| Acronym | Law | Enacted | Regulatory Citation | Applicable DOE Orders* | Goal/Purpose/Key Elements |
|---|
| CAA** | Clean Air Act | 1970 | 40 CFR 49-97 | DOE Order 5400.5
(02-08-90) (requirements for control of radionuclides) | To maintain or improve air quality and to prevent or control the release into the air of substances that may harm public health or damage natural resources's |
| CERCLA (Superfund) | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act | 1980, 1986 (amended by SARA see below) | 40 CFR 300-311, 355 and 373 | | To regulate hazardous substances, respond to hazardous substance emergencies, and develop long-term solutions for the release of uncontrolled hazardous substances. Sets up a trust fund to pay for cleanups at abandoned hazardous waste sites and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment. |
| CWA** | Clean Water Act | 1972 | 40 CFR 104-136, 140, 230-233, 401-471, 501-503 | DOE Order 5400.5
(02-08-90)(requirements for control of radionuclides) | To prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution in navigable water and ground water. Sets up a water quality standards program and requires permits for discharge and treatment of wastewater and stormwater. |
| EPCRA (SARA Title III) | Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act | 1986 | 40 CFR 302, 355, 370, and 372 | DOE 5500 Order Series | To reduce the possibility for a major chemical release disaster. Includes reporting chemical inventory information to local emergency planning organizations, providing Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and notifying them of releases of hazardous materials. |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act | 1970 | 40 CFR 1500-1508 (CEQ); 10 CFR 1021 (DOE) | DOE Order 451.1B Chg 1 (09-28-01) | To assure that all branches of the government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major Federal action that significantly affects the environment. Requires federal agencies to consider environmental impacts of proposed actions and alternatives before making implementing decisions. |
| PPA | Pollution Prevention Act | 42 U.S.C. 13101 and 13102, s/s et seq. (1990) | | | The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 set a national objective of pollution prevention by establishing a source reduction program at the U.S. EPA and by assisting states in providing information and technical assistance regarding source reduction. It set out a pollution prevention hierarchy of: source reduction, enviornmentally safe recycling, environmentally safe treatment, and environmentally safe disposal or other release into the environment as a last resort. It also added source reduction and recycling data to the annual Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reporting under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 |
| RCRA** | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act | 42 U.S.C. s/s 6901 et seq. (1976); Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984; Federal Facility Compliance Act of 1992; Land Disposal Program Flexibility Act of 1996 | 40 CFR 260-299 | | To protect human health and the environment from hazards posed by waste disposal; to conserve energy and natural resources through waste recycling and recovery; to reduce and eliminate the amount of waste generated, including hazardous waste; to manage wastes, including hazardous wastes. |
| SARA | Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act | 1986 | 40 CFR 300-311, 355 and 373 | | To set waste cleanup standards that strongly favor permanent remedies (i.e., remedies that maintain reliable protection of human health and the environment over time). Gives EPA more control over cleanup procedures at Federal agency CERCLA sites, and involves states and the public in the cleanup decision-making process. Sets health and safety standards for workers at hazardous waste cleanup sites. |
| SDWA** | Safe Drinking Water Act | 1974 | 40 CFR 141-149 | DOE Order 5400.5 (02-08-90) (requirements for control of radionuclides) | To protect the quality of all waters actually or potentially designed for drinking use, whether from above ground or underground sources. |
| TSCA | Toxic Substances Control Act | 1976 | 40 CFR 700-799 | | To control exposure to and use of raw materials that are not covered by other environmental laws; to evaluate chemicals before use to make sure that they pose no unnecessary risk to health or the environment (e.g., management requirements for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are found in the TSCA regulations). |
| EO 13101 | Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition | 1998 | | DOE Order 450.1 (01-15-03) | To promote the Federal Government's use of recycled products and environmentally preferable products and services. Creates a Federal Environmental Executive (FEE) position, and Agency Environmental Executives (AEE) positions within each agency to implement the EO's goals. |
| EO 13148 | Greening the Government Through Leadership in Environmental Management | 2000 | | DOE Order 450.1 (01-15-03) | To ensure that Federal agencies integrate environmental accountability into their day-to-day decisionmaking and long-term planning processes, across all agency missions, activities, and functions. Sets agency goals such as, establishing an Environmental Management System; implementing environmental compliance audit programs that emphasize pollution prevention as a means to achieve environmental compliance; reducing reported Toxic Release Inventory releases and off-site transfers of toxic chemicals for treatment and disposal; and phasing out the procurement of Class I Ozone depleting substances. |
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| *DOE Order 450.1, "Environmental Protection Program" issued on January 15, 2003, promotes a systems approach to environmental protection, including compliance with environmental laws, by requiring DOE sites to implement an Environmental Management System integrated into their Integrated Safety Management Systems.
**Denotes the Federal environmental statutes for which Congress has authorized EPA to grant implementation authority to States with approved programs. Most DOE sites must obtain State-issued permits for their operations covered by these statutes. |
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