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Land Ordinence of 1785 and Northwest Ordinance (1787)
These ordinances gave the federal government the right to manage unsettled lands. -
Homeland Act of 1862
Citizens could claim 160 acres of public land. After living on it for five years, they could own it for a fine of $16. -
Emergency Conservation Work Act (1933)
President Franklin Roosevelt signed this act during the Great Depression. The act gave unemployed men jobs planting trees, fighting soil erosion, and improving wildlife habitats throuoghout the country. -
Silent Spring (1962)
In this book, Rachel Carson, a writer and scientist, awakened the public to the negative ecological and health effects of industrial chemicals and pesticides such as DDT -
Beach Act
On October 10, 2000, the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act) was signed into law, amending the Clean Water Act (CWA). The BEACH Act required EPA to develop performance criteria for testing, monitoring, and notifying public users of possible coastal recreation water problems.
http://www2.epa.gov/beach-tech/about-beach-act -
Environmental Manage Act
EMA now provides a more flexible authorization framework, increases enforcement options and uses modern environmental management tools to protect human health and the quality of water, land and air in British Columbia. EMA also enables the use of administrative penalties, informational orders and economic instruments to assist in achieving compliance.
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/main/ema.htm -
Zambia: Environmental Manage Act, 2011
An Act to continue the existence of the Environmental Council and re-name it as the Zambia Environmental Management Agency; provide for integrated environmental management and the protection and conservation of the environment and the sustainable management and use of natural resources;
http://faolex.fao.org/cgi-bin/faolex.exe?rec_id=117523&database=faolex&search_type=link&table=result&lang=eng&format_name=@ERALL -
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012
An Act respecting the environmental assessment of certain activities and the prevention of significant adverse environmental effects
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-15.21/FullText.html -
State Environmental Policy Act Rulemaking 2013
Washington's State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requires that all state and local agencies consider the likely consequences before making decisions that affect the natural and built environment. The law provides broad authority for agency decision makers to avoid, mitigate or compensate for adverse impacts by modifying proposals or denying permits.
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/sepa/rulemaking2013.html -
Energy and Environmental Legislation Database
The National Conference of State Legislatures tracks energy and environment legislation to bring you up to date, real-time information on bills that have been introduced in the fifty states and the District of Columbia. The Energy and Environment Legislation Tracking Database is updated and summarized bi-weekly. If legislation is missing from our database, please contact
Jocelyn Durkay.
http://www.ncsl.org/research/energy/energy-environment-legislation-tracking-database.aspx
