Environmental Laws and Treaties

Clean Air Act (CAA)

Established primary and secondary air quality standards. Required states to develop implementation plans. Sets limits and goals to reduce mobile source air pollution and ambient air quality standards.

Clean Water Acts (CWA)

Regulates and enforces all discharge into water sources and wetland destruction/construction.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation Liability Act (CERCLA Superfund)

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

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

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

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

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

Kyoto Protocol (KP)

Agreement among 150 nations requiring greenhouse gas emission reduction.

Montreal Protocol (MP)

Banned the production of aerosols and initiated the phase out of all CFC's.

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is allowed to set the standards for drinking water quality and oversees all of the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement these standards.

Soil and Water Conservation Act (SWCA)

Provides for a continuing appraisal of US soil, water, and related resources, including fish and wildlife habitats, and a soil and water conservation program to assist landowners.

Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA)

To find better and more efficient ways to dispose of solid waste; promotes shredding and separation of waste and burning of remaining materials to produce stream or generate electricity; promotes recycling.

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA)

Requires restoration of abandoned mines.

Wilderness Act (WA)

Allowed congress to set aside federally owned land for preservation.

Atomic Energy Act (AEA)

Provides for the development and regulation of the uses of nuclear materials and facilities in the US.

Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA)

Purpose is to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products.

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDA)

Assures the safety, wholesomeness, efficacy, and truthful packaging and labeling of food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices.

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

Requires that all pesticides are registered and approved by the FDA and creates a pesticide registry.

Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA)

Authorized the surgeon general of the Public Health Service, with others, to prepare comprehensive programs for eliminating or reducing the pollution of interstate waters and tributaries and improving the sanitary condition of surface and underground waters.

Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA)

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

Hazardous Material Transportation Act (HAZMAT)

Governs the transportation of hazardous materials and wastes.

International Environmental Protection Act (IEPA)

Authorized the president to assist countries in protecting and maintaining wildlife habitat and provides an active role in conservation by the Agency for International Development.

Lacey Act (LA)

A conservation law prohibiting the transportation of illegally captured or prohibited animals across state lines. It was the first federal law protecting wildlife, and is still in effect, though it has been revised several times. Today the law is primarily used to prevent the importation or spread of potentially dangerous non-native species.

Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC)

International agreement that sets rules for the use of the world's oceans, which cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface.

Madrid Protocol

Moratorium on mineral exploration for 50 years in Antarctica.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Authorized the Council on Environmental Quality as the oversight board for general conditions; directs federal agencies to take environmental consequences into account in decision making; requires EIP statement be prepared for every major federal project having environmental impact.

National Park Act (NPA)

Created Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks.

Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA)

Established a site to identify for, and construct, an underground repository for spent nuclear reactor fuel and high-level radioactive waste from federal defense programs.

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)

Created to protect worker and health. Its main aim was to ensure that employers provide their workers with an environment free from dangers to their safety and health, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary conditions.

Ocean Dumping Act (ODA)

Makes it unlawful for any person to dump or transport for the purpose of dumping sewage, sludge, or industrial waste into ocean waters.

Oil Pollution Act (OPA)

It states "A company cannot ship oil into the United States until it presents a plan to prevent spills that may occur. It must also have a detailed containment and cleanup plan in case of an oil spill emergency."

Pollution Prevention Act (PPA)

Requires facilities to reduce pollution at its source.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Management of non-hazardous and hazardous solid waste including landfills and storage tanks. Set minimal standards for all waste disposal facilities and for hazardous wastes.

Stockholm Declaration (SD)

United Nations Conference on Human Environment having considered the need for a common outlook and principles to inspire and guide the peoples of the world in the preservation and enhancement of the human environment.

Taylor Grazing Act (TGA)

A United States federal law that regulates grazing on federal public land. The Secretary of the Interior has the authority to handle all of the regulations, and he became responsible for establishing grazing districts. Before these districts are created there must be a hearing held by the state.

Toxic Substances Control Act (ToSCA)

EPA is given the ability to track the 75,000 industrial chemicals currently produced or imported into the United States. EPA repeatedly screens these chemicals and can require reporting or testing of those that may pose an environmental or human-health hazard. EPA can ban the manufacture and import of those chemicals that pose an unreasonable risk.

Water Resources Planning Act (WRPA)

Provides for a plan to formulate and evaluate water and related land resources.

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA)

Selected rivers in the United States are preserved for possessing outstandingly, remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values.