Laws Flashcards
Basel Concention
Designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, specifically from developed to less developed nations. Does not address radioactive waste.
Antiquities Act
Landmarks, structures, and other lands/objects that are of historic/scientific interest are set aside for preservation (1906)
Clean Air Act
Requires EPA to set and enforce rules regarding: mobile source limits, ambient air quality standards, hazardous pollutant discharge standards, stands for new pollution sources, acid rain reduction, etc.
Clean Water Act (Federal Water Pollution Control Act)
Regulates discharge into US waters, wetland destruction/construction, and establishes sewage treatment construction grants program
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, Liability Act (CERCLA)
Sets up a fund to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites. Established liability for parties to collect from one another money to clean up sites. Implements “polluter pays principle”
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Controls the exploration of endangered species through international legislation. Bans hunting, capturing and selling of threatened species and bans the import of ivory.
Endangered Species Act (ESA)
EPA makes a list of endangered and threatened species
Violation if one harms a species; including impacting their environment
Federal food drug and cosmetic act (FDA)
Assures the safety, wholesomeness, efficacy, and truthful packaging and labeling of food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices
Federal insecticide fungicide and rodenticide act (FIFRA)
Governs pesticide use and banning of amount and locations
Creates a pesticide registry
Under control of the FDA
Hard rock and mining reclamation act
The bill provides that the secretary of the interior will establish a royalty rate of from 2% to 5% of the value of locatable mineral production from any new mines on federal lands
Hazardous material transportation act
Governs the transportation of hazardous materials and wastes
Kyoto protocol
Countries commit to a reduction of four greenhouse gases (CO2) (CH4) (N2O) (Sulfur hexaglouride) to levels of that prior to 1990 in order to slow anthropogenic affects of climate change.
Lacey act
Prohibits the transportation of illegally captured or prohibited animals across state lines
Protects wildlife
Prevents the importation or spread of potentially dangerous non native species.
Law of the sea convention
International agreement that sets rules for the use of the worlds oceans which cover 70% of earths surface
Madrid protocol
Moratorium on mineral exploration for 50 years in Antarctica.
Magnuson-Stevens fishery conservation and management act (magnuson act)
Primary law governing marine fisheries management
Supports enforcement of international fishing agreements
Promotes conservation principles by developing underutilized fisheries while protecting essential fish habitats and reducing by catch
Marine Mammal Protection act (MMPA)
First to call for an ecosystem approach To natural resource management and conservation
Prohibits the taking of marine mammals and enacts a moratorium on the import export and sale of any marine mammal, along with any marine mammal part or product within the US
Migratory bird act
Protected birds/part to protect birds from commercial trade of birds and feathers
Stipulations allows for exceptions such as eagle feather use by native Americans
Mining act
US federal law that authorizes and governs prospecting and London for economic minerals such as gold platinum and silver on federal public lands
Montreal Protocol
Banned the production of aerosols and initiated the phase out of all CFCs with the goal if reversing ozone depletion
National environmental policy act (NEPA)
Authorized the creation of the EPA
directs federal agencies to take environmental consequences into account
Requires EIS statement be prepared for every major federal project having environmental impact
National park act
Created Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks.
National wild and scenic rivers act
Selected rivers in the US are preserved for possessing outstandingly, remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values.
Nuclear waste policy act
Established a site to identify for and construct an underground repository for spent nuclear reactor fuel and high level radioactive waste from federal defense programs
occupational safety and health (OSHA)
Created to protect worker health by ensuring that employers provide their workers with an environment free from dangers to their safety and health, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary conditions
Ocean dumping act
Makes it unlawful for any person to dump or transport for the purpose of dulling sewage, sludge, or industrial waste into ocean waters
Oil pollution act
Establishes liability for oil spills
Est. fund to clean up oil spills mandates spill clean up procedures
Organic food production act
Est. National food standards for organic food and food production and facilitated the sale of organic good
Defined standard organic farming practices and created a national list of acceptable organic production inputs
Once certified, product may be labeled as organic
Pollution prevention act
Seeks to prevent pollution through the reduced generation of pollutants at their origin
Companies required to report toxic releases each year
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Regulates the handling of wastes from cradle to grave for the handling of such waste from the time it is generated while it is packaged, stored, while it is transported and how it is disposed, and the disposal sites themselves
Major areas of regulation include: landfills, underground storage tanks, haz waste disposal, transportation manifests, permits to process, treat or dispose wastes, record keeping and reporting.
Safe drinking water act
Est primary drinking water standards
Est groundwater protection program
Soil conservation act
Est the soil conservation service which deals with soil erosion probs and carries out soil surveys and does research on soil salinity
Solid waste disposal act
To find better and more efficient ways to dispose if solid waste and promotes shredding and separation of waste and burning of remaining materials to produce steam or generate electricity and promotes recycling
Stockholm convention
Reducing and elimination of POPs (DDT, dioxin, PCBs)
Surface mining control and reclamation act
Requires restoration of abandoned mines
Taylor grazing act
First federal effort to regulate through a permit system grazing on public lands (prevent tragedy of the commons)
Toxic substances control act (TSCA)
Regulates the testing and use of chemicals (amount produced how handled warning labels limit uses)
Also covers the following programs: radon, lead in buildings, asbestos protection
Wilderness act
Allows congress to set aside federally owned land for preservation
Cartagena protocol for bio safety
International agreement that est guidelines for exporting GM crops
Farm bill 2014
Ends direct government subsidies to farmers
Creates standards for environmental stewardship
Supports local and organic
