Timeline cover photo

Environmental Laws, Agencies, and Treaties Timeline - Kayleigh Burke

  • Lacey Act

    Lacey Act
    Protects plants and animals by creating civil and criminal penalties for those who violate rules and regulations
  • World Bank

    World Bank
    Provides loans and grants to the governments and low/middle income countries to pursue capital projects
  • World Health Organization

    World Health Organization
    Responsible for international public health
  • National Environmental Policy Act

    National Environmental Policy Act
    Requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions
  • Environmental Protection Agency

    Environmental Protection Agency
    Protects people and environment from health risks, conducts research, and develops and enforces environmental regulations
  • Clean Air Act

    Clean Air Act
    Defines EPA's responsibilities for improving the nation's air quality
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration

    Occupational Safety and Health Administration
    Assures safe and healthy working conditions by setting standards and providing proper training, education, and assistance
  • United Nations Environment Programme

    United Nations Environment Programme
    UNEP is responsible for responding to environmental issues in the UN system
  • Clean Water Act

    Clean Water Act
    Establishes basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the U.S. and regulating quality standards for surface waters
  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

    Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
    Ensures that international trade in plants and animals does not threaten their survival in the wild
  • Endangered Species Act

    Endangered Species Act
    Protects endangered and threatened species and their habitats both domestically and abroad
  • Safe Drinking Water Act

    Safe Drinking Water Act
    EPA sets standards for drinking water quality and monitors those who enforce those standards
  • Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

    Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
    Gives EPA authority to control hazardous waste from "cradle to grave"
  • Surface Mining and Reclamation Act

    Surface Mining and Reclamation Act
    Prohibits surface coal mining within the boundaries of any unit of the National Park System
  • Department of Energy

    Department of Energy
    Manages the U.S.'s nuclear infrastructure and energy policy
  • Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, Liability Act

    Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, Liability Act
    Provides a federal "Superfund" to clean uncontrolled/abandoned hazardous waste sites
  • Delaney Clause of Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

    Delaney Clause of Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
    Bans additives that have been found to cause or induce cancer in humans or animals
  • Montreal Protocol

    Montreal Protocol
    International treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out production of many substances that are responsible for ozone depletion
  • Kyoto Protocol

    Kyoto Protocol
    Aims to reduce the emission of gases that contribute to global warming