Environment &
Society
APES Review Sheets
Based on Miller's 11th Edition of Living in the
Environment from Ben Smith,
Conservation |
-"Controlled Use", "Scientific Management"
of natural resources. "Greatest good for the greatest number of people. |
Preservation |
-Remaining wilderness areas on public lands should be
left untouched |
Restoration |
-To bring back to former condition (Former Natural State/.Condition),
active restoration seeks to reestablish a diverse, dynamic community at sited
that have been degraded. |
Remediation |
-Most often used with cleanup of chemical
contaminants in a polluted area. |
Mitigation |
-Repairing/Rehabilitating a damaged ecosystem or
compensation for damage, Most often by providing a substitute or replacement
area; frequently involves wetland ecosystems. |
Reclamation |
-Typically used to describe chemical or physical
manipulations carried out in severely degraded sites, such as open-pit mines
or large-scale construction |
Environmental
Legislation/Agreements
Name |
Abbr. |
Description |
Atomic Energy Act |
AEA |
Provides for the development and regulation of the
uses of nuclear materials and facilities in the |
Clean Air Act |
|
Established primary and secondary air quality
standards. Required states to develop implementation plans. Sets limits and
goals to reduce mobile source air pollution and ambient air quality
standards. |
Clean Water Acts |
CWA |
Regulates and enforces all discharge into water
sources and wetland destruction/construction. |
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation
Liability Act |
CERCLA Superfund |
Established federal authority for emergency response
and clean-up of hazardous substances that have been spilled, improperly
disposed, or released into the environment |
Consumer Product Safety Act |
CPSA |
Purpose is to protect the public against unreasonable
risks of injury associated with consumer products. |
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species |
CITIES |
Controls the exploitation of endangered species
through international legislation. Bans hunting, capturing and selling of
threatened species and bans the import of ivory. |
Emergency Planning & Community Right-To-Know Act |
EPCRA |
Requires reporting of toxic releases: the Toxic
Release Inventory (TRI); Encourages response for chemical releases |
Endangered Species Act |
|
Protects species that are considered to be threatened
or endangered. Includes migratory birds and their habitats. |
Energy Policy Act |
EPA |
The Act originally publicizes radiation protection
standards for the |
Energy Policy and Conservation Act |
EPCA |
Authorizes the president to draw from the petroleum
reserve as well as established a permanent home-heating oil reserve in the
Northeast. Clarifies when the president can draw from these resources. |
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act |
FDA |
Assures the safety, wholesomeness, efficacy, and
truthful packaging and labeling of food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical
devices. |
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act |
FIFRA |
Requires that all pesticides are registered and
approved by the FDA and creates a pesticide registry. |
Federal Water Pollution Control Act |
FWPCA |
Authorized the surgeon general of the Public Health
Service, with others, to prepare comprehensive programs for eliminating or
reducing the pollution of interstate waters and tributaries and improving the
sanitary condition of surface and underground waters. |
Food Quality Protection Act |
FQPA |
Set pesticide limits in food, & all active and
inactive ingredients must be screened for estrogenic/endocrine effects |
Hardrock
Mining and Reclamation |
|
The bill provides that the secretary of the interior |
Hazardous Material Transportation Act |
HAZMAT |
Governs the transportation of hazardous materials and
wastes. |
International Environmental Protection Act |
IEPA |
Authorized the president to assist countries in
protecting and maintaining wildlife habitat and provides an active role in
conservation by the Agency for International Development. |
|
KP |
Agreement among 150 nations requiring greenhouse gas
emission reduction. |
Lacey Act |
LA |
A conservation law prohibiting the transportation of
illegally captured or prohibited animals across state lines. It was the first
federal law protecting wildlife, and is still in effect, though it has been
revised several times. Today the law is primarily used to prevent the
importation or spread of potentially dangerous non-native species. |
Law of the Sea Convention |
LOSC |
International agreement that sets rules for the use
of the world's oceans, which cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface. |
Low Level Radioactive Policy Act |
LLRPA |
All states must have facilities to handle low level
radioactive wastes |
|
|
Moratorium on mineral exploration for 50 years in |
Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act |
MPPRCA |
Regulates the dumping of wastes into oceans and
coastal waters |
Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act |
MBHSA |
Requires purchase of a stamp by waterfowl hunters.
