Environmental Legislation & Regulations

1. Environmental Legislation & Regulations Professor Natalie Carroll ASM 336 September 18, 2005

2. Who governs environmental laws and policies? • US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The governing body for major statues or laws • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)-1969: establishes policies, set goals and facilitate the implementation of such policies • NEPA requires federal agencies to assess environmental impact of implementing their major program (Work with NASA & Army)

3. Positive Aspects of Regulations • Protection of the Environment

4. Concerns about Regulations • Structured so costs excessive compared to benefits. • Command-and-control • US Free Market Choice • Uneven application of regulations • Lack properly structured incentives • Generate inefficiencies • Paper work, costs • Duplicative (Federal, State, etc)

5. Environmental Regulations • Clean Air Act (CAA)-1970 • Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)-1974 • Clean Water Act (CWA)-1977 • Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA) -1976 • Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)-1980 • Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) -1972 • Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) -1996

6. Clean Air Act (CAA) - 1970 • Diesel Engines • Odor

7. Safe Drinking Water Act • Protect nation’s sources of drinking water • Protect public health through treatment techniques • MCL’s: Maximum Contaminant Level • Protect underground sources of drinking water • Well Head protection areas

8. Phase II Stormwater Regulations Clean Water Act (1972) • Water Pollution Control • Restore & maintain chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters • Community sewers • NPS pollution control (TMDL’s!!!) • National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

9. Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA) • Hazardous Waste • Underground tanks • Control Solid Waste • Regulation of facilities which burn waste

10. Comprehensive Environment Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) • Also known as the Superfund • Establish a Hazardous Substance • Superfund • Establish regulations controlling hazardous waste sites • Provide liability for hazardous waste release from inactive sites

11. Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)-1986 • Revise and extends CERCLA • Emergency planning & preparedness, community right-to-know reporting and toxic chemical release reporting • Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

12. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) • Regulates the use and safety of pesticides products and features • Classification and certification of pesticide by specific use • Evaluation of risk posed by pesticides (Required for registration) • Restriction of use of pesticides harmful to the environment • Enforcement of requirements through inspections, labeling, notices and state regulations • Groundwater management plan

13. Additional Regulations • Wild and Scenic Rivers Act -establishes wild and scenic river system • Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) - balanced preservation & development in coastal areas • Endangered Species Act - conserve endangered and threatened species

14. Additional Regulations • Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act - regulates dumping of all types of materials into ocean • Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) - sets up toxic substances program - EPA can require manufacturers to collect data on effects of their substance • National Historic Prevention Act -preserve, restore and maintain cultural resources

15. Additional Regulations • Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) -1970 • Oil Pollution Act (OPA)-1990 • Endangered Species Act (ESA)-1973

16. The following slides were taken from a presentation given by Dr. Thomas L. Theis, Director of the Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago. September 13, 2005, Purdue University Seminar title: Environmental Manufacturing Management: A New Approach to Sustainability

17. CONTEXT • We Have Been Altering the Environment for a Long Time – but are Just Beginning to Take Responsibility • Environmental Issues are Not Just More Global, but More Complex • Firms are Increasingly Being Held Responsible for Environmental and Social Externalities With Which They are Associated

18. Sustainability Requires a Different Way of Thinking About How We Interact Within the Environment That: • Stresses integration of our needs with those of our progeny • Views the natural world as a constrained system • Sees humanity as part of a symbiotic relationship with the world • Recognizes the value of ecosystem services • Understands the need to make decisions within a holistic framework

20. HISTORICAL APPROACHES TO ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

22. Traditional (Compliance) Perspective Final product and residuals measured at the factory, in terms of materials production. Residuals: Waste & pollution Raw materials Finished material Raw materials

23. Systems (Optimization) Perspective Final product is measured in terms of service, rather than material, at end of chain rather than in middle. Film & paper production Exposure (Capture) Storage Film developing & printing Final Product

24. DRIVING FORCES • Accelerated Costs of Environmental Compliance • Legislation Focused on Product and Socially Responsible Stewardship • New, More Efficient Processing Technologies • Application of Life Cycle Analysis and Total Cost Accounting • Ability to Measure More Accurately the Impacts of Waste Emissions

25. USEPA Policy Statement “…to move the Nation from a waste-oriented to a life cycle management way of thinking about materials”. (USEPA Strategic Plan, 2003-2008, p. 60)

26. QUESTIONS ???