Chapter 4

Clean Air Act

_____ est. in 1970 - regulates air emissions from area, stationary and mobile sources.

NEPA National Environmental Policy Act

________-- 1969- requires Federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision making processes.

TSCA Toxic substance control ACT

________- 1976- Authorized EPR to track the 80, 000 industrial chemicals currently produced in or imported into U.S.

Precautionary Principle

________ States preventative measures should be taken when any activity threatens the enviroment or Public health, even when a cause and effect relationship is not fully established.

Compare and contrast the environmental policies of the US and China.

________ in the US environmental regulations are based on federal laws. Versus China the state council shapes legislative priorities.

FIFRA Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act

________-- controls the sale /use of pesticides.

CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act

________-provided a "superfund "to clear up uncontrolled abandoned hazardous wastes, spills or emergency releases of pollutants.

ASSESSMENT POLICY

________- Government to assess the effectiveness of the policy.

POLICY ESTABLISHMENT

________- Decision markers formally adopt the policy.

Occupational Safety & Health Act

________- 1970- to ensure worker+ workplace safety.

POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

________- Government Agency puts policy in action. (Regulation)

Safe Drinking Water Act

________- 1974 protects the quality of drinking water from surface or groundwater sources.

5 Phases of the policy cycle.

1. Policy definition 2. Agenda setting 3. Policy establishment 4. Policy Implementation 5. Assessment Policy

Agenda Setting

Set priorities, the timeframe, and who will deal with the environmental problem. The community and stakeholders need to be involved.

Endangered Species Act

_____ est. in 1973 - To protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they would depend.

Clean Water Act

Est. In 1977 - regulates discharges of water pollutants to the environment.

RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

EPA Controls hazardous waste from the cradle to the grave.

Environmental Policy

Statement of intentions by a government or private organization as to its intentions towards environmental performance.

Endocrine disruptors

May mimic hormones or interfere with a hormone system.

Holistic approach

Input from scientific, economic, cultural and political dimensions.

4 Principles of environmental policy development

1. The precautionary principle 2. Environmental justice 3. Environmental sustainability 4. The polluter - pays principal

Environmental sustainability

Adheres to the philosophical viewpoint “that a strong, just, and wealthy society can be consistent with a clean environment, healthy ecosystems and a beautiful planet “

Environmental justice

Denotes the equal treatment of all people in society irrespective of their racial background, country or origin and social economic status.

Polluter pays principal

Means that the polluter should bear the expenses of carrying out the pollution prevention and control measures to ensure that the environment is in an acceptable state.

Results of Chinese environmental policy

Excessively high cost of resources and the environment. 99% of air would be considered unsafe in Europe. 400,000 premature deaths per year and 75 million asthma attacks in China are linked to air pollution. Some days 25% of particulate matter in the air over LA can be traced to China.