Requirements for Air Quality Assessment (Natalie) Air quality impact assessments for transportation projects are governed by federal and state regulations. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a basic federal charter that establishes policy, sets goals, and provide means for carrying out policy directed towards the protection of the environment in its entirety. NEPA contains “action-forcing” provisions to ensure federal agencies act accordingly, while working towards helping public officials make decisions that are based on understanding environmental consequences, and taking actions that protect, restore and enhance the environment. The application of NEPA should be integrated as early as possible, ensuring that all planning decisions reflect on protecting the natural ecological system and life found within the environment. Through NEPA, federal projects are required to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) if the proposed federal action has the potential to significantly affect the human environment and any of the organisms that inhabit the environment. The purpose of the EIS is to “serve as an action-forcing device to ensure that policies and goals defined in NEPA are infused into ongoing programs and actions of the federal government.” …show more content…
Some of the CEQ’s key functions include preparing an annual environmental quality report, conducting research and presenting information on environmental quality, reviewing federal agency NEPA compliances, and developing national environmental policies. The CEQ also contains NEPA specific responsibilities such as issuing regulations, and other guidance regarding NEPA, resolving lead agency disputes, mediating interagency disputes over environmental policy, and providing training and advice to federal agencies regarding NEPA
The purpose of this memorandum is to review the cost-benefit analysis process and the pros and cons that are involved with the procedures, within the Clean Air Act. The cost-benefit analysis and how it is utilized to make regulatory decisions will be covered, as well as the results of the Clean Air Act cost-benefit analysis. The EPA conducted the research, so this will talk about the steps the EPA took to analyze it. Lastly, this memo will tell you if there are any areas of the analysis that could be overestimated or underestimated.
Print. United States. National Park Service. " Air Quality.
chain. The use of lead in gasoline was phased out in '73 which caused lead
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates air pollution through various policies passed through the Supreme Court. The scope of this paper is to investigate the Clean Air Act of 1970, and to analyze the impact it has on businesses and society. It provides a rationale for the policy, and contains a brief overview of governmental involvement in regulating air pollution. Further investigation identifies key stakeholders in business, government, and society, and assesses the pros and cons of regulating air pollution. Finally, the paper concludes with limitations of this analysis and recommendations for future action.
The Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA) was originally the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948. The original objective behind this act was to “to prepare comprehensive programs for eliminating or reducing the pollution of interstate waters and tributaries and improving the sanitary condition of surface and underground waters.” (U.S Fish and Wild Life Service, 2013). Throughout the duration of this paper the various amendments and their effects will be discussed, those involved both on the side of support and opposition and what influenced the amendments to be made and passed.
Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental Protection Agency, (Nov 2011). Caa national enforcement programs. Retrieved from website: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/caa/caaenfprog.html
For my local area, there are no environmental concerns; however, I learned of the detailed information available regarding air quality monitoring – which indicated that the air quality for our location is among the best air quality in the nation. (The state of California leads the nation in several aspects of environmental stewardship.)
The quality of air we intake on a daily basis is essential to our health, therefore, the EPA’s Clean Air Act provides the groundwork to support the quality of the air which we breathe. One of the goals of the Act was to set and achieve NAAQS in every state by 1975 to address the public health and welfare risks posed by certain air pollutants. The setting of these pollutant standards was coupled with directing the states to develop state implementation plans (SIPs), applicable to appropriate industrial sources in the stat...
Laws are often changing. A law needs to keep up with the changing views and values of a society. Things like events and technology are just two examples of what may produce a law or a change to a law. A law would need to accommodate a technology to regulate it for safety and how it’s used. Events also need to be regulated by law for safety and if it was a terrible event (9/11), then a law, or laws, are needed to prevent it from happening again. Laws pertaining to the environment are always changing because human interaction with the environment is always changing, whether its pollution, hunting, or overusing resources, these things need to be constantly regulated. This paper describes how the Clean Air Act developed and changed. The
At the beginning of the semester, I thought that environmental justice was justice for the environment, which is true to a point, but I now know that it is justice for the people. Only when there is a people that have been wronged, usually using the environment as the the method of delivery, does it become an environmental justice case. Environmental justice ensures that all people, regardless of income level or race, have a say in the development and enforcement of environmental laws. It acts on the philosophy that anyone living on and in the land should have a say on how it is treated and used. Sometimes when developing legislature, the populations in mind are not all affected equally, and if said population
The Clean Air Act is the elected law which has conveyed to assurance that we have air that isn't contaminated and alright for us to relax. The law principle goal is for public health assurance, and likewise looks to secure the environment from air pollution. The characteristics of the Clean Air Act: Set national health-based air quality standards for insurance against basic pollutants including ozone, carbon monoxide, model dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead. New methodologies were made for cleaning of the air to meet the heath standards inside a concurred period. EPA sets national standards for significant wellsprings of air pollution as autos, trucks and electric force plants.
Our Congress created the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969 in order to establish an environmental foundation for mankind. This policy endorses harmony between humans and the vast ecosystems surrounding them. To obtain this goal and provide our future with resources as well, NEPA is separated into two titles. The first title declares the policy in detail while the second title focuses on the Council on Environmental Quality. The CEQ oversees the effectiveness of current methods, the reactions of the environment to those methods, and implements revisions as necessary.
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) entails a multifaceted appraisement of the possible aftermath caused by a project or action on the surrounding man-made and natural environment (Wood, 2003). This systematic process requires the involvement of all interested stakeholders in the process and the public, in order to achieve a widespread consent on the planned project and mitigation strategies proposed [European Commission (EC), 2014].
Relevance: Air pollution is something that everyone should be concern, especially if we’re advancing a lot in technology, especially in vehicles and the importance of our air or the environment.
By refer to precaution principle in environmental management which is prudence and stewardship. Any development activities whether in infrastructures and economic activity. Peoples have to prudence in action. Must concerned about the effect of environment degradation. So, EIA is one of prudence action in avoiding neglecting environments. Depending on the type of government, an EIA administrative body can have one or more of the following functions and duties such as preparation of regulations and guidance, ensuring uniform and consistent EIA implementation, providing procedural advice and direction including on issue resolution registration of EIA reports and documentation, public notification and information related to the EIA process, issuing or approving terms of reference for EIAs, overseeing or facilitating stakeholder involvement, promoting EIA good practice, issuing an environmental approval or terms and conditions without which a project cannot proceed, supervision or inspection of EIA-derived environmental management plans for project implementation; and carrying out EIA audit and follow up