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National Park Service Act
Established the National Park Service, who supervise and maintain all national parks, battlefields, and historical places. -
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The Government and the Environment
Created by Devin Williams and Johnathon High -
Soil Conservation Act
Allowed the government to pay farmers to reduce production so as to "conserve soil" and prevent erosion. -
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act
The objective of FIFRA is to provide federal control of pesticide distribution, sale, and use. All pesticides used in the United States must be registered (licensed) by EPA. Registration assures that pesticides will be properly labeled and that, if used in accordance with specifications, they will not cause unreasonable harm to the environment. Use of each registered pesticide must be consistent with use directions contained on the label or labeling. -
Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act was first enacted in 1970 and authorized the establishment of federal and state regulations that limit emissions stationary and mobile sources of air pollutants. -
Fish and Wildlife Act
Establishes a comprehensive national fish, shellfish, and wildlife resources policy with emphasis on the commercial fishing industry but also with a direction to administer the Act with regard to the inherent right of every citizen and resident to fish for pleasure, enjoyment, and betterment and to maintain and increase public opportunities for recreational use of fish and wildlife resources. -
Price-Anderson Act (Energy)
Limited the liability of the nuclear industry in the event of a nuclear accident in the United States. -
Wilderness Act
Created the legal definition of wilderness in the US, and protections 9.1 million acres of federal land. It also created the Wilderness Preservation System. -
Land and Water Conservation Act
A Federal program that was established by Act of Congress in 1964 to provide funds and matching grants to federal, state and local governments for the acquisition of land and water, and easements on land and water, for the benefit of all Americans -
Water Resources Planning Act
Established a Water Resources Council to be composed of Cabinet representatives, including the Secretary of the Interior. Also established River Basin Commissions and stipulated their duties and authorities. -
Water Quality Act
Ordered the states to develop water quality standards – subject to federal review — and come up with plans to meet them. The act is largely ineffective, according to Environmental Protection Agency records -
Freedom of Information Act
a law ensuring public access to U.S. government records. FOIA carries a presumption of disclosure; the burden is on the government - not the public - to substantiate why information may not be released. Upon written request, agencies of the United States government are required to disclose those records, unless they can be lawfully withheld from disclosure under one of nine specific exemptions in the FOIA. This right of access is ultimately enforceable in federal court. -
Species Conservation Act
Provided a means for listing native animal species as endangered and giving them limited protection. Made plants and invertebrates eligible for protection. provided funding authority for land acquisition for foreign species -
National Trails System Act
Established national recreational trails, scenic trails, and national Historic trails. -
Marine Mammal Protection Act
Protected all marine mammals from over fishing, in order to save near extinct species. -
National Environmental Policy Act (Political)
Requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision making, by considering the impact of their proposed actions. -
Clean Water Act
Came into effect in 1972. This Clean Water Act is the primary legislation concerning water pollution and its regulation. It establishes a permit system that must be used by point sources of pollution such as industrial facilities, government facilities, and agricultural operations -
Renewable Resources Planning Act
Required the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct an assessment of the Nation's renewable resources every 10 years. -
Safe Drinking Water Act
Passed to protect public health, and public drinking water sources: rivers lakes reservoirs, springs, and ground water wells. -
Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species Act
CITES is an acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and is a voluntary, international treaty between governments that strives to protect endangered species by regulating international trade in those species -
National Forest Management Act
Called for the management of renewable resources on national forest lands. The law was seen as necessary, because a lawsuit (commonly known as the Monongahela decision) had invalidated many timber practices in the national forests. -
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resource Plan
authorizes long-range planning by the United States Forest Service to ensure the future supply of forest resources while maintaining a quality environment. RPA requires that a renewable resource assessment and a Forest Service plan be prepared every ten and five years, respectively, to plan and prepare for the future of natural resources -
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Gave the EPA authority to control the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA also set forth a framework for the management of non-hazardous solid wastes. -
Federal Land Policy and Management Act
