Key Terms
Passed
1976 (as part of Congress's response to industrial and toxic waste problems).
Core requirement
All federal agencies must prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for every MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION that SIGNIFICAN
EPA sets two types of standards
1. Limits on the amount of each type of pollution that can be discharged by industry in a given area.
Federal-state structure
Same as Clean Air Act. EPA sets standards; states enforce.
Ordinary garbage
Primarily regulated by states. Federal government sets minimum standards for landfills and manages interstate garbage is
Toxic waste
Directly impacts manufacturers. Heavily regulated at the federal level.
Toxic waste defined
Hazardous or poisonous substances that cause an increase in the death rate or serious irreversible illnesses.
Full name
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Commonly called "Superfund."
Purpose
Clean up hazardous waste that was ILLEGALLY DUMPED IN THE PAST.
Core philosophy
THE POLLUTER PAYS.
Exception
Innocent landowners who UNKNOWINGLY purchased contaminated land. But this exception is NARROWLY applied.
Governing law
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Example from source
Expanding a ski area required an EIS because the US Forest Service had to approve the expansion. The federal approval tr
COMPARISON TABLE
CLEAN AIR ACT vs. CLEAN WATER ACT
Answer
Manufacturers that reduce emissions BELOW the required level earn credits from the EPA. Those credits can be sold to man