Revenue generated is used to acquire wetlands. Since its inception, the
program has resulted in the protection of approximately 4.5 million acres
(18,000 kmē) of waterfowl habitat. |
Mining Act of 1872 |
MA |
|
|
MP |
Banned the production of aerosols and initiated the
phase out of all CFC's. |
National Appliance Energy Act |
NAEA |
Set minimum efficiency standards for numerous
categories of appliances. |
National Environmental Policy Act |
NEPA |
Authorized the Council on Environmental Quality as
the oversight board for general conditions; directs federal agencies to take
environmental consequences into account in decision making; requires EIP
statement be prepared for every major federal project having environmental
impact. |
National Park Act |
NPA |
Created |
Noise Control Act |
NCA |
Promotes a national environment free from noise that
jeopardizes health and welfare. Establishes research, noise standards, and
information dissemination. |
Nuclear Waste Policy Act |
NWPA |
Established a site to identify for, and construct, an
underground repository for spent nuclear reactor fuel and high-level
radioactive waste from federal defense programs. |
Occupational Safety and Health Act |
OSHA |
Created to protect worker and health. Its main aim
was to ensure that employers provide their workers with an environment free
from dangers to their safety and health, such as exposure to toxic chemicals,
excessive noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or
unsanitary conditions. |
Ocean Dumping Act |
ODA |
Makes it unlawful for any person to dump or transport
for the purpose of dumping sewage, sludge, or industrial waste into ocean
waters. |
Oil Pollution Act |
OPA |
It states "A company cannot ship oil into the |
Pollution Prevention Act |
PPA |
Requires facilities to reduce pollution at its
source. Reduction can be in volume or toxicity. |
Quiet Communities Act |
QCA |
Provides for the coordination of federal research and
activities in noise control. Authorized FAA funds for development of noise abatement
plans around airports. |
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act |
RCRA |
Management of non-hazardous and hazardous solid waste
including landfills and storage tanks. Set minimal standards for all waste
disposal facilities and for hazardous wastes. |
Safe Drinking Water Act |
SDWA |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is allowed
to set the standards for drinking water quality and oversees all of the
states, localities, and water suppliers who implement these standards |
Soil and Water Conservation Act |
SWCA |
Provides for a continuing appraisal of US soil, water,
and related resources, including fish and wildlife habitats, and a soil and
water conservation program to assist landowners. |
Soil Conservation Act |
SCA |
Established the soil conservation service, which
deals with soil erosion problems, carries out soil surveys, and does research
on soil salinity. |
Solid Waste Disposal Act |
SWDA |
To find better and more efficient ways to dispose of
solid waste; promotes shredding and separation of waste and burning of remaining
materials to produce stream or generate electricity; promotes recycling. |
|
SD |
United Nations Conference on Human Environment having
considered the need for a common outlook and principles to inspire and guide
the peoples of the world in the preservation and enhancement of the human
environment. |
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act |
SMCRA |
Requires restoration of abandoned mines. |
|
TGA |
A United States federal law that regulates grazing on
federal public land. The Secretary of the Interior has the authority to
handle all of the regulations, and he became responsible for establishing
grazing districts. Before these districts are created there must be a hearing
held by the state. |
Toxic Substances Control Act |
TSCA |
EPA is given the ability to track the 75,000
industrial chemicals currently produced or imported into the |
Water Resources Planning Act |
WRPA |
Provides for a plan to formulate and evaluate water
and related land resources. |
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act |
WSRA |
Selected rivers in the |
Wilderness Act |
WA |
Allowed congress to set aside federally owned land for
preservation. |