The Cuyahoga River in Ohio had been so polluted that it caught fire repeatedly from 1868-1969, including a 1952 fire that resulted in nearly $1.5 million in damages. Amazingly, other rivers in the United States also caught fire during this period. The following question are about these fires.
Why didn't federal laws limiting pollution of rivers and streams prevent this pollution and these fires?
a. There were no federal regulations of water pollution at that time.
b. These industries that polluted the water had been repeatedly fined for polluting and simply continued to ignore the laws.
c. The federal laws preventing water pollution did not apply to this specific state, where this occurred.
d. This pollution went undetected by agents overwhelmed by the amount of work.