APES Legislation

what is the Clean Water Act?

supports “protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, wildlife, and recreation in and on water”

• focuses on protecting or restoring chemical, physical, and biological properties of surface waters

• permitting system to keep point sources of water pollutants (factories, feedlots, wastewater treatment plants) from discharging above acceptable levels

• established acceptable concentrations of different pollutants

what is the Safe Drinking Water Act?

EPA must set MCLs (maximum contaminant levels) for 77 different pollutants in both surface and groundwater

• pathogens: giardia, fecal coliform

• heavy metals: arsenic, mercury

• synthetic compounds: benzene

• pesticides: atrazine

what is the Clean Air Act?

identified six key criteria air pollutants that the EPA must set, monitor, and enforce emission levels for

• SO2

• NOx

• particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)

• lead

• carbon monoxide (CO)

• ozone (O3)

what is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act? (RCRA)

tracks use of hazardous materials from “cradle to grave”

• allows EPA to set list of hazardous wastes and requires industry to monitor and dispose of hazardous waste properly

  • requires landfills to have a ____ permit and may require more secure landfill cap or leachate collection system

what is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act? (CERCLA)

“Superfund Act”

• tax on highly polluting industries like petroleum and chemical

• funds from taxes go to cleaning up old hazardous waste sites (mines, chemical plants, oil refineries)

• sites receiving this funding = superfund sites

  • Brownfields = sites that don’t quite get Superfund status, but still receive federal funding to be cleaned up

what is the Delaney Clause of Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act?

prohibits FDA from approving any food additive found to be carcinogenic in humans or animals

• allows “generally recognized as safe” chemical additives to be used in food without being subject to the regulation

what is the Montreal Protocol?

international agreement signed by 197 countries agreeing to phase out ozone-depleting CFCs

• called for immediate transition to HCFCs, effecting Jan 1, 1989

  • called for HCFC phase out by 2020 in developed countries and transition to HFCs

• highly successful in phasing out 98% of ozone-depleting chemicals within 25 years of ratification

what is the Kyoto Protocol?

international agreement between 193 countries in 1997 to reduce GHG emissions by ~5% below 1990’ level by 2012

• developing countries had no emissions reduction targets

• never ratified in US

• has not successfully reduced GHG emissions

what is the Endangered Species Act?

gives U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the power to list species as endangered or threatened and…

• prohibit harm/trade of these species

• purchase land critical to protecting habitat for endangered species

  • create recovery plans to increase population sizes of endangered species

what is the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species? (CITES)

international agreement signed by 184 countries

• aims to prevent the international trade of 35,000 endangered species

• countries may seize illegal wildlife and fine violators

• Endangered Species Act in US incorporates implementation of ____