APES Environmental Laws
Lacey Act
A conservation law prohibiting the transportation of illegally captured or prohibited animals across state lines. It was the first federal law protecting wildlife, and is still in effect, though it has been revised several times. Today the law is primarily used to prevent the importation or spread of potentially dangerous non-native species
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
An environmental impact statement (EIS), under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making. Written in 1970.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Authorized the Council on Environmental Quality as the oversight board for general conditions; directs federal agencies to take environmental consequences into account in decision making; requires EIP statement be prepared for every major federal project having environmental impact.
International Environmental Protection Act (IEPA)
Authorized the president to assist countries in protecting and maintaining wildlife habitat and provides an active role in conservation by the Agency for International Development
National Park Act (NPA)
Created Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks.
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
Created to protect worker and health. Its main aim was to ensure that employers provide their workers with an environment free from dangers to their safety and health, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary conditions.
Hazardous Material Transportation Act (HAZMAT)
Governs the transportation of hazardous materials and wastes
Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC)
International agreement that sets rules for the use of the world's oceans, which cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface.
Madrid Protocol
Moratorium on mineral exploration for 50 years in Antarctica
National Appliance Energy Act (NAEA)
Set minimum efficiency standards for numerous categories of appliances
Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA)
Set pesticide limits in food, & all active and inactive ingredients must be screened for estrogenic/endocrine effects
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, based on the premise that (a) global warming exists and (b) man-made CO2 emissions have caused it.
Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. (1987)
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law that promotes the enhancement of the environment and established the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The law was enacted on January 1, 1970.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an agency of the U.S. federal government which was created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. Established in 1970.
Hardrock Mining and Reclamation (HMA)
The bill provides that the secretary of the interior will establish a royalty rate of from 2% to 5% of the value of locatable mineral production from any new mines on federal mineral lands.
Energy Policy Act (EPA)
Energy Policy Act (EPA) The Act originally publicizes radiation protection standards for the Yucca Mountain repository.
Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Protects species that are considered to be threatened or endangered. Includes migratory birds and their habitats.
Low Level Radioactive Policy Act (LLRPA)
All states must have facilities to handle low level radioactive wastes
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDA)
Assures the safety, wholesomeness, efficacy, and truthful packaging and labeling of food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices.
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA)
Authorized the surgeon general of the Public Health Service, with others, to prepare comprehensive programs for eliminating or reducing the pollution of interstate waters and tributaries and improving the sanitary condition of surface and underground waters.
Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA)
Authorizes the president to draw from the petroleum reserve as well as established a permanent home-heating oil reserve in the Northeast. Clarifies when the president can draw from these resources.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)
CITES is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. 1975 CITES entered in force.
Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA)
Established a site to identify for, and construct, an underground repository for spent nuclear reactor fuel and high-level radioactive waste from federal defense programs.
Oil Pollution Act (OPA)
It states "A company cannot ship oil into the United States until it presents a plan to prevent spills that may occur. It must also have a detailed containment and cleanup plan in case of an oil spill emergency."
Ocean Dumping Act (ODA)
Makes it unlawful for any person to dump or transport for the purpose of dumping sewage, sludge, or industrial waste into ocean waters.
Noise Control Act (NCA)
Promotes a national environment free from noise that jeopardizes health and welfare. Establishes research, noise standards, and information dissemination
Soil and Water Conservation Act (SWCA)
Provides for a continuing appraisal of US soil, water, and related resources, including fish and wildlife habitats, and a soil and water conservation program to assist landowners.
Quiet Communities Act (QCA)
Provides for the coordination of federal research and activities in noise control. Authorized FAA funds for development of noise abatement plans around airports.
Atomic Energy Act (AEA)
Provides for the development and regulation of the uses of nuclear materials and facilities in the US.
Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA)
Purpose is to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products.
Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act (MPPRCA)
Regulates the dumping of wastes into oceans and coastal waters
Pollution Prevention Act (PPA)
Requires facilities to reduce pollution at its source. Reduction can be in volume or toxicity.
Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (MBHSA)
Requires purchase of a stamp by waterfowl hunters. Revenue generated is used to acquire wetlands. Since its inception, the program has resulted in the protection of approximately 4.5 million acres (18,000 km²) of waterfowl habitat.
Emergency Planning & Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA)
Requires reporting of toxic releases: the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI); Encourages response for chemical releases
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
Requires that all pesticides are registered and approved by the FDA and creates a pesticide registry
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, is the principal federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste.
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
SDWA is the federal law that protects public drinking water supplies throughout the nation. Under the SDWA, EPA sets standards for drinking water quality and with its partners implements various technical and financial programs to ensure drinking water safety. Enacted in 1974.
Soil Conservation Act (SCA)
Soil Conservation Act (SCA) Established the soil conservation service, which deals with soil erosion problems, carries out soil surveys, and does research on soil salinity.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Superfund or Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) is a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances and pollutants. Enacted in 1980.
Clean Air Act (CAA)
The Clean Air Act (CAA) is a United States federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level. It is one of the United States' first and most influential modern environmental laws, and one of the most comprehensive air quality laws in the world. Enacted in 1963.
Clean Water Act (CWA)
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Officially enacted in 1972.
Endangered Species Act (ESA)
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) was signed on December 28, 1973, and provides for the conservation of species that are endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant portion of their range, and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they depend.
Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA)
To find better and more efficient ways to dispose of solid waste; promotes shredding and separation of waste and burning of remaining materials to produce stream or generate electricity; promotes recycling.
Mining Act of 1872 (MA)
United States federal law that authorizes and governs prospecting and mining for economic minerals, such as gold, platinum, and silver, on federal public lands
