Authors : Bridge News; By Lynn Scarlett of the Reason Public Policy Institute and former Rep. Don Ritter of the National Environmental Policy Institute LOS ANGELES--An environmental policy revolution began in the 1970s that put the U.S. federal government center stage in the decision-making process. In the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and companion laws, the states became supplicants to the federal boss in what looked like a game of "Mother, May I?"