Important Legislations of the EPA

Countless laws have been written and protected by the EPA, so this post will only go into the main laws.

The Air Pollution Control Act was the first United States Clean Air Act passed by congress to address the national problem of air pollution. This act's sole purpose was to inform the people of the dangers of air pollution, but not actually combat it. It did authorize the Surgeon General to research, investigate, and pass out information relating to air pollution and how to stop it.

The Clean Air Act was enacted by Congress to control air pollution on a national level. It was enacted in 1963, but was greatly amended in 1970 and 1990. It required the EPA to write and enforce regulations to protect American citizens from hazardous air-born pollutants.

The Clean Water Act or CWA, was the primary law enacted by the federal government to govern water pollution. The CWA established goals of reducing and eliminating water pollution by 1985. The Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972 greatly strengthened the CWA, and it was again amended in 1977, and 1987.

The Wilderness Act was enacted in 1964 to legally define the United States' wilderness, and to protect 9 million acres of federal land. Today, the act protects over 107 million acres of wilderness.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act was enacted in 1976 to be the principal federal law of the US to govern the disposal of solid, and hazardous waste.