark legislation such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, setting the foundation for modern environmental protection efforts in the United States.