(HAO) Environmental Legislation Lesson

Environmental Legislation

The United States has a variety of laws protecting our waters, both above and below ground, from pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for overseeing the health of the nation's waters. The laws MOST relevant to responsible oceanic stewardship are included on this page.

River and Harbors Act (1899)

This act requires Congressional approval before a dam, bridge, pier, wharf, jetty, or dike is built in or over a waterway. It also states that a waterway cannot be filled, excavated, or altered without federal approval and is administered by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA)

The CWA established a federal program to achieve the goal of protecting and restoring the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters. It requires a permit before anything can be discharged into waterways (NPDES). This is the primary tool for reducing point source pollution. It also strengthens water quality standards and encourages the use of best achievable pollution control. The CWA also provided billions of dollars to establish sewage treatment plants.

The CWA is one of the most successful environmental laws. It more than doubled the number of people being served by sewage treatment plants and now 2/3 of our waterways are safe for recreation, which is double the amount in 1972. It also reduced soil erosion and reduced the levels of toxic chemicals in the Great Lakes.

Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972

This act allows for the protection of coastal zones in the United States from environmentally harmful overdevelopment. Federal money is also given to participating coastal states to help conserve coastal areas.

Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (SDWA)

This act protects drinking water sources in the U.S., both above and below ground. It also sets minimum standards for drinking water quality.

Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1988 (MPRSA_

This is also known as the Ocean Dumping Act and prohibits the dumping of anything into the oceans, either transported from the United States or into U.S. waters, without a permit. Users will only receive permits if the permitted activity is determined not to overly degrade or endanger the marine community.

Interestingly, the United States has only 14 national marine sanctuaries and one of these is located off of the Georgia coast. Our marine sanctuary is known as Gray's Reef. It is 22 square miles and includes a special research-only section for scientists to study the ecosystem.

Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA)

The OPA tries to prevent catastrophic oil spills and establishes a tax on oil that is used to clean up oil spills when the responsible party is incapable or unwilling to do so. It also requires that oil companies create and submit plans to the U.S. government outlining how vessels and facilities will respond to an accident should one occur and establishes regulations for aboveground storage facilities and oil tankers. Companies must also develop an area contingency plan that explains the preparation and planning for an oil spill response on a regional scale.

Oil Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (OPP)

This act requires that facilities that store more than 1,320 gallons of oil or fuel create spill prevention, control, and countermeasure plans.

Endangered Species Act (ESA)

The ESA is not solely directed at protecting marine organisms, but it does protect the habitats of endangered animals, so endangered animals that live in the ocean can have their habitat protected under the Endangered Species Act. For example, the right whale, which lives off of the coast of Georgia for part of the year, is protected by the Endangered Species Act.

[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION