Downloads
- Congressional Wiki Area of Law: Environmental Law handoutFrom the Congressional Wiki: Downloads and Articles
- Interdisciplinary Guide: Endangered SpeciesPDF
- Interdisciplinary Guide: Land UsePDF
- Congressional Topics: Earth SciencePDF
- Congressional Topic: Engineering & TechnologyPDF
- Congressional Topic: Environmental SciencePDF
- Congressional Topic: Green Initiatives
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Resources used in this Bibliography
Environmental Law Research
Use primary source congressional documents to:
• Understand legislative process
• Compile research for law review articles
• Develop legal arguments based on legislative intent
• Access all bills and publications related to enacted laws
• Access all publications related to legislative proposals
• Link to CIS legislative histories
Environmental Law Overview
The following chart summarizes a few of the more important federal environmental laws. For a more comprehensive list of federal environmental laws, visit the EPA's Web site.
| Acronym | Law | Statutory Citation | Regulatory Citation | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAA | Clean Air Act | 42 U.S.C. §§ 7401 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 49-97, 122-124, 144-145, 270-271 | Regulates air emissions |
| CERCLA (superfund) | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (amended by SARA) | 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 300-312 | Governs clean-up responsibilities for historic hazardous waste sites |
| CWA | Clean Water Act | 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 104-136, 140, 144-145, 230-233, 401-471, 501-503 | Regulates discharge of pollutants into the water |
| EPCRA (SARA Title III) | Emergency Planning & Community Right to Know Act | 42 U.S.C. §§ 11001 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 302, 355, 370, 372 | Requires disclosure of the storage of hazardous substances, public notification, and procedures for response in the event of a release of hazardous substances. |
| ESA | Endangered Species Act | 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531 et seq. | 50 C.F.R. 17.1 et seq. | Regulates and conserves threatened and endangered species and their habitats. |
| FIFRA | Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1972 | 7 U.S.C. §§ 136 et seq. | 29 C.F.R. 1440.1; 40 C.F.R. 32.100 et seq., 152-168, 180.1 | Regulates pesticides. |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act of 1960 | 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 6, 1500-1508; 7 C.F.R. 520; 10 C.F.R. 1021 | Establishes a broad national framework for protecting the environment. Imposes environmental responsibilities on all federal agencies and requires agencies to write environmental impact statements. |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act | 42 U.S.C. §§ 6901 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 144-148, 260-299 | Regulates and controls hazardous waste and manages non-hazardous waste. Amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA) to require phasing out land disposal of hazardous waste. |
| SARA | Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act | 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 300-312, 355, 373 | Amended CERCLA |
| TSCA | Toxic Substances Control Act | 15 U.S.C. §§ 2601 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 700-799 | Regulates industrial chemicals produced or imported into the United States |
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