Environmental Laws and Policies
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Environmental Laws and Policies 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000 2025 2050 Lacey Act May 25, 1900 Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act April 26, 1910 Taylor Grazing Act June 28, 1934 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act June 25, 1938 Clean Air Act December 17, 1963 National Environmental Policy Act January 1, 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act December 29, 1970 Conference on the Human Environment June 16, 1972 Clean Water Act October 18, 1972 The Endangered Species Act March 3, 1973 Safe Drinking Water Act December 16, 1974 Toxic Substances Control Act October 11, 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act October 21, 1976 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act August 3, 1977 CERCLA-Superfund December 11, 1980 Convention on the Law of the Sea December 10, 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act January 7, 1983 Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act October 17, 1986 Montreal Protocol August 26, 1987 Oil Pollution Act August 18, 1990 Energy Policy Act October 24, 1992 Food Security Act January 6, 1994 Food Quality Protection Act August 3, 1996 Kyoto Protocol December 11, 1997 Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species March 3, 2016 https://www.preceden.com/timelines/275417 Create your own timelines at Preceden.com. Events Lacey Act The Lacey Act of 1900, or simply the Lacey Act is a conservation law in the May 25, 1900 United States that prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.It protects both plants and wildlife by creating civil and criminal penalties for those who violate the rules and regulations. The law authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to aid in restoring game and birds in parts of the U.S. where they have become extinct or rare. It also regulates introduction of birds and other animals to places where they have never existed before. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide The Federal Insecticide Act (FIA) of 1910 was the first pesticide legislation Act enacted. This legislation ensured quality pesticides by protecting farmers April 26, 1910 and consumers from fraudulent and/or unadulterated products by manufacturers and distributors. During World War II there was a marked increase in the pesticide market, as wartime research and development produced many chemicals with newly discovered insecticidal properties. Taylor Grazing Act The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 (43 USC 315), signed by President June 28, 1934 Roosevelt, was intended to "stop injury to the public grazing lands [excluding Alaska] by preventing overgrazing and soil deterioration; to provide for their orderly use, improvement, and development; [and] to stabilize the livestock industry dependent upon the public range" (USDI 1988). This Act was pre-empted by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act The United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (abbreviated as June 25, 1938 FFDCA, FDCA, or FD&C), is a set of laws passed by Congress in 1938 giving authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics. The introduction of this act was influenced by the death of more than 100 patients due to a sulfanilamide medication where diethylene glycol was used to dissolve the drug and make a liquid form. https://www.preceden.com/timelines/275417 Create your own timelines at Preceden.com. Clean Air Act The clean air act of 1963 was introduced to ensure that the quality of air in December 17, 1963 the US was improved and to promote research in the area of air pollution control. In 1965 the National Emissions standard act was introduced to regulate the standards of automobile manufacturers, to lower the pollution from automobiles. The legislation authorized the development of comprehensive federal and state regulations to limit emissions from both stationary (industrial) sources and mobile sources in 1970, this was known as the clean air act of 1970. In 1977 this act provided Significant Deterioration (PSD) of air quality in areas attaining the NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standards). In 1990, this act substantially increased the authority and responsibility of the federal government. New regulatory programs were authorized for control of acid deposition (acid rain) and for the issuance of stationary source operating permits. National Environmental Policy Act The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States January 1, 1970 environmental law that was adopted in 1969 and enacted in 1970. It required that all executive federal agencies prepare environmental assessments (EAs) and environmental impact statements (EISs). These reports state the potential environmental effects of federal agency actions. It resulted from the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, Rachel Carson's book titled "Silent Spring", and the 1960s freeway revolts; a series of protests in response to the bulldozing of many communities and ecosystems during the construction of the Interstate Highway System. Occupational Safety and Health Act Its main goal is to ensure that employers provide employees with an December 29, 1970 environment free from recognized hazards, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary conditions. The Act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Conference on the Human Environment General Assembly Resolution 2398 in 1969 decided to convene a June 16, 1972 conference in 1972 and mandated a set of reports from the UN secretary- general suggesting that the conference focus on "stimulating and providing guidelines for action by national government and international organizations" facing environmental issues. The meeting agreed upon a Declaration containing 26 principles concerning the environment and development; an Action Plan with 109 recommendations, and a Resolution. https://www.preceden.com/timelines/275417 Create your own timelines at Preceden.com. Clean Water Act The clean water act of 1977 improved the 1972, by enforcing Federal October 18, 1972 authority to clean up oil and hazardous substance pollution has been extended to 200 miles from the shoreline. The liability limits on tankers and facilities for spill clean-up have been raised and federal facilities must now comply with both procedural and substantive provisions of the clean water. In 1981 improving the capabilities of treatment plants built under process, improving the capabilities of treatment plants built under the program. This amendment is also national and the act aimed to attain a level of water quality that provides for the protection and attain a level of water quality by 1983 and to eliminate the recreation in and on the water" and to eliminate the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters by 1985. discharge of pollutants into navigable waters by 1985. This act was amended in 1987 to recognize toxic Hot Spots This act was amended in 1987 to recognize toxic Hot Spots in the waters. The Endangered Species Act The 1973 Act implemented the Convention on International Trade in March 3, 1973 Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (T.I.A.S. 8249), signed by the United States on March 3, 1973, and the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere (50 Stat. 1354), signed by the United States on October 12, 1940. Safe Drinking Water Act The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which was originally enacted into December 16, 1974 law in 1974, focuses on ensuring that public drinking water meets appropriate safety standards; in contrast, the Clean Water Act regulates pollution in our nation's lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water. In 1984 each national interim primary drinking water regulation promulgated before such date shall be deemed to be a national primary drinking water regulation. Provides that no such regulation shall be required to comply with specified standards under this Act unless such regulation is amended to establish a different maximum contaminant level after the date of enactment of such amendments. In 1996 the amendment targeted resources to address the greatest health risks, added some regulatory flexibility, provided funding for federal drinking water mandates, and aimed to improve water system compliance capacity. https://www.preceden.com/timelines/275417 Create your own timelines at Preceden.com. Toxic Substances Control Act Prohibits the manufacture of chemicals that are not on their pre-approved October 11, 1976 list of products, it was created because before the las, all the chemicals were unregulated. It officially became a law on October 1st 1976.Its three main objectives are to assess and regulate new commercial chemicals before they enter the market, to regulate chemicals already existing in 1976 that posed an "unreasonable risk to health or to the environment", as for example PCB's, lead, mercury and radon, and to regulate these chemicals' distribution and use. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) gives EPA the October 21, 1976 authority to control hazardous waste from the "cradle-to-grave." This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA also set forth a framework for the management of non-hazardous solid wastes. It addressed the increasing problems the nation faced from our growing volume of municipal and industrial waste Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act Surface mining control and reclamation act of 1977; August 3, 1977 An Act to provide for the cooperation between the Secretary of the Interior and the States with respect to the regulation of surface coal mining operations, and the acquisition and reclamation of abandoned mines, and for other purposes." CERCLA-Superfund The CERCLA ( comprehensive, Environmental Response, and December 11, 1980 Compensation liability act) Is a law created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment.