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Environmental Legislation Flashcards

Environmental Legislation and Treaties

Acts Related to Chemicals

  • 1947 Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA):

    • Set up the basic U.S. system of pesticide regulation to protect applicators, consumers, and the environment.

    • Regulates pesticide effectiveness.

Acts Related to Environment (General)

  • 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA):

    • One of the first pieces of environmental legislation in the United States.

    • Written to promote the idea of sustainability.

    • Environmental Impact Statements must be written before any project affecting federal lands can be started.

    • Resulted in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Acts Related to Water

  • 1965 Water Quality Act (WQA):

    • Related to water quality.

  • 1972 Clean Water Act:

    • Set maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into waterways.

    • Aims to make surface waters swimmable and fishable.

  • 1972 Ocean Dumping Ban Act:

    • Bans dumping in the ocean of sewage and industrial waste

  • 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA):

    • Focuses on maintaining the purity of any water source that may potentially be used as drinking water, including both surface and groundwater.

    • Sets maximum contaminant levels for pollutants that may have adverse effects on human health.

Acts Related to Food

  • 1995 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA):

    • Sets pesticide limits in food.

    • All active and inactive ingredients must be screened for estrogenic/endocrine effects.

Acts and Protocols Related to Mining

  • 1977 Mining Control & Reclamation Act:

    • Requires coal strip mines to reclaim the land they destroy.

  • 1996 Madrid Protocol:

    • Related to mining activities.

Acts and Protocols Related to Emissions

  • 1987 Montreal Protocol:

    • Leads to the phasing out of ozone-destroying substances (Chlorofluorocarbons - CFCs).

  • 1997 Kyoto Protocol:

    • Related to emissions.

Acts Related to Waste

  • 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act (CERCLA):

    • Also known as the Superfund Act.

    • Designed to identify and clean up abandoned hazardous waste dump sites.

    • Sets aside money for waste cleanup and remediation.

  • 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act:

    • Related to nuclear waste.

  • 1976 Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA):

    • Related to waste management.

Acts Related to Air

  • 1963 Clean Air Act:

    • Sets emission standards for cars and limits for the release of air pollutants.

Acts and Treaties Related to Life (Species)

  • 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES):

    • A multilateral treaty ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild.

    • Accords varying degrees of protection for more than 33,000 species.

  • 1973 Endangered Species Act:

    • Identifies threatened and endangered species in the US and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations.