Federal Environmental Statutes
The laws on this page were passed by the United States Congress to protect the environment and wildlife, as well as to conserve natural resources.
Through these laws, Congress provided for the creation of National Parks, the regulation of pollution, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Scroll below to see the seminal United States environmental laws.
Federal Environmental Laws by Act:
The following environmental laws are organized by major federal act. You can also browse by environmental topic in the Search Bar above.
The Clean Air Act (1963)
The Clean Air Act (CAA) (42 U.S.C. § 7401) is a United States federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level.
It is one of the United States' first and most influential modern environmental laws. As with many other major U.S. federal environmental statutes, it is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in coordination with state, local, and tribal governments.
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The Clean Water Act (1972)
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters by preventing point and nonpoint pollution sources, providing assistance to publicly owned treatment works for the improvement of wastewater treatment, and maintaining the integrity of wetlands.
It is one of the United States' first and most influential modern environmental laws. As with many other major U.S. federal environmental statutes, it is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in coordination with state governments.
Click here to read more about the Clean Water Act.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (1980)
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund, was enacted by Congress on December 11, 1980. This law created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment. Over five years, $1.6 billion was collected and the tax went to a trust fund for cleaning up abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.
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The Endangered Species Act (1973)
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (“ESA”) (16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is one of several major U.S. environmental laws passed in the 1970s, and serves as the enacting legislation to carry out the provisions outlined in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The ESA is designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation." It was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973.
The U.S. Supreme Court found that "the plain intent of Congress in enacting" the ESA "was to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction, whatever the cost." The Act is administered by two federal agencies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
Click here to read more about the Endangered Species Act.
The National Environmental Policy Act (1970)
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) promotes the enhancement of the environment and established the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The law was enacted on January 1, 1970.
The preamble to NEPA:
To declare national policy which will encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment; to promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man; to enrich the understanding of the ecological systems and natural resources important to the Nation; and to establish a Council on Environmental Quality.
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The National Park Service Organic Act (1916)
The National Park Service Organic Act (or simply "the Organic Act" as it is known within the National Park Service) is a United States federal law that established the National Park Service (NPS), an agency within the United States Department of the Interior.
The Act was signed into law on August 25, 1916, by President Woodrow Wilson, and is codified in Title 16 of the United States Code.
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The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976)
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, is the principal federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste.
Click here to read more about the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.