Environmental Legislation Project

Due Date: May 5, 2009

In an effort to make sense of the many laws and treaties that are associated with environmental issues, you will be researching and reporting on important legislation. You will be responsible for researching an assigned regulation or act and discover the answers to the following questions. This is not designed to be a major research project, as most of the information can be found in our text or on the Internet (use as a starting point).

Questions to be answered:

  1. In what year was this law enacted
  2. What events or situations led to the enactment of this law?
  3. What controversy, if any, is or was connected to this law?
  4. What does the law do?
  5. What impacts has this law had? In addition to discussion this from a broad sense, include at least one specific example.

Prepare the following:

  1. Wiki Page that contains all of the basic information about your piece of legislation. There will be one single page for legislative projects under class projects on the wiki. 25 points
  1. Poster or PowerPoint presentation:

Present the above information, as well as several pictures that provide a visual representation of some aspect of the law. These may be downloaded from the Internet, photocopied form an original source, or cut from a magazine (with permission). You must include a bibliography on the front of the poster or at the end of the PowerPoint presentation. Your poster/presentation will be graded with respect to accuracy, completeness, clarity, analysis, organization, creativity, and readability. 50 points.

  1. Handout:

Prepare a handout that provides the information above on one side of standard sheet of paper. You may use single spacing but you must use a 10-12 point font. I will photocopy it and give each person a copy for a study reference. Your handout will be graded with respect to accuracy, completeness, clarity, analysis, and organization. 25 points

Your assigned Environmental Law is: ______

Scoring Rubric: Environmental Legislation

Poster or PowerPoint Presentation

1: Year of enactment5 points______

2: Events leading to enactment10 points______

3: Controversy10 points______

4: Scope of Law10 points______

5: Impact and examples10 points______

6: Creativity5 points______

Wiki Page and Handout:

Wiki PageHandout

1: Year of enactment5 points______

2: Events leading to enactment5 points______

3: Controversy5 points______

4: Scope of Law5 points______

5: Impact and examples5 points______

Environmental Laws and Treaties

  1. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
  2. Safe Drinking Water Act
  3. Clean Water Act 1972
  4. National Environmental Policy Act
  5. Clear Air Act 1990
  6. Kyoto Protocol
  7. Montreal Protocol
  8. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
  9. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
  10. Endangered Species Act
  11. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
  12. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
  13. Oil Pollution Act
  14. Ocean Dumping Ban Act
  15. Toxic Substances Control Act
  16. Food Quality Protection Act
  17. Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act
  18. Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
  19. Wilderness Act of 1964
  20. Lacey Act
  21. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
  22. Occupational Safety and Health Act
  23. Low Level Radioactive Policy Act
  24. Nuclear Waste Policy Act
  25. Electronic Waste Recycling Act 2003
  26. Energy Independence and Security Act – 2007
  27. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 1938, 1954, 1958 (FFDCA)
  28. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) – Council on Environmental Quality
  29. Declaration of the Conference on the Human Environment of 1972 (Stockholm Declaration)
  30. Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 (or Law of the Sea Convention, LOSC)
  31. National Park Service Act
  32. Soil Conservation Act
  33. Price Anderson Nuclear Indemnity Act
  34. National Invasive Species Act
  35. Federal Noxious Weed Act
  36. Alaska National Interests Lands Act
  37. Coastal Barriers Resources Act