NEPA is the basic national charter for protection of the environment. It establishes policy, sets goals, and provides means for carrying out the policy.
NEPA full text | More about NEPA
Environmental Statutes
LAWS, LAWS & MORE LAWS
1. Surface Mining Control
& Reclamation Act: requires coal strip mines to reclaim the
land
2. Madrid
Protocol: Moratorium on mineral exploration for 50 years in
Antarctica
3. Safe Drinking
Water Act: set maximum contaminant levels for pollutants that may have
adverse effects on human health
4. Clean Water Act of
1972: set maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be
discharged into waterways..aim to make surface waters swimmable and
fishable
5.
Water Quality Act: attempt to reduce non-point source
pollution
6. Ocean
Dumping Ban Act: bans ocean dumping of sewage sludge & industrial
waste
7. National
Environmental Policy Act: Environmental Impact Statements must be done
before any project affecting federal lands can be started
8. Clean
Air Act 1990: Set emission standards for cars, and limits for release of
air pollutants
9. Kyoto
Protocol: controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions
targets for developed countries
10. Montreal
Protocol: phase out of ozone deleting substances
11. Resource
Conservation & Recovery Act: controls hazardous waste with a cradle
to grave system
12. Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation & Liability Act: Superfund, designed to
identify and clean up abandoned hazardous waste dump sites
13. Endangered
Species Act: identifies threatened and endangered species and their
habitats in the US, and puts their protection ahead of economic
considerations
14. Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species( CITES): lists species that cannot be commercially
traded as live specimens or wildlife products
15. Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act: regulates the effectiveness of
pesticides
16. Food
Quality Protection Act: set pesticide limits in food, & all active
and inactive ingredients must be screened for estrogenic/endocrine
effects
17. Low
Level Radioactive Policy Act: all states must have facilities to handle
low level radioactive wastes
18. Nuclear Waste Policy Act: US government must develop a high level nuclear waste site by 2015
More Information on Environmental Laws from the EPA
Statute Area Covered Key Points
|
Hazardous
and Solid Waste |
Regulates
the handling of wastes from “cradle to grave”: establishes rules for the
handling of such waste from the time it is generated, while it is
packaged, stored, while it is transported, and how it is disposed, and the
disposal sites themselves Major
areas of regulation include: --landfills --underground
storage tanks --hazardous
waste disposal --transportation
manifests --permits
to possess, treat, or dispose wastes --recordkeeping and reporting
| |
|
Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) |
Hazardous
Waste |
Sets
up a fund to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites Establishes
liability scheme for parties to collect from one another for $$ to clean
up sites; EPA and others can sue to recoup cleanup $ EPA
locates dumps and sets priorities of worst sites, known as National
Priority List (NPL); Mining sites, nuclear sites, military sites (all
government) plus industrial sites of all sorts Implemented “polluter pays principle” |
|
Oil
Spills |
Establishes
liability for oil spills; establishes fund to clean up oil spills Mandates spill cleanup procedures | |
|
Pollutant
Generation |
Seeks
to prevent pollution through the reduced generation of pollutants at their
origin Companies
required to report toxic releases each year EPA tests products and works with companies mostly on voluntary basis | |
|
Air
Pollutants |
Requires
EPA to set and enforce rules regarding: --mobile
source limits (cars) --ambient
air quality standards (smog) --hazardous
air pollutant discharge standards (what can come out of smokestacks) --standards
for new pollution sources (invent a polluting source?: talk to EPA before
it can be used) --acid
rain reduction --ozone
depletion protection EPA works with areas that don’t attain clean air standards | |
|
Animals
and Plants |
EPA
makes a list of endangered and threatened species Violation
if one “harms” such a species: “harm” includes impacting environment | |
|
All
waters except oceans |
Regulates
and enforces program for discharges into U.S. waters Regulates
wetland destruction/construction Establishes sewage treatment construction grants program | |
|
Groundwater,
lakes, and rivers used for consumption |
Establishes
primary drinking water standards Establishes groundwater protection program | |
|
Oceans |
Regulates intentional disposal of materials into oceans | |
|
Information |
Requires
reporting of toxic releases: the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Encourages response for chemical releases | |
|
Chemicals |
Regulates
the testing and use of chemicals (amount produced, how handled, warning
labels, limit uses) Also
covers the following programs: --radon --lead
in buildings --asbestos protection | |
|
Pesticides |
Governs
pesticide use: amount and locations Creates
a pesticide registry; bans some | |
|
Study
of Federal Projects Affecting Environment |
Environmental
Impact Statements must be filed for “major” federal actions Only
paperwork and research need be done; no other activities mandated |
More than a dozen major statutes or laws form the legal basis for the
programs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(More
about the full text of these laws.)
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA); 42 U.S.C.
4321-4347
NEPA is the basic national charter for protection of the
environment. It establishes policy, sets goals, and provides means for carrying
out the policy.
NEPA full
text | More about NEPA
Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief
Act Public Law 106-40, Jan. 6, 1999; 42 U.S.C. 7412(r)
Amendment to
Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act
Factsheets and full text
The Clean Air Act (CAA); 42 U.S.C. s/s 7401 et seq. (1970)
CAA summary | CAA full text | Guide to the CAA |
CAA - US Code
The Clean Water Act (CWA); 33 U.S.C. ss/1251 et seq. (1977)
CWA summary | CWA full text
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act
(CERCLA or Superfund) 42 U.S.C. s/s 9601 et seq. (1980)
CERCLA summary |
CERCLA full text
The Emergency Planning & Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA); 42
U.S.C. 11011 et seq. (1986)
EPCRA summary | EPCRA full text
The Endangered Species Act (ESA); 7 U.S.C. 136;16 U.S.C. 460 et seq.
(1973) ESA summary |
ESA full text
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); 7 U.S.C.
s/s 135 et seq. (1972)
FIFRA summary | FIFRA full text
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) 21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.
FFDCA full text
Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Public Law 104-170, Aug. 3,
1996
FQPA summary and full
text
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); U.S.C. s/s 552 (1966)
FOIA summary | FOIA full text
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA); 29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.
(1970)
OSHA
summary | OSHA
full text
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA); 33 U.S.C. 2702 to 2761
OPA summary | OPA full text
The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA); 42 U.S.C. 13101 and 13102, s/s et
seq. (1990)
PPA
summary | PPA full text
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); 42 U.S.C. s/s 321
et seq. (1976)
RCRA
summary | RCRA
full text
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA); 42 U.S.C. s/s 300f et seq.
(1974)
SDWA
summary | SDWA
full text
The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA); 42 U.S.C.9601
et seq. (1986)
SARA summary | SARA full text
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); 15 U.S.C. s/s 2601 et seq.
(1976)
TSCA
summary | TSCA
full text
A more comprehensive list of laws (as of 1995) administered by EPA is available.