ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS & TREATIES

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS

A list of major U.S. federal laws (unless otherwise indicated)
pertaining to the environment.
Atomic Energy Act (1954): Was passed because of the
government's keen interest in monitoring the commercial
and national defense uses of atomic energy. Government
concerns included radiation hazards and the disposal of
radioactive waste. The act establishes a general regulatory
structure for construction and use of nuclear power plants
and nuclear weapons facilities. Unlike most environmental
statutes, it does not permit citizen suits and affords only
limited opportunities for suits by public interest groups.
Clean Air Act (1970): Sets goals and standards for the
quality and purity of air in the United States. By law, it is
periodically reviewed. A significant set of amendments in
1990 toughened air quality standards and placed new
emphasis on market forces to control air pollution.
Clean Water Act (1972): Establishes and maintains goals
and standards for U.S. water quality and purity. It has been
amended several times, most prominently in 1987 to
increase controls on toxic pollutants, and in 1990, to more
effectively address the hazard of oil spills.
Coastal Zone Management Act (1972): Provides a
partnership structure allowing states and the federal
government to work together for the protection of U.S.
coastal zones from environmentally harmful
overdevelopment. The program provides federal funding to
participating coastal states and territories for the
implementation of measures that conserve coastal areas.
Michael Jasny
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act (1980): Requires the
cleanup of sites contaminated with toxic waste. This law is
commonly refered to as "Superfund." In 1986 major
amendments were made in order to clarify the level of
cleanup required and degrees of liability. CERCLA is
retroactive, which means it can be used to hold liable those
responsible for disposal of hazardous wastes before the law
was enacted in 1980.
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
Know Act (1986): Requires companies to disclose
information about toxic chemicals they release into the air
and water and dispose of on land.
Endangered Species Act (1973): Is designed to protect
and recover endangered and threatened species of fish,
wildlife and plants in the United States and beyond. The law
works in part by protecting species habitats.
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938): Is the
nation's major law regulating contaminants in food,
including pesticides. The Food and Drug Administration
implements most of this law; the Environmental Protection
Agency carries out its pesticide standard setting provisions
(with FDA enforcement). See also Food Quality Protection
Act.
Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976):
Provides for protection of the scenic, scientific, historic and
ecologic values of federal lands and for public involvement
in their management.
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(1947): Controls the sale, distribution and application of
pesticides; amended in 1972, 1988, and 1996. See also Food
Quality Protection Act.
Food Quality Protection Act (1996): Is designed to
ensure that levels of pesticide residues in food meet strict
standards for public health protection. Under this law,
which overhauled the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act,
the Environmental Protection Agency is required to better
protect infants and children from pesticides in food and
water and from indoor exposure to pesticides.
Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (1976):
Governs the management and control of U.S. marine fish
populations, and is intended to maintain and restore healthy
levels of fish stocks and prevent overharvesting. Better
known as the Magnuson Stevens Act.
Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972): Seeks to
protect whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals, manatees and
other species of marine mammals, many of which remain
threatened or endangered. The law requires wildlife
agencies to review any activity -- for example, the use of
underwater explosives or high-intensity active sonar -- that
has the potential to "harass" or kill these animals in the wild.
The law is our nation's leading instrument for the
conservation of these species, and is an international model
for such laws. reviewed: Michael Jasny
National Environmental Policy Act (1970): Was the
first of the modern environmental statutes. NEPA created
environmental policies and goals for the country, and
established the President's Council on Environmental
Quality. Its most important feature is its requirement that
federal agencies conduct thorough assessments of the
environmental impacts of all major activities undertaken or
funded by the federal government. Many states have enacted
similar laws governing state activities.
Oil Pollution Act (1990): Enacted a year after the
disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William
Sound, this law streamlines federal response to oil spills by
requiring oil storage facilities and vessels to prepare spill-
response plans and provide for their rapid implementation.
The law also increases polluters' liability for cleanup costs
and damage to natural resources and imposes measures --
including a phaseout of single-hulled tankers -- designed to
improve tanker safety and prevent spills.
Proposition 65 (1986): Is a California law passed by voter
initiative. Known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic
Enforcement Act, Prop. 65 is designed to provide public
warnings about the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals and
to eliminate toxins from drinking water supplies. It is
responsible for California having some of the strongest
environmental protections in the nation, and thus has
helped make the state a model for other regions seeking to
address environmental hazards.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976):
Seeks to prevent the creation of toxic waste dumps by
setting standards for the management of hazardous waste.
Like CERCLA, this law also includes some provisions for
cleanup of existing contaminated sites.
Safe Drinking Water Act (1974): Establishes drinking
water standards for tap water safety, and requires rules for
groundwater protection from underground injection;
amended in 1986 and 1996. The 1996 amendments added a
fund to pay for water system upgrades, revised standard:
setting requirements, required new standards for common
contaminants, and included public "right to know"
requirements to inform consumers about their tap water.
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977):
Is intended to ensure that coal mining activity is conducted
with sufficient protections of the public and the
environment, and provides for the restoration of abandoned
mining areas to beneficial use. Johanna Wald
Toxic Substances Control Act (1976): Authorizes the
Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the
manufacture, distribution, import and processing of certain
toxic chemicals.
INTERNATIONAL TREATIES

A short list of international treaties pertaining to the

environment.
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty: A proposed treaty to
prohibit all testing of nuclear weapons in all environments:
underground, underwater, in the atmosphere and in space.
In 1999, the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the treaty.
The Kyoto Protocol: An international agreement setting
binding limits on emissions of greenhouse gases from
industrialized countries. This agreement was adopted in
Kyoto Japan in December 1997 and supplements the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted
in 1992.
Montreal Protocol: International agreement signed by
more than 150 countries to limit the production of
substances harmful to the stratospheric ozone layer, such as
CFCs.
Non-Proliferation Treaty: A multilateral treaty signed in
1968 which aims to control the spread of nuclear weapons;
extended indefinitely in May 1995. The treaty has been
signed by over 175 nations.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change: An international agreement for dealing with
climate change, adopted at the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (the "Earth Summit") in
Rio in 1992. AKA Climate Change Convention; Climate
Treaty. (See also Kyoto Protocol.)
For more detailed and comprehensive information, visit
Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI), a
searchable database of international environmental treaties
from the Center for International Earth Science Information
Network (CIESIN).