APES Environmental Laws

Yellowstone National Parks Act

(1872) Creation of the Yellowstone National Park. Set a precedent and popularized the idea of preserving sections of the public domain for use as public parks.

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act

(1947 rev. 1972) Provide federal control of pesticide distribution, sale, and use. All pesticides used in the United States must be registered by EPA. Registration assures that pesticides will be properly labeled and that, if used in accordance with specifications, they will not cause unreasonable harm to the environment.

Federal Hazardous Substances Act

(1960) Requires precautionary labeling on the immediate container of hazardous household products to help consumers safely store and use those products and to give them information about immediate first aid steps to take if an accident happens. The Act also allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban certain products that are so dangerous or the nature of the hazard is such that the labeling the act requires is not adequate to protect consumers.

Water Quality Act

(1965) States were directed to develop water quality standards establishing water quality goals for interstate waters. By the early 1970's, all the States had adopted such water quality standards. Since then, States have revised their standards to reflect new scientific information, the impact on water quality of economic development and the results of water quality controls. Created the first water standards, however these standards were not effective and were not enforced. Provided funds for wastewater treatment demonstration projects at the municipal level.

National Environmental Policy A ct

(1969) Requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions. Called the "environmental Magna Carta". Set up requirements for all federal government agencies to prepare environmental assessments and environmental impact statement.

Clean Air Act Part 1

(1970) Revision of congressional legislation to control air pollution that set stricter standards for air quality, imposed limits on emissions from new stationary and mobile sources, provided new funds for pollution centered research, and enabled citizens to sue parties violating the standards

RAMSAR

(1971) a.k.a Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat. An international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands. Stems the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.

Marine Mammal Protection Act

(1972) Federal law that gives responsibility of protecting marine animals to the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior; does not allow harassment of marine mammals; enacts a moratorium on the import, export, and sale of any marine mammal, along with any marine mammal part or product within the United States.

Clean Water Act

(1972) Set maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into waterways; aims to make surface waters swimmable and fishable

Endangered Species Act

(1973) Authorizes the protection and listing of species as endangered and threatened; prohibits unauthorized taking, possession, sale and transport of endangered species; requires federal agencies to ensure that actions they authorize do not jeopardize the existence of the listed threatened species.

Safe Drinking Water Act

(1974) Ensures the quality of Americans' drinking water.Under SDWA, EPA sets standards for drinking water quality and oversees the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement those standards.

Safe Drinking Water Act

(1974) Set maximum contaminant levels for pollutants in drinking water that may have adverse effects on human health

Hazardous Material Transportation Act (HAZMAT)

(1975) Provide adequate protection against the risks to life and property inherent in the transportation of hazardous material in commerce by improving the regulatory and enforcement authority of the Secretary of Transportation. A hazardous material, as defined by the Secretary of Transportation is, any "particular quantity or form" of a material that "may pose an unreasonable risk to health and safety or property." Improved the uniformity of existing regulations for transporting hazardous materials and to prevent spills and illegal dumping endangering the public and the environment, a problem exacerbated by uncoordinated and fragmented regulations.

Corporate Average Fuel Economy Act

(1975) Reaction to 1973 Oil Crisis made by OPEC. Miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency standards set by the U.S Congress for auto manufacturers to meet, by a sales-weighted average off all models of the manufacturers fleet.

Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA)

(1976) Prohibits the manufacture or importation of chemicals that are not on the TSCA Inventory. Chemicals that are listed on the TSCA Inventory are referred to as "existing chemicals". Chemicals not listed are referred to as new chemicals. Generally, manufacturers must submit pre-manufacturing notification to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prior to manufacturing (or importing) new chemicals for commercial purposes. New chemical notifications are reviewed by the agency and if the agency finds an "unreasonable risk to human health or the environment," it may regulate the substance in a variety of ways, from limiting uses or production volume to outright banning them.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

