Environmental Science / Unit 9: Waste and Sustainability
9.4 Environmental Laws and Policy
Notes
Several major US laws shape environmental protection.
| Law | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) | 1969 | Requires environmental impact statements for major federal projects |
| Clean Air Act | 1970 | Limits air pollutants |
| Clean Water Act | 1972 | Limits water pollution |
| Endangered Species Act | 1973 | Protects listed species and habitat |
| Safe Drinking Water Act | 1974 | Drinking water standards |
| RCRA | 1976 | Hazardous waste tracking |
| CERCLA (Superfund) | 1980 | Cleanup of contaminated sites |
- The EPA was created in 1970 to enforce federal environmental laws.
- International agreements include the Montreal Protocol (ozone), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement (climate), and CITES (limits trade in endangered species).
- Policy tools: command-and-control regulations, taxes and fees, subsidies, and market-based approaches such as cap-and-trade.
- Viewpoints differ: some stress that regulations protect health and ecosystems; others stress costs to businesses and jobs and prefer flexible, market-based approaches.
- Example: a company must complete an environmental impact statement before a federal agency builds a new highway.
Practice
Which law requires environmental impact statements for major federal projects?
NEPA (1969) requires agencies to analyze environmental effects before major actions.
CITES is an international agreement that:
CITES controls trade in threatened wildlife and plants.
A cap-and-trade system for pollution is an example of:
A cap limits total emissions and companies trade permits.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 9 test.