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Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
The United States act that provided federal control of pesticide distribution, sale and use. It required that all pesticides be registered and labeled in order to make sure that the pesticide is will not cause harm to the environment and in order to come with a set of directions on how to use them. -
Federal Water Pollution Control Act
An act that was made in order to regulate pollutants that could be thrown into the United States water system. Permits are needed in order to dump pollutants in a body of water. A set of standards need to be met in order to grant permission to contaminate surface waters. industrial, municipal and other facilities. -
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Conservation of Wildlife
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National Air Pollution Control Act
The first air federal pollution law in the United States. The United States decided that air pollution had to be managed on a national level. The main purpose of this act was to obtain research and learn technical assistance to control air pollution at its source. The Public Health Service was granted $5 million annually for five years. -
Wilderness Act
The Unites States Act that was created as a national wilderness preservation system. It recognizes and legally defines a wilderness as an area where the earth and its community of life is not confined by humans who are visitors and not residents. This act protected 9.1million acres of federal land. -
Solid Waste Disposal Act
The United States act that was created in attempt to resolve the mountains of solid waste existing throughout the nation. It created regulations on the treatment, storage, and disposal of solid wastes that was both hazardous and non-hazardous. It offered responsible methods for getting rid of wastes at a household, municipal, commercial, and industrial level. -
Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act
The United States act that regulates the emission of pollutants from certain motor vehicles. The act was enforced starting with 1968 vehicle models. It claimed a 72% reduction of hydrocarbons, 56% reduction of carbon monoxide, and 100% reduction of crankcase hydrocarbons. The act concentrates on new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines. -
National Emissions Standards Act
The United States act that was created in order to create regulations on automobiles. It regulates and even prohibits fuel activities that are an endangerment to human health. -
California Air Resources Board
The government of California agency that regulates the quality of air. It is also known as the clean air agency and is made up of eleven members who are appointed by the government. The agency is responsible for maintaining healthy clean air; air that is free from toxic contaminants to humans. -
Air Quality Act (amendment to CAA)
November 21, 1967 – This act was one of a series of steps make by the government of the United States to regulate air pollution at a national level. It was designed to establish air quality control regions necessary to protect the health and welfare of the public. In order to do this quality of air standards were enforced. -
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
One of the first laws written that establishes the broad national framework for protecting our environment. It was created to assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that significantly affects the environment. Requirements must be met when there are plans of any sort of construction. -
Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act
The Unites States act that required two annual inspections of every surface coal mine and four annual inspections of every underground coal mine. Safety standards had to be adopted and exercised by every coal mine. A monetary penalty was enforced for all violations and imprisonment for willful violations. -
Environmental Quality Improvement Act
An amendment to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. This amendment was important to make in order to address the additional responsibilities that the Council on Environmental Quality must take. It had statues relating to the prevention and control of pollution, water and land resources, transportation, and economic and regional development. -
Clean Air Act
A United States federal law in order to control air pollution on a national level. It gives the Environmental Protection Agency the power to enforce regulations to protect the people of the Unites States from breathing contaminants in the air that may come from stationary or mobile sources that can be considered hazardous. -
Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act
United States act that gave the Secretary of Labor the power to develop standards to protect the safety and health of workers at the workplace throughout the nation. The employees, both men and women, must have adequate job safety provided by the employer. This act included issues such as medical expenses, disability compensation, and more. -
Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act
The United States act that gave power to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to take steps to impose conditions that were necessary and appropriate to prohibit the application of lead-based paint to any cooking utensil, drinking utensil, or eating utensil manufactured after the date of January 13, 1971. -
Endangered Species Act
The United States act that provides 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. This act was administered by the United States Fish and Wild Life Service and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service. -
Safe Drinking Water Act
The Unites States act passed by congress in order to establish national drinking water standards to obtain good quality and addressing inconsistencies in monitoring the nation’s water supply caused by differing state standards. This act ensured that all states followed these standards that made sure of safe water to drink for the public. -
Hazardous Materials Transportation Act
The Unites States act that provided adequate protection against the risks of 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 was considered any form of material that places an individual at risks. -
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
The Unites States act that gave the United States Environmental Protection Agency the authority to require reporting, record-keeping and testing requirements, and restrictions that related to chemical substances and /or mixtures. However, there are certain substances that can be excluded, such as food, drugs, cosmetics, pesticides, and others. -
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
The Unites States act that gave the United States Environmental Protection Agency the authority to control hazardous waste. This act included authority and control of the generation, transportation, treatment, management, storage and disposal of hazardous waste on order to protect human health and the environment of the Unites States public and land. -
Clean Air Act (Extension)
Major amendments were made to the Clean Air Act. It tightened pollution control for newly built pollution sources and brought older plants under the Clean Air Act’s regulations. It required companies to obtain permits before modifying equipment. This amendment was made in order to enforce the original Clean Air Act. -
