Environmental Acts and Treaties- Jayne Michaels

Delaney Clause of Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

Jul 6, 1958

This act prohibits the addition to the human food supply of any chemical that had caused cancer in humans or animals. The goal was to prevent cancer in humans.

Clean Air Act

Dec 17, 1963

The Clean Air Act defines EPA's responsibilities for protecting and improving the nation's air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer. It is a federal law that regulates all sources of air emissions.

Clean Water Act

Aug 18, 1972

The Clean Water Act, or CWA, aims to reduce, eliminate, and prevent pollution in the nation's water in order to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's water. It gives Americans the right to clean waterways.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

Sep 13, 1973

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species is also known as CITES. It is a global agreement among governments to regulate or ban international trade in species under threat of endangerment.

Endangered Species Act

Dec 28, 1973

The Endangered Species Act provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threated species and their habitats both domestically and abroad. It prohibits the importing, exporting, taking, possessing, selling, and transporting of endangered species.

Safe Drinking Water Act

Dec 16, 1974

This was passed to protect public health by regulating the nation's public drinking water supply. It authorizes EPA to establish minimum standards to protect tap water and it requires all owners or operators of public water systems to comply with these primary health standards.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Aug 21, 1976

This is the principle federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste. It gives EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from cradle-to-grave.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, Liability Act

Dec 11, 1980

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, Liability Act is known as CERCLA. It provides a federal "superfund" to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste cites. It also cleans accidents, spills, and other releases of pollutants

Montreal Protocol

Jul 16, 1987

This is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. ODS are substances that were commonly found in refrigerators, fire extinguishers, and aerosols.

Kyoto Protocol

Feb 16, 2005

The Kyoto Protocol was the first international treaty to set legally binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions. It reduces 6 greenhouse gases in 41 countries.