During photosynthesis, a chemical called chlorophyll absorbs the light energy and encourages a reaction between carbon dioxide and water that results in glucose and oxygen. Oxygen is expelled as a waste product from the plant, and it enters the atmosphere.
The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. The order establishing the EPA was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate. The agency is led by its Administrator, who is appointed by the president and approved by Congress.
The EPA faced little criticism until the early 1980s. Anne Burford (who later became Anne Gorsuch; 1942-) was appointed by President Reagan and took control of the agency in 1980. Early in 1983, the EPA came under criticism from the public and Congress.