{ "id": "RL30798", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL30798", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 426712, "date": "2013-12-20", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T20:49:32.326956", "title": "Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency", "summary": "With congressional approval, the Nixon Administration established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 under an executive branch reorganization plan, which consolidated numerous federal pollution control responsibilities that had been divided among several federal agencies. EPA\u2019s responsibilities grew over time as Congress enacted an increasing number of environmental statutes and major amendments to these statutes. EPA\u2019s primary responsibilities have evolved to include the regulation of air quality, water quality, and chemicals in commerce; the development of regulatory criteria for the management and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes; and the cleanup of environmental contamination. The implementation and enforcement of many of these federal authorities is delegated to the states. EPA also provides financial assistance to states and local governments to aid them in administering pollution control programs and in complying with certain federal environmental requirements. Several federal statutes provide the legal authority for EPA\u2019s programs and activities. The major provisions of each of the following statutes are summarized in this report, as laid out in existing law as of this writing.\nThe Clean Air Act (CAA) authorizes EPA to set mobile source limits, ambient air quality standards, hazardous air pollutant emission standards, standards for new pollution sources, and significant deterioration requirements; to identify areas that do not attain federal ambient air quality standards set under the act; to administer a cap-and-trade program to reduce acid rain; and to phase out substances that deplete the Earth\u2019s stratospheric ozone layer.\nThe Clean Water Act (CWA) authorizes the regulation and enforcement of requirements that govern waste discharges into U.S. waters, and financial assistance for wastewater treatment plant construction and improvements. The Ocean Dumping Act focuses on the regulation of the intentional disposal of materials into ocean waters and authorizes related research. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) authorizes EPA to establish primary drinking water standards, regulate underground injection disposal practices, and administer a groundwater control program.\nThe Solid Waste Disposal Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) govern the regulation of solid and hazardous wastes, and corrective actions to address improper waste management practices. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) focuses on the cleanup of contamination resulting from the past release of hazardous substances, but excludes petroleum which primarily is covered under the Oil Pollution Act. Amendments to the Solid Waste Disposal Act specifically address the cleanup of petroleum leaked from underground storage tanks that are not covered under CERCLA.\nThe Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) require regulation of commercial chemicals to reduce risks to human health and the environment. The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) authorizes various mechanisms intended to prevent pollution by reducing the generation of pollutants at the point of origin. The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) requires industrial reporting of toxic releases and encourages chemical emergency response planning.\nUnder these and other statutes, Congress has assigned EPA the administration of a considerable body of law and associated programs and activities. This report is not comprehensive in terms of summarizing all laws administered by EPA, but covers the major, basic statutory authorities underlying the agency\u2019s programs and activities, and those which EPA has delegated to the states.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL30798", "sha1": "fdcb6edcb30f411505d79c580ff018abe064afd8", "filename": "files/20131220_RL30798_fdcb6edcb30f411505d79c580ff018abe064afd8.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL30798", "sha1": "5f4de6a14af31e68b3127861a0cf25b22e50a2a9", "filename": "files/20131220_RL30798_5f4de6a14af31e68b3127861a0cf25b22e50a2a9.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc817287/", "id": "RL30798_2011Aug11", "date": "2011-08-11", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20110811_RL30798_adb8b31ce737469b1b858bc83607839e5fa5405c.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20110811_RL30798_adb8b31ce737469b1b858bc83607839e5fa5405c.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc93953/", "id": "RL30798_2010Oct08", "date": "2010-10-08", "retrieved": "2012-07-24T12:39:36", "title": "Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency", "summary": "This report summarizes several federal statutes providing legal authority for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) programs and activities. These include: the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Ocean Dumping Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), the Emergency Planning Act, and the Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20101008_RL30798_f47831c0e69c10f5918e8d0e02640196572ff1fc.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20101008_RL30798_f47831c0e69c10f5918e8d0e02640196572ff1fc.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental protection", "name": "Environmental protection" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency", "name": "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental law and legislation", "name": "Environmental law and legislation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Executive departments", "name": "Executive departments" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc822156/", "id": "RL30798_2008Jan07", "date": "2008-01-07", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080107_RL30798_d32057e1e92ecbd16ef483f72a127c0b383b6ff9.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080107_RL30798_d32057e1e92ecbd16ef483f72a127c0b383b6ff9.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc805776/", "id": "RL30798_2007Feb28", "date": "2007-02-28", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20070228_RL30798_da1c310b7923b0fca51384cd449ea901aa3a76f0.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20070228_RL30798_da1c310b7923b0fca51384cd449ea901aa3a76f0.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8901/", "id": "RL30798 2005-03-31", "date": "2005-03-31", "retrieved": "2006-07-03T14:25:02", "title": "Environmental Laws: Summaries of Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency", "summary": "A dozen major statutes form the legal basis for the programs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many of these have been amended several times. The current provisions of each are briefly summarized in this report. The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) seeks to prevent pollution through reduced generation of pollutants at their point of origin. The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires EPA to set mobile source limits, ambient air quality standards, hazardous air pollutant emission standards, standards for new pollution sources, and significant deterioration requirements; and to focus on areas that do not attain standards.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20050331_RL30798_c72bb4f6d0493f83b09f76a9032e50ce151f1be1.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20050331_RL30798_c72bb4f6d0493f83b09f76a9032e50ce151f1be1.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental protection", "name": "Environmental protection" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency", "name": "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Environmental law and legislation", "name": "Environmental law and legislation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Executive departments", "name": "Executive departments" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Energy Policy", "Environmental Policy", "National Defense" ] }