Environmental Policy and Law Quiz

Overview of Environmental Policy and Law in the United States

• Environmental policy is a statement of an organization's intentions and principles in relation to its overall environmental performance.
• Environmental law involves the body of federal, state, and local government laws addressing issues involving air and water quality, pollution control, hazardous wastes, natural resource protection, and land development.
• Environmental policies, laws, and regulations have evolved as a patchwork over time due to changes in leadership and political parties.
• The US government divides power among three independent branches: Congress, Executive Branch, and Courts.
• Before 1945, most environmental cases were decided by Common Law, and there was no real environmental policy in the US.
• The World Health Organization is a major international agency responsible for environmental health at the global level.
• The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 to protect human health and the environment.
• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts research and makes recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness.
• The Clean Air Act of 1970 regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources and authorizes the EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
• The Clean Water Act of 1972 established a basic structure for regulating pollutants discharged into US waters, and the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 protects the quality of drinking water in the US.
• The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 establishes the broad national framework for protecting the environment and ensuring that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment before undertaking major federal action.
• The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act of 1996 provides for federal regulation of pesticide distribution, sale, and use and requires that all pesticides distributed or sold in the US be registered by the EPA.