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act
The Unites States act that authorizes financial and technical assistance to the States for the development, revision, and implementation of conservation plans and programs for nongame fish and wildlife. It authorized $5 million for each of Fiscal Years 1982 through 1985, for grants for development and implementation of comprehensive State nongame fish and wildlife plans and for administration of the Act. -
o Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
The United States federal law that was designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances as well as pollutants or contaminants. This act also gives authority to federal natural resource agencies, states and Native American tribes to recover natural resource damages caused by releases of hazardous substances, and it created the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. -
Nuclear Waste Policy Act
The Unites States act that provides for the development of repositories for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, to establish a program of research, development, and demonstration regarding the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, and for other purposes. -
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRKA)
The Unites States act that was created to help communities plan for emergencies involving hazardous substances. The act requires hazardous chemical emergency planning by federal, state and local governments, Indian tribes, and industry. It also requires industry to report on the storage, use and releases of hazardous chemicals to federal, state, and local governments. -
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)
A Unites States act amendment to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. This amendment states the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites; required Superfund actions to consider the standards and requirements found in other State and Federal environmental laws and regulations; provided new enforcement authorities and settlement tools; increased State involvement in every phase of the Superfund -
Water Quality Act
A United States bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide for the renewal of the quality of the Nation's waters. -
Montreal Protocol
An international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. As a result of the international agreement, the ozone hole in Antarctica is slowly recovering. Climate projections indicate that the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels between 2050 and 2070. -
Basel Convention
An international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries. The treaty protects human health and the environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes. It controls movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal also intended to minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated. -
Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act
The Unites States act that authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the disclosure of lead-based paint hazards in housing offered for sale or lease. The regulations require that, before the purchaser or lessee is obligated under any contract to purchase or lease housing, the seller or lessor should provide the purchaser or lessee with a lead hazard information pamphlet, disclose to him or her the presence of any known lead-based paint, or -
North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
An agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral rules-based trade in North America. Negotiations were made among the three nations’, U.S. President George H. W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas. The agreement was to eliminate barriers to trade and investment between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. -
Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice
Unites States federal actions to address environmental justice in minority populations and low-income populations. Its purpose is to focus federal attention on the environmental and human health effects on minority and low-income populations with the goal of achieving environmental protection for all communities. The order directs each agency to develop a strategy for implementing environmental justice, promote nondiscrimination in federal programs, and provide minority and low-income community. -
Kyoto Protocol
An international treaty, which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, based on the premise that global warming exists and man-made CO2 emissions have caused it. -
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)
A United States act that authorized federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for a 6-year period (1998-2003). This act was brought about because Congress could not agree on funding. It required that seven planning factors be included in regional transportation plans. -
California AB 1493
The successor bill to AB 1058. It mandates that the California Air Resources Board develop and implement greenhouse gas limits for vehicles beginning in model year 2009. -
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA)
A Unites States act that guaranteed funding for highway safety and public transportation at a cost of $244.1 billion. The act contained a host of provisions to improve and maintain the surface transportation infrastructure in the United States, including the interstate highway system, transit systems around the country, bicycling and pedestrian facilities, and freight rail operations. -
Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA)
A United States act of Congress concerned with the energy policy of the United States. The act’s purpose is to move the United States toward greater energy independence and security, to increase the production of clean renewable fuels, to protect consumers, to increase the efficiency of products, buildings, and vehicles, to promote research on and deploy greenhouse gas capture and storage options, to improve the energy performance of the Federal Government, and other purposes. -
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
The United States primary federal law that regulates the environmental effects of coal mining within the Unites States. This act created two programs. Once program is for regulating active coal mines and the second program is in charge of reclaiming abandoned mine lands. In order to run these programs the act also created the Office of Surface Mining and put this office in charge. -
Clean Water Act
The Unites States act that restores and maintains the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters by preventing point and nonpoint pollution sources, providing assistance to publicity owned treatment works for the improvement of wastewater treatment, and maintaining the integrity of wetlands. -
National Energy Conservation Policy Act
The Unites States act that gave the United States Department of Energy authority to set minimum energy performance standards to replace prior standards set by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act in 1975. This Act is an amendment to the act in 1975 and it changed the level of standards from voluntary to mandatory.
