APES Acts and Laws

1891 Forest Reserve Act

authorized President to designate public lands in the West into "forest reserves"

1900 Lacey Act

bans interstate shipment of birds killed in violation of state laws

1902 Reclamation Act

promotes irrigation and water development project for the arid west

1906 Antiquities Act

allows president to set aside areas on federal lands as National Monuments

1906 Pure Food and Drug Act

federal law provided inspection of meat products and forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of poisonous patent medicines

1911 Weeks Act

allows Forest Service to purchase land at headwaters of navigable streams as part of National Forest System

1912 Public Health Service Act

authorizes government investigation of water pollution

1916 National Park Service Act

creates National Park System and Services

1920 Prohibition

banned alcohol; speakeasies were hidden in rural areas to illegally drink alcohol

1934 Taylor Grazing Act

regulates livestock grazing on public lands and becoming prey to predators; when farmers kill wolves, natural grazers overpopulate

1935 Soil Conservation Act

federal law allowed the government to pay farmers to reduce production so as to conserve soil and prevent erosion

1937 Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act

taxes on gun and ammunition collected for wildlife protection and research; used money to make reserves, pay permits, research migration

1937 Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

pesticide regulation to protect applicators, consumers, and the environment

1946 Atomic Energy Act

determined how the United States would control and manage the nuclear technology it had jointly developed with its World War II allies

1957 Price-Anderson Act

limits liability of power plant owners and the government in cases of a major nuclear power plant accident; Nuclear Power Plants are required to get the maximum available insurance and the government creates a fund to kick in the rest of the damages in the event of an accident

1963 Clean Air Act

begins regulation of air pollution; stricter amendments came later

1964 Wilderness Act

establishes national wilderness system; created the legal definition of wilderness in the U.S. and protection 9.1 million acres of federal land

1969 National Environmental Policy Act

requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions

1970 Resources Recovery Act

started recycling, encourages waste reduction

1972 Ocean Dumping Act

regulated disposing trash and materials in the ocean

1973 Endangered Species Act

sets aside funds to protect endangered species; outlaws international trade in endangered species

1973 Lead Based Paint Poisoning Act

regulates use of lead in toys and cooking utensils

1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

requires tracking of hazardous waste

1977 Clean Water Act

strengthens drinking water regulations

1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

regulates surface mining and encourages reclamation of mined land; have to go back to stripped land and plant habitats

1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

created a superfund to pay for clean up for things

1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act

European seahorse species are covered by the Bern Convention and cannot be disturbed, captures, killed or traded in all 14 range states under this Convention

1990 Clean Air Act

becomes stricter on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides; allows trading of air pollution credits