EPA / RCRA

On December 2, 1970, President Richard Nixon established the United States Environmental Protection Agency by signing executive order 1110.2. Initially charged with securing the protection of the land, water and air resources of the US, the agency has since evolved and taken on many other responsibilities. Some of the major environmental regulations implemented by EPA are:

• The Clean Air Act (CAA): Regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources, and authorizes EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
• The Clean Water Act (CWA): Establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters.
• The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA): Allows EPA to set standards for drinking water quality and oversees the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement those standards
• The Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA): The first federal law that required environmentally sound methods for disposal of household, municipal, commercial, and industrial waste
• The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA): Protects humans and the environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal and ensures that wastes are managed in a sound manner.
• The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act: Addresses the cleanup of uncontrolled releases of specified hazardous substances
• The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act: Allows state and local planning for chemical emergencies and communities’ right-to-know about toxic and hazardous chemicals.