The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created on December 2, 1970, by executive order of President Richard Nixon to permit coordinated and effective government action on behalf of the environment..ince 1970 the EPA has worked closely with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), a relatively small executive agency that was created pursuant to the NEPA. Its mission is to advise the president on federal policy and action in the environmental area and to ensure that other federal agencies comply with NEPA.