WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW?
Environmental law is concerned with balancing environmental
concerns of the public generally, with the rights of a property
owners (individual, business and governmental) to develop
and use their property. It is reflected both in explicit
environmental laws and other statutes and regulations, such
as local building codes, zoning ordinances, condemnation
policies and land use restrictions. State and local environmental
laws reflect local policy and priorities, which vary from
place to place, resulting in conflicts between localities
on environmental laws, enforcement and compliance.
Several spectacular environmental disasters, like the 1989
grounding of the oil tanker Exxon Valdez and the resulting
oil spill, the hazardous waste problem of the Love Canal
in Niagara Falls, and nuclear reactor accidents (Three Mile
Island in Pennsylvania and the Ukraine's Chernobyl in 1986)
have generated awareness.
WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), created in 1970,
is the central federal agency that is responsible for implementing
most federal environmental protection statutes and coordinating
environmental policies. It has broad authority to address
environment issues, to undertake a variety of studies, research,
and investigations and to engage in other information-gathering
activities. The EPA works in partnership with state, county,
municipal, and tribal governments to use a range of tools
to protect public health and the environment.
The Agency is headed by an administrator and operates 10
regional offices; each headed by a Regional Administrator.
Regional offices adapt federal policies and objectives to
state and local programs and are the primary point of contact
with state and local governments on environmental matters.
The EPA maintains a web site
which contains a helpful array of major information on environmental
programs, government agencies and types of environmental
hazards. |
