Environmental Laws

By _mckowens

  • National Park Service Act

    This established the National parks to be maintained in a specific manner. (leaves the unimpaired for future generations and established the National Park Service to manage the parks).

  • Soil Conservation Act

    The government pays farmers to reduce production to conserve oil and prevent erosion.

  • Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act

    This set up system of pesticide regulation to protect applicators, consumers, and environment.

  • Clean Air Act

    This regulates the quality of the air, includes the federal government in pollution issues, and lowers negative health risks.

  • Fish and Wildlife Act

    This established a comprehensive National Fish/Wildlife Policy to develop measures for ultimate sustainable yield to insure stability of domestic fisheries.

  • Price-Anderson Act

    This limits the liability of the nuclear industry in the event of a nuclear accident in the U.S. (radioactive wastes and transportation are also covered).

  • Wilderness Act

    This established the National Wildlife Preservation System and it prohibits activities that would impair the wilderness areas'.

  • Water Resources Planning Act

    This established principles and standards for federal participants in the preparation of river basin plans & evaluating federal
    water projects. (plan with respect to
    agriculture, urban, energy, industrial, recreational, and fish and wildlife needs).

  • Water Quality Act

    This created the first water standards and mandated a water quality assessment program of the nation's water.

  • Land and Water Conservation Act

    This provides money to federal, state/local governments to purchase land and water for the benefits of all American citizens.

  • Species Conservation Act

    This provides lists for native animals species as endangered and giving them limited protection.

  • Freedom of Information Act

    This is public access to U.S. government records.

  • National Trails System Act

    This created a series of national trails to promote the preservation of public access to travel & to enjoy/appreciate the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the nation.

  • National Environmental Policy Act

    This required agencies to release an environmental impact statement before undertaking any major action affecting the environment.

  • Marine Mammal Protection Act

    This is federal law that gives responsibility of protecting marine animals

  • Clean Water Act

    This regulates & enforces program for discharges into U.S. waters, regulates wetland destruction/construction, establishes waste-water treatment construction.

  • Endangered Species Act

    This provides that are endangered/threatened throughout all of significant portion of their range, and the conservation of their ecosystems on which they depend.

  • Renewable Resources Planning Act

    This mandates assessments of forests & rangelands in the U.S. which are conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. (consider a broad range of renewable resources, including outdoor recreation, fish, wildlife, water, range, timber and minerals).

  • Safe Drinking Water Act

    This establishes primary drinking water standards and also establishes groundwater protection programs.

  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

    This lists more than 800 species that cannot be commercially traded as live specimens or wildlife products because they are in danger of extinction.

  • Federal Land Policy and Management Act

    This gave the Bureau of Land Management its first real authority to manage the public land under its control.

  • Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Act

    This requires the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a management program for National forest lands based on multiple-use and sustained yield principles.

  • National Forest Management Act

    This authorized the creation & use of a special fund in situations involving the salvage of insect-infested, dead, damaged or downed timber and to remove associated trees for stand improvement.

  • Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

    This is a federal law that governs the disposal of solid waste as well as hazardous waste.

  • Soil and Water Conservation Act

    This provides continued appraisal of the U.S. soil, water, etc. (including fish and wildlife habitats, and a soil and water conservation program to assist landowners).

  • Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

    This requires restoration of abandoned mines, and regulating surface coal mining activities.

  • Energy Tax Act

    This is putting taxes on sources of energy that are not sustainable.

  • Artic Conservation Act

    This act makes it unlawful to take native mammals and or birds, to engage in harmful interference, to enter specially designated areas, to introduce species to antarctica, to introduce substances designated pollutants, and to import certain antarctic items into the U.S.

  • Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act

    This identifies hazardous waste sites, a national priority list to rank severity of hazardous waste sites, and has superfund creates money for clean up so that people can be held responsible.

  • Low Level Radioactive Policy Act

    This act specifies that all states are responsible for the waste they generate.

  • Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act

    This gave assistance to the U.S. for the implementation of conservation plans/programs for non game fish and wildlife.

  • Nuclear Waste Policy Act

    This is an act because the U.S. government must develop a high level nuclear waste site for the dumping of nuclear waste.

  • International Environmental Protection Act

    This authorizes the President to assist countries in protecting/maintaining wildlife habitats & to provide an active role in conservation by the Agency for International Development.

  • Food Security Act

    This act discouraged the conversion of wetlands to non wetlands.

  • Emergency Wetlands Resources Act

    This act aims to promote wetlands conservation for the public benefit.

  • Montreal Protocol

    This is where a group of nations met in Canada and agreed to take steps to fight against Ozone Depletion-CFC's were banned.

  • Ocean Dumping Ban Act

    This provides a partial ban on ocean dumping and prohibits the dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste.

  • Madrid Protocol

    This increased environmental protection by requiring assessments of possible environmental effects of any activities and also requires development of plans outlining responses to environmental emergencies & prohibits mining.

  • Waste Reduction Act

    This mandated the EPA to develop and coordinate a pollution prevention strategy and create source reduction models.

  • Pollution Prevention Act

    This act creates a source of reductions and recycling activities, and authorizes and a collection on pollution prevention data.

  • Lacey Act

    This prohibits interstate transport of wild animals, dead or alive, without federal permit,

  • Environmental Education Act

    This established the Office of Environmental Education within the EPA to develop and administer a federal environmental education program.

  • California Desert Protection Act

    This act established the Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and the Mojave National Preserve in the California desert.

  • Food Quality Protection Act

    This set pesticide limits in food, & all active and inactive ingredients must be screened for estrogenic/endocrine effects.

  • Kyoto Protocol

    This established legally binding commitments for the reduction of four greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride), and two groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons).