US Environmental Protection Agency’s new Waters of the United States Rule: connecting law and science

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 1595-1600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Adler
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 531-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiyu Zhao ◽  
Robert Percival

AbstractThe proper division of responsibility for environmental protection between national and state governments has long been the subject of fierce debate. During the 1970s the United States Congress decided to shift the most important environmental responsibilities from state governments to the federal government. The main reason for this decision was to prevent a ‘race to the bottom’ in that states competing for industries could otherwise be lax in implementing and enforcing federal environmental standards. Yet, some scholars have argued that there could just as easily be a ‘race to the top’ among states as they compete to attract people and businesses concerned with environmental protection. China, in turn, is plagued with severe air and water pollution and soil contamination, which is attributed largely to ineffective enforcement of its national environmental laws. This article investigates whether China’s experience confirms the race-to-the-bottom theory. It demonstrates that devolution of responsibility for environmental protection to lower levels of government tends to result in lax implementation and enforcement of national environmental laws, particularly where national governments also create strong incentives for economic growth. It concludes that China’s highly devolved system of environmental governance is consistent with this theory, even if it does not provide conclusive evidence of its correctness.


1988 ◽  
Vol 24 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 537-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.M. Mardis ◽  
R.J. Guimond ◽  
E. Fisher

Abstract The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) House Evaluation Program (HEP) is an on-going programme designed to transfer research findings on radon diagnostic and mitigation technologies to the general public. The HEP accomplishes this technology transfer by providing guidance and hands-on training to States, homeowners, and local contractors while conducting radon diagnostics and mitigation design planning in houses. An overview of the HEP is given and the programme's accomplishments and findings to date are discussed.


1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca W. Hanmer

The pulp, paper, and paperboard industry in the United States is the larqest industrial user of water with half of the facilities discharging wastewater directly to our Nation's waters. The major pollutants of concern have historically been the conventional pollutants: biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total suspended solids (TSS), and pH. Biological treatment systems are currently employed to reduce these pollutants. Sludges generated by these treatment systems have been categorized as nonhazardous and are generally landfilled. Under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated all the reguired regulations for this industry. The national regulations are applied to individual pulp and paper mills through permits issued by EPA Regional or State staff. Permit limits can be written that are more restrictive than the national regulations to protect local water guality. In its current projects concerning the pulp and paper industry, EPA is focusing on the reduction of toxic pollutants. The Agency is conducting a joint EPA/industry program to study dioxin discharges at bleached kraft mills. The Agency will also undertake a comprehensive review of the pulp and paper regulations in 1988.


2020 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 02012
Author(s):  
Irina Verchagina ◽  
Irina Kolechkina ◽  
Elena Shustova

The article presents the results of a study of the regulatory framework and the experience of regulating the issues of reclamation of the developed space of the leading coal mining countries - the United States and China. The laws of China on mineral resources and environmental protection, the US practice of creating a system for restoring disturbed space as a result of mining, are examined


2004 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siva Sailaja Jampana ◽  
Ashok Kumar ◽  
Charanya Varadarajan

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