(1976) Protect human health and the environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal, to conserve energy and natural resources, to reduce the amount of waste generated, and to ensure that wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner. RCRA regulates the management of solid waste (e.g., garbage), hazardous waste, and underground storage tanks holding petroleum products or certain chemicals., Encouraged states to develop comprehensive plans to manage nonhazardous industrial solid waste and municipal solid waste; sets criteria for municipal solid waste landfills and other solid waste disposal facilities; prohibits open dumping of solid waste; established a system for controlling hazardous waste from the time it is generated units its ultimate disposal

Fishery Conservation & Management Act

(1977) Established a 200-mile fishery conservation zone and established Regional Fishery Management Councils comprised of Federal and State officials, including the Fish and Wildlife Service. Changed to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with the inner boundary being the seaward boundary of the coastal States.The Act provides for management of fish and other species in the EEZ under plans drawn up by the Regional Councils and reviewed and approved by the Secretary of Commerce. It provides for regulation of foreign fishing in the management zone under GIFA's (governing international fishing agreements) and vessel fishing permits. It also provides a mechanism for preemption of State law by the Secretary of Commerce.

Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation & Liability Act

(1980) Known as CERCLA or Superfund -- provides a Federal "Superfund" to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous-waste sites as well as accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment. Through CERCLA, EPA was given power to seek out those parties responsible for any release and assure their cooperation in the cleanup.

Montreal Protocol

(1987) International treaty in which 180 signatory nations agreed to restrict production of CFC's in order to forestall stratospheric ozone depletion. Because of its effectiveness in decreasing global CFC emissions, the Montreal Protocol is considered the most successful effort to date in addressing global environmental problems.

Ocean Dumping Ban Act

(1988) Makes it unlawful for any person to dump, or transport for the purpose of dumping, sewage sludge or industrial waste into ocean waters after December 31, 1991 - Prohibits any person from dumping, or transporting for the purpose of dumping, sewage sludge or industrial waste into ocean waters unless the person: (1) enters into a compliance or enforcement agreement (which includes a plan negotiated by the dumper, the State, and EPA for terminating dumping as well as a schedule which EPA believes will result in the termination of the dumping), and (2) obtains a permit issued by EPA under authority of sec. 102 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA); It also provides for the payment of special fees for dumping and any penalties incurred by a dumper to be deposited into certain funds for use in finding alternatives to ocean dumping.

Clean Air Act Part 2

(1990) Congressional legislation that strengthened regulations pertaining to air quality standards, auto emissions, toxic air pollutants, acid disposition, and depletion of the ozone layer, while also introducing market-based incentives to reduce pollution

Source Water Assessment Act

(1996) Requires states to develop and implement source water assessment programs (SWAPs) to analyze existing and potential threats to the quality of the public drinking water throughout the state. Using these programs, most states have completed source water assessments for every public water system -- from major metropolitan areas to the smallest towns. Schools, restaurants, and other public facilities that have wells or surface water supplies have been assessed. A source water assessment is a study and report, unique to a water system, that provides basic information about the water used to provide drinking water. States are working with local communities and public water systems to identify protection measures to address potential threats to sources of drinking water.

Kyoto Protocol

(1997) An agreement drafted that calls for reducing by 2012, emissions of 6 greenhouse gases to levels lower than their levels in 1990. Although the United States has refused to ratify the protocol, it can into force in 2005 when Russia ratified it (it was the 127th nation to do so). Curbs carbon production but not consumption.

Copenhagen Protocol

(2009) International treaty that countries agreed to hold any increase in global temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius; specify, side by side, emissions targets for developed countries and actions to reduce emissions by developing countries; establishes a framework for national and international monitoring of what developed and developing countries will do considerable financing to support emissions reductions and adaptation in developing countries. Includes developed-country commitments to collectively provide new and additional resources over the next three years. Establishes a long-term goal for developed countries to jointly take action from a range of funding sources.

Homestead Act of 1862

U.S Law that allowed ay citizen to claim, for a $16 fee, 65 ha (165 acres) of public land by living there for 5 years and cultivating the land or building a home, A waiting period of only 14 months was available for those who could pay $176 for the land.