Environmental Law
| An Introduction to the Clean Air Act |
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| The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970 for the purpose of administering the Clean Air Act of 1970 (CAA) and was later charged with administering several other environmental statutes, including the Clean Water Act. More... |
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| Transportation of High-Level Radioactive Waste |
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| Because of the extreme hazard that high-level radioactive waste poses to public health and the environment, special precautions must be taken for its safe transport. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates the packaging and labeling of high-level radioactive waste for transport in coordination with the Department of Transportation (DOT), while DOT regulates its actual transport. In general, spent fuel is shipped by truck and by rail. More... |
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| New Source Performance Standards |
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| The Clean Air Act defines a "new" source as one that is constructed or substantially modified after the publication of an air pollution emissions regulation that pertains to it. A standard of performance is required to reflect the best system of reducing air pollution emissions, taking into account the cost of achieving the emissions reductions, the impact of the system on health and environment that is not air-quality related, and the energy requirements of the system. These standards are called "new source performance standards." Once the standards are established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and become effective, it is unlawful for any new source to operate in such a way that violates the standards. More... |
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| Radon gas and the Radon Reduction Act |
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| Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that is a byproduct of the radioactive element radium. In 1988, Congress passed the Radon Reduction Act (RRA) as an additional subchapter of the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was enacted in 1976. The stated objective of the RRA was to reduce radon levels inside buildings to the same level as found in outside air. More... |
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| The Air Quality Index |
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| The Air Quality Index is a 6-point scale with the designations "good", "moderate", "unhealthy for sensitive groups", "unhealthy", "very unhealthy", and "hazardous." More... |
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