Environmental Law is a combination of federal laws and state policies intended for the protection of the environment. The federal laws do not prevent state laws from regulating air and water pollution, and management of solid waste, but rather set minimum standards that the states must fulfill. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the agency that enforces the federal environmental laws. The EPA’s main objective is to protect human health and the environment. This agency is also in-charge of ecological research, education, and science, evaluation of accomplishments, monitoring, investigation, and working with state and local governments to set up pollution control guidelines.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) fundamental procedure is to ensure that all government branches give proper importance to the environment before carrying out any major action which will greatly have an effect on the environment.
The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the federal law that regulates air emissions from particular industries and mobile sources through National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The NAAQS establishes safe levels of pollutants to protect public health and the environment.
The Clean Water Act (CWA) sets the basic policies for the regulation of pollutant discharges to the waters of the United States. This law authorizes EPA to set sewage standards of industries and sustained the provisions to set water quality standards for all pollutants in surface waters.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) provides a Superfund to clean up sites contaminated by toxic or abandoned hazardous wastes such as accidents, spills, and other environmental pollutants and contaminants.
The Endangered Species Act provides a program for the preservation and conservation of plants and animals and their habitats that are threatened and endangered with extinction.
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) regulates and controls distribution, sale, and use of pesticide.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that citizens can make requests for government information with certain restrictions for confidential, classified, and national security information and documents.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act was provided to ensure worker and workplace safety. The act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish standards for workplace health and safety.
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 strengthened, modernized, and reorganized EPA's capacity to prevent and take action to disastrous oil spills.
The Pollution Prevention Act was enacted for the prevention of pollution which basically is reducing the amount of pollution by preventing or reducing waste where it originates and to conserve natural resources through effectively use of raw materials, energy, waste, and land by both private industry and the government.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulates and controls the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes. This act’s main focus is on facilities that are active and for future use.
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was established for the protection of the drinking water quality, through EPA establishing safe health standards.
The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) reauthorized CERCLA to continue clean-up activities of hazardous wastes, spills, and releases around the country.
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSC) main objective is to test, regulate, and screen all chemicals produced or imported into the U.S. prior to reaching the consumer’s market.
