Environmental Laws, Agencies, and Treaties- By Sam Barton and Connor Krumbhaar

Lacey Act

May 25, 1900

Bans trafficking in fish, wildlife, or plants that are illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.

World Bank

Jun 25, 1946

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects
shortened.

World Health Organization

Apr 17, 1948

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health.

Delaney Clause of Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

Sep 9, 1958

Requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban food additives which are found to cause or induce cancer in humans or animals as indicated by testing.

Clear Air Act

Dec 31, 1963

Intended to reduce and control air pollution nationwide.

National Environment Policy Act

Jan 1, 1970

Requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions.

Environmental Protection Agency

Dec 2, 1970

The Environmental Protection Agency is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Dec 29, 1970

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces

Clean Water Act

Oct 18, 1972

Establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters.

United Nations Environment Programme

Dec 15, 1972

Responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

Mar 3, 1973

CITES is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.

Endangered Species Act

Dec 28, 1973

Provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats both domestically and abroad.

Safe Drinking Water Act

Dec 17, 1974

Established to protect the quality of drinking water in the U.S.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Oct 21, 1976

Gives EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from cradle to grave.

Surface Mining and Reclamation Act

Aug 3, 1977

Prohibits surface coal mining within the boundaries of any unit of the National Park System.

Department of Energy

Aug 4, 1977

The United States Department of Energy is a cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with matters of federal energy policy and the safe handling of nuclear material.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, Liability Act

Dec 11, 1980

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.

Montreal Protocol

Sep 15, 1987

A global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

Kyoto Protocol

Dec 11, 1997

An international treaty adopted in 1997 that aimed to reduce the emission of gasses that contribute to global warming.