He was the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. During his first three-year tenure, cities were required to adopt anti-pollution laws, automakers were held to strict emissions standards, and DDT was banned. In 1983, he was vice president of legal affairs for Weyerhaeuser when President Reagan asked him to return as EPA administrator. The previous director had asked Congress to cut the EPA's budget, eliminating jobs and halting enforcement work. Ruckelshaus improved the agency's image and morale.