APES Environmental Legislation

Clean Air Act

The primary federal law in the United States governing air quality and emissions from both stationary and mobile sources.

Clean Water Act

Establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

The principal federal law regulating the disposal of solid and hazardous waste to protect  human health and the environment

CERCLA/Superfund

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

International treaty written to protect the ozone layer by phasing out ozone-depleting substances like CFCs

Kyoto Protocol

International treaty written to combat global warming by setting legally binding greenhouse emissions targets for industrialized nations

Paris Agreement

International treaty written to limit global warming to 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels with plans that set new goals every 5 years

Safe Drinking Water Act

Regulates the nation’s public drinking water supply by setting health-based standards that protect against naturally-occuring and made-man contaminants

Delaney Clause for the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

Prohibits the FDA from approving the use of any food additive found to cause cancer in animals or humans no matter how small the dosage, a “zero-risk” standard

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

International treaty that restricts trade of listed species, including live animals, plants, and products derived from them

Endangered Species Act

Makes it illegal to harm or endanger any endangered species and the ecosystems on which they depend