Environmental laws

• Conservation


  Controlled Use, Scientific Management of natural resources. Greatest good for the greatest number of people.
• Preservation


  Remaining wilderness areas on public lands should be left untouched
• Restoration


  To bring back to former condition (Former Natural State/.Condition), active restoration seeks to reestablish a diverse, dynamic community at sited that have been degraded.
• Remediation


  Most often used with cleanup of chemical contaminants in a polluted area.
• Mitigation


  Repairing/Rehabilitating a damaged ecosystem or compensation for damage, Most often by providing a substitute or replacement area; frequently involves wetland ecosystems.
• Reclamation


  Typically used to describe chemical or physical manipulations carried out in severely degraded sites, such as open-pit mines or large-scale construction
• Environmental Legislation/Agreements


  • Lacey Act (LA)
  • Taylor Grazing Act (TGA)
  • Kyoto Protocol (KP)
  • Wilderness Act (WA)
  • National Environmental Policy Act (NETGAPA)
  • International Environmental Protection Act (IEPA)
  • Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA)
  • Montreal Protocol (MP)
  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES)
  • Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
  • National Park Act (NPA)
  • Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
  • Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation Liability Act (CERCLA Superfund)
  • Clean Air Act (CAA)
  • Hazardous Material Transportation Act (HAZMAT)
  • Oil Pollution Act (OPA)
  • Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
  • Madrid Protocol
  • Moratorium on mineral exploration for 50 years in Antarctica
  • Endangered Species Act (ESA)
  • Soil and Water Conservation Act (SWCA)
  • Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA)
  • Clean Water Acts (CWA)
  • Pollution Prevention Act (PPA)
  • Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (MBHSA)
  • Emergency Planning & Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA)
  • Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA)
  • Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA)
  • Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
  • Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA)
  • Mining Act of 1872 (MA)
• The Lacey Act was the first federal law protecting wildlife, and is still in effect, though it has been revised several times. Today the law is primarily used to prevent the importation or spread of potentially dangerous non-native species.
• The Taylor Grazing Act regulates grazing on federal public land. The Secretary of the Interior has the authority to handle all of the regulations, and he became responsible for establishing grazing districts. Before these districts are created there must be a hearing held by the state.
• The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement among 150 nations requiring greenhouse gas emission reduction.
• The Wilderness Act allowed congress to set aside federally owned land for preservation.
• The National Environmental Policy Act authorized the Council on Environmental Quality as the oversight board for general conditions; directs federal agencies to take environmental consequences into account in decision making; requires EIP statement be prepared for every major federal project having environmental impact.
• The International Environmental Protection Act authorized the president to assist countries in protecting and maintaining wildlife habitat and provides an active role in conservation by the Agency for International Development.
• The Federal Water Pollution Control Act authorized the surgeon general of the Public Health Service, with others, to prepare comprehensive programs for eliminating or reducing the pollution of interstate waters and tributaries and improving the sanitary condition of surface and underground waters.
• The Montreal Protocol banned the production of aerosols and initiated the phase out of all CFC's.
• The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species controls the exploitation of endangered species through international legislation. Bans hunting, capturing and selling of threatened species and bans the import of ivory.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Act created to protect worker and health. Its main aim was to ensure 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.
• The National Park Act created Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks.
• The Toxic Substances Control Act gives the EPA the ability to track the 75,000 industrial chemicals currently produced or imported into the United States. EPA repeatedly screens these chemicals and can require reporting or testing of those that may pose an environmental or human-health hazard. EPA can ban the manufacture and import of those chemicals that pose an unreasonable risk.
• The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation Liability Act (CERCLA Superfund) established federal authority for emergency response and clean-up of hazardous substances that have been spilled, improperly disposed, or released into the environment.
• The Clean Air Act established primary and secondary air quality standards. Required states to develop implementation plans. Sets limits and goals to reduce mobile source air pollution and ambient air quality standards.
• The Hazardous Material Transportation Act governs the transportation of hazardous materials and wastes.
• The Oil Pollution Act states "A company cannot ship oil into the United States until it presents a plan to prevent spills that may occur. It must also have a detailed containment and cleanup plan in case of an oil spill emergency."
• The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act manages non-hazardous and hazardous solid waste including landfills and storage tanks. Set minimal standards for all waste disposal facilities and for hazardous wastes.
• The Madrid Protocol is a moratorium on mineral exploration for 50 years in Antarctica.
• The Endangered Species Act protects species that are considered to be threatened or endangered. Includes migratory birds and their habitats.
• The Soil and Water Conservation Act provides for a continuing appraisal of US soil, water, and related resources, including fish and wildlife habitats, and a soil and water conservation program to assist landowners.
• The purpose of the Consumer Product Safety Act is to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products.
• The Clean Water Acts regulate and enforce all discharge into water sources and wetland destruction/construction.
• The Pollution Prevention Act requires facilities to reduce pollution at its source. Reduction can be in volume or toxicity.
• The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act requires purchase of a stamp by waterfowl hunters. Revenue generated is used to acquire wetlands. Since its inception, the program has resulted in the protection of approximately 4.5 million acres (18,000 km²) of waterfowl habitat.
• The Emergency Planning & Community Right-To-Know Act requires reporting of toxic releases: the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI); Encourages response for chemical releases.
• The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act requires restoration of abandoned mines.
• The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act preserves selected rivers in the United States for possessing outstandingly, remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values.
• The Safe Drinking Water Act allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set the standards for drinking water quality and oversees all of the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement these standards.
• The Solid Waste Disposal Act aims to find better and more efficient ways to dispose of solid waste; promotes shredding and separation of waste and burning of remaining materials to produce stream or generate electricity; promotes recycling.
• The Mining Act of 1872 is a United States federal law that authorizes and governs prospecting and mining for economic minerals, such as gold, platinum, and silver, on federal public lands.