Environmental Laws / International Treaties

From APES Fast Track to a 5 (2015)

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions

requires agencies to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement detailing impact to the surrounding environment.

Endangered Species Act

identifies threatened and endangered species in the United States, and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

international treaty that lists species that cannot be hunted or commercially traded as live specimens or wildlife products.

Marine Mammal Protection Act

protects all marine mammals by prohibiting, with certain exceptions, the taking of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas, and the importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products into the United States.

Lacey Act

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

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act

regulates the effectiveness of pesticides

Food Quality Protection Act

sets pesticide limits in food, and all active and inactive ingredients must be screened for estrogenic/endocrine effects

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Treaty

(international treaty not ratified by the United States as of 2009): this treaty originated at the Stockholm convention. It is an international agreement to phase out 12 organic persistent pollutants, also known as the "dirty dozen," such as DDT and PCBs.

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

regulates coal mining activities in the United States and requires reclaiming of land after use.

Federal Mine Safety and Health Act

sets forth federal health and safety regulations for all coal and non-coal mining operations in the United States

Energy Policy Act

this U.S. law provides incentives, typically in the form of government subsidies, for various energy resources including fossil fuels, nuclear and alternative energy sources

Safe Drinking Water Act

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

Clean Water Act

sets maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into waterways. Main goals are to reduce surface water pollution into lakes, rivers, and streams

Water Quality Act

amended the Clean Water Act by addressing storm water pollution issues—requires industrial storm water discharges and municipal sewage discharge facilities to acquire permits

Ocean Dumping Ban Act

bans dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste in the ocean

Clean Air Act

sets emission standards for cars, addresses requirements for reducing ozone depletion and acid deposition

Kyoto Protocol

international agreement (not ratified by the United States) intended to control global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries

Montreal Protocol

international agreement that phases out ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

controls hazardous waste with cradle-to-grave system requirements

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)

identifies Superfund sites—designed to identify and clean up abandoned hazardous waste dump sites

Nuclear Waste Policy Act

encourages development of a US high-level nuclear waste repository site by 2015 (original proposed site was Yucca Mountain, Nevada)

Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act

requires all states to have facilities to handle low-level radioactive wastes

Basel Convention

international treaty (not ratified by the United States) drafted as a result of hazardous waste from developed nations being shipped overseas to developing countries. It requires that developing countries must give full permission to accept the hazardous waste.