Who is responsible for protecting water?
EPA sets standards and regulations for the presence and amount of over 90 different contaminants in public drinking water, including E. coli, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium species
What President signed the Clean Air Act of 1970?
President Richard Nixon
Does the Clean Air Act still exist?
Fifty years ago, the United States Congress passed the 1970 Clean Air Act. This act has resulted in improved air quality across the country. But despite the success of the Clean Air Act in controlling common pollutants, air pollution continues to be our single biggest environmental health risk today
What type of facility does the Clean Air Act affect the most?
The Clean Air Act has the greatest effect on power plants
What has been the major success of the Clean Air Act?
“The CAA has delivered clear success stories—removing lead from gasoline, phasing out chlorofluorocarbons and other substances that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer, dramatically reducing sulfur emissions from power plants and transportation fuels
How many lives has the Clean Air Act saved?
160,000 lives
How does the Clean Water Act affect our lives?
The act reduced soil depletion by agricultural runoff by a billion tons per year, and water treatment plant coverage increased from 8 million people to 175 million people. Most importantly, the Clean Water Act has raised awareness of the problem of water pollution
How is the Clean Water Act enforced?
In the case of the Clean Water Act, the federal government relies on state agencies to enforce many of the key provisions of the law, including the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), a system by which polluters are issued permits to emit specific quantities of pollution into waterways.
Why is the Clean Air Act important?
The Clean Air Act was passed to reduce the impacts of air pollution on both environmental and human health. It requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate and monitor atmospheric emissions and toxic pollutants that pose a risk to public health. Mercury emissions have been reduced by 45% since 1990.
How much does the Clean Water Act cost?
For instance, the Clean Water Act’s grantmaking program has cost the U.S. government about $650 billion total, or about $1.5 million per year to make one mile of river fishable
Why was the Clean Air Act created?
Congress designed the Clean Air Act to protect public health and welfare from different types of air pollution caused by a diverse array of pollution sources
What other strategies can we use to prevent air and water pollution?
On Days when High Particle Levels are Expected, Take these Extra Steps to Reduce Pollution:
- Reduce the number of trips you take in your car.
- Reduce or eliminate fireplace and wood stove use.
- Avoid burning leaves, trash, and other materials.
- Avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
What did the Clean Water Act accomplish?
As amended in 1972, the law became commonly known as the Clean Water Act (CWA). The 1972 amendments: Established the basic structure for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States. Gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry.
Who passed Clean Air Act?
How does the Clean Air Act work?
The Clean Air Act requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate air pollutants in order to protect public health and welfare. It issued a formal finding that greenhouse pollution endangers public health and welfare and moved to limit emissions from passenger cars and trucks.
What did the Safe Drinking Water Act do?
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was established to protect the quality of drinking water in the U.S. This law focuses on all waters actually or potentially designed for drinking use, whether from above ground or underground sources.