Passed in 1976, this law provides a framework for the management of federal public lands. The Act recognized the value of the public lands and stated that they should be managed in perpetuity for the benefit of the American people on the basis of sustained yield and multiple use ("utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people"). -
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
Created two programs: one for regulating active coal mines and a second for reclaiming abandoned mine lands. Also created the Office of Surface Mining -
Soil and Water Conservation Act (Land / Water)
Provides the United States Dep artment of Agriculture (USDA) broad strategic assessment and planning authority for the conservation, protection, and enhancement of soil, water, and related natural resources. -
Arctic Conservation Act
Protects native mammals, birds, and plants and their ecosystems. -
Energy Tax Act
Gave tax credits for residential use of renewable solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources and applied a tax on vehicles with low miles per gallon fuel efficiency. -
Endangered Species Act
Was passed in 1973 to protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats, and protects both plants and animals. -
Low Level Radioactivity Policy Act
Created when ordinary non-radioactive items are contaminated by radiation or radioactive material while being used in nuclear power generation or in some industrial, scientific, or medical operation that uses radioactive materials. -
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act
declares that fish and wildlife are of ecological, educational, esthetic, cultural, recreational, economic and scientific value to the Nation. The Act acknowledges that historically, fish and wildlife conservation programs have focused on more recreationally and commercially important species within any particular ecosystem, with out provisions for the conservation and management of non-game fish and wildlife. -
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
authorizes EPA to respond to releases, or threatened releases, of hazardous substances that may endanger public health, welfare, or the environment. CERCLA also enables EPA to force parties responsible for environmental contamination to clean it up or to reimburse the Superfund for response or remediation costs incurred by EPA. -
Nuclear Waste Policy Act
Provided safe storage for radioactive waste in an underground repository and other temporary waste disposals. -
International Environmental Protection Act
Amended the natural resource provisions of the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act by authorizing the President to assist other countries in wildlife and plant protection efforts in order to preserve biological diversity. -
Food Security Act
A 5-year omnibus farm bill, allowed lower commodity price and income supports and established a dairy herd buyout program. This 1985 farm bill made changes in a variety of other USDA programs. Several enduring conservation program were created, including sodbuster, swampbuster, and the Conservation Reserve Program. -
Emergency Wetlands Resources Act
Allocated funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for the purchase of wetlands by the Secretary of Interior, who is head of the United States Department of the Interior. The Act also instituted a National Wetlands Priority Conservation Plan which was to be established and set up by the Secretary. Included in this plan was a requirement for all States to include wetlands as part of their Comprehensive Outdoors Recreation plan. -
Montreal Protocol
Protection of the Ozone layer by reducing use of certain chemicals, such as CFCs, HFCs, and HCFCs. -
Ocean Dumping Ban Act
Makes it unlawful for any person to dump, or transport for the purpose of dumping, sewage sludge or industrial waste into ocean waters after December 31, 1991 -
Madrid Protocol
Designated Antarctica as a 'natural reserve, devoted to peace and science'. Prohibited mining, established environmental principles, and required a prior environmental impact assessment on all activities. Provides for the payment of special fees for dumping and any penalties incurred by a dumper to be deposited into certain funds for use in finding alternatives to ocean dumping. -
Waste Reduction Act
Established three main things.
1. Prepared a five-year Pollution Prevention (P2) Plan,
2. Submit an Executive Summary of the P2 Plan, and
3. Report annually on their activities to prevent pollution. -
Pollution Prevention Act
Focused industry, government, and public attention on reducing the amount of pollution through cost-effective changes in production, operation, and raw materials use. -
Environmental Education Act
Strengthen and expand environmental education nationwide through education and teacher training and the administration of grants to exemplary programs. -
Lacey Act
Combats trafficking in “illegal” wildlife, fish, and plants. -
California Desert Protection Act
Protected millions of acres within the Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and the Mojave National Preserve. Within these parks and preserves, visitors can view unique landscapes, plants, and animals. Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the United States lies within Death Valley National Park. -
Food Quality Protection Act
With the enactment of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996, Congress presented EPA with an enormous challenge of implementing the most comprehensive and historic overhaul of the Nation's pesticide and food safety laws in decades. The FQPA amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) by fundamentally changing the way EPA regulates pesticides. -
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which commits its Parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets.
