enviornmental laws and treaties

John Muir

Apr 21, 1838

founded sierra club in 1892; fought unsuccessfully to prevent the damaging of the Hetch Hetchy Valley Yosemite National Park.

Gifford Pichot

Aug 11, 1865

first chief of the US Forrest Service advocated managing resources for multiple use using principles of sustainable yield.

Lacey act

May 25, 1900

prohibits interstate transport of wild animals dead or alive without federal permit.

Rachel Carson

May 27, 1907

published silent spring in 1962. documented the environment domage done by DDT and other pesticides. which heightened publia awareness at the start of the modern environmental movement.

federal insecticide, fungicide, and rodenticide act

Apr 26, 1910

regulates the effectivness of all pesticides.

Garrett Hardin

Apr 21, 1915

published "the tragedy of the commons" in the journal science in 1968; argued that rational people will exploit shared resources.

clean air act

Dec 17, 1963

set emission standards for cars, and limits for release of air pollutants.

national wild and scenic rivers act

Oct 2, 1968

protects rivers with due to aesthetic, recreational, wildlife, historical, or cultural reasons.

national environmental policy act

Jan 1, 1970

environmental impact statements must be done before any project affecting federal lands can be started.

U.S marine mammal protection act

Oct 21, 1972

prohibits taking marine mammals in U.S waters and by U.S citizens, and the importing marine animals and products into the U.S.

endangere species act

Dec 28, 1973

identifies threatened and endangered species in the US, and puts their protection infront of economic considerations.

safe drinking water act

Dec 17, 1974

set maximum containment levels for poluants that may have adverse affect on human health.

low level radioactive policy act

Apr 16, 1980

all states must have facilities to handle low level radioactive wastes.

nuclear waste policy act

Jan 7, 1983

US government must develop a high level nuclear waste site by 2015

Ocean dumping ban act

Nov 21, 1988

bans ocean dumping of sewage and sludge.

montreal protocol

Jan 1, 1989

phase out of ozone depleteing substances.

food quality protection act

Aug 3, 1996

sets pesticide limits in food, and al active and inactive ingredients must be scanned for estrogenic and endocrine effects.

kyoto protocol

Feb 16, 2005

controlling global warming be setting greenhouse gas emisions targets for developed countries.