National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Environmental Impact Statements must be done before any project affecting federal lands can be started. "The Act establishes national environmental policy and goals for the protection, maintenance, and enhancement of the environment and provides a process
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
An independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment
Safe Drinking Water Act
Set maximum contaminant levels for pollutants in drinking water that may have adverse effects on human health 1974
Clean Water Act
Federal Law setting a national goal of making all natural surface water fit for fishing and swimming by 1983, banned polluted discharge into surface water and required the metals be removed from waste 1948 amended 1972
Resource, Conservation, and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Reduce solid waste, prohibit open dumping. Cradle-to-grave management of hazardous wastes. Regulated underground storage tanks. 1976
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
Govern the safety and accurate labeling of the following: prescription and over-the-counter drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, blood and tissue products, and the nation's entire food supply except for meat and poultry.
1938
Fed. Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act FIFRA
Was first passed in 1947, it established procedures for registering pesticides with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and established labeling provisions. In 1974, it was rewritten that the EPA must regulate the use and sale of pesticides to protect huma
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CITES
An international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. 1975
Solid Waste Disposal Act
In the early 1960s, cities and towns across the country practiced open air burning of trash. This act was passed in 1965 as part of the amendments to the Clean Air Act. This was the first federal law that required environmentally sound methods for disposa
Kyoto Protocol
An international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature is it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions . 1997
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)-Superfund
1980, modified by superfund amendments; goal is rapid containment, clean up or remediation of abandonded toxic waste sites. Created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or thre
Montreal Protocol
In 1987, all UN recognized nations ratified the treaty to phase out the production of chemicals that deplete the ozone layer while searching for ozone-friendly alternatives.
Endangered Species Act
Identifies threatened and endangered species in the US, and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations. 1973
Lacey Act
1900 - Federal law that prohibits importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, accquiring, or purchasing of plants, animals or fish without a federal permit. Requires that we restore areas that a species was close to becoming extinct
Madrid Protocol
The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty". Enacted in 1991 in response to proposals that the wide range of provisions relating to protection of the Antarctic environment should be harmonized in a comprehensive and legally binding
Rio Earth Summit
In 1992 in Brazil,more than 100 heads of state signed the Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, endorsed the Rio Declaration and the Forest Principles, and adopted Agenda 21, a 300 page plan for achieving sustainable dev
Clean Air Act
Passed in 1970, the comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. Among other things, this law authorizes EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and public welf
Taylor Grazing Act
This Act was the first federal effort to regulate grazing on federal public lands. It establishes grazing districts and uses a permitting system to manage livestock grazing in the districts. 1934
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
this law requires mining companies to restore most surface-mined land by grading and replanting it