Purchase Solution

Economics effect on environmental laws, with one example and its impact: The Clean Water Act.

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

Details:
As an environmentalist, you are very interested in how economics plays a role in determining how many and what type of environmental laws are passed. There are many environmental laws that are determined by economic conditions.

Choose 1 environmental law to research and give a detailed description of the law including the following:

The date the law was passed
Describe the law; what are the provisions of the law?
Background information: What initiated the law? Why was it passed?
What economic impact was generated by the law? What kinds of costs, fines, or economic benefits are associated with the law? Provide economic data to support this.
Do you feel that this particular environmental law has improved the environment/situation? Why or why not?

Purchase this Solution
Solution Summary

The solution discusses the Clean Water Act and the economics effect on environmental laws.

Solution Preview

The date the law was passed? Describe the law; what are the provisions of the law?
The Clean Water act (CWA) was passed in 1948 and regulates the discharge and treatment of wastewater (EPA, 2012). The CWA's main focus is to eliminate high concentrations of pollutants in waterways. However, it does not directly apply to groundwater pollution, which is more aptly covered by the safe Drinking Water Act and Superfund act. The CWA protects water polluted by both point and non point sources. It introduced the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), a permit system to regulate point sources of pollution including industrial facilities, maniple government, and agricultural facilities (EPA, 2012)
The CWA has 6 major provisions. Research and related programs is the first major section and it authorizes grants and pollution control programs. The second is grants for construction of treatment works, which is used to assist municipalities in creating or expanding sewage treatment plants (EPA, 2012). Standards and enforcement is another provision, which defines the effluent guideline, water quality criteria, and the fines associated with breaking these regulations. The fourth provision is permits and licenses, which affirms that states are required to certify that discharges authorized by permits do not violate quality standards. The general provisions ...

Purchase this Solution
Free BrainMass Quizzes
United States and Canada Vocabulary

Assessment of basic vocabulary terms related to geography and resources in the United States and Canda.

Structure of the Earth

Basic introduction to terms related to the structure of the Earth, including definitions and application of knowledge. This quiz focuses on the spheres.

Environment of the Earth

This quiz will focus on an introduction to basic Earth Science vocabulary. This info is important for an understanding of the principles involved with the study of the environment of the Earth.

Energy

This quiz provides a brief review to different energy examples. How is energy evident in our world? This vocabulary is important to understand the connection between energy and matter.

"Tornadoes and Hurricanes" Vocabulary

Brief introduction to vocabulary terms related to the atmosphere. Definitions are related to conditions for tornadoes and hurricanes.

View More Free Quizzes
Related BrainMass Solutions

  • Government and Environmental Health Laws

    The laws that should be in effect at the time the environmental issue occurred are The Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Montreal Protocol, the Clean Water Act, and the Reformation Plan.

  • Clean Air and Water Environmental Policymaking

    Clean Water and air however is also the concern of several other laws and policies that have a direct affect on quality of air and water including for example the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the 2003 Healthy Forests Initiