Timeline

John Muir

Jan 1, 1892

founded Sierra Club in 1892; fought unsucessfully to prevent the damming of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park

Lacey Act

Jan 1, 1900

Prohibits interstate transport of wild animals dead or alive without federal permit

Gifford Pinchot

Jan 1, 1905

First Chief of the US Forest Service: advocated manaing resources for multiple use using principles of sustainable yield.

Rachel Carson

Sep 27, 1962

Published Slient Spring; Documented the enivornmental damage dnoe by DDT and other pesticides. Which heightned public awareness at the start of the modern enivornmental movement

National wild and Scenic Rivers Act

Oct 2, 1968

Protects reives with due to aesthetic, recreaional, wildlife, historical, or cultrual reasons

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Jan 1, 1970

Environmental Impact Statements must be done before amy project affecting federal lands can be started

Clean Air Act

Jan 1, 1970

Set emission standards for cars, and limits for release of air pollutants.

Clean Water Act

Oct 18, 1972

set maxium permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into waterways. Aim: to make surface waters swimmable and fishable

Endangered Species Act

Dec 28, 1973

Protects species that are considered to be threatened or endangered. Includes migratory birds and their habitats.

Safe Drinking Water Act

Apr 14, 1974

set maximum contaminant levels for pollutants that may have adverse effects on human health

Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA)

Jan 1, 1976

Controls hazardous waste with a cradle to grave system

Surface Mining Control & Reclamation Act

Aug 3, 1977

Requires coal strip mines to relcainm the land

Kyoto Protocol

Dec 11, 1977

controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation Liability Act (CERCLA)

Dec 11, 1980

Established federal authority for emergency response and clean-up of hazardous substances that have been spilled, improperly disposed, or released into the environment.

Montreal Protocol

Sep 16, 1987

Pharse out of ozone depleting substances

Ocean Dumping Ban Act

Nov 18, 1988

Bans ocean dumping of sewage sludge & industrial waste

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES)

Apr 14, 2014

Controls the exploitation of endangered species through international legislation. Bans hunting, capturing, and selling of threatened species and bans the import of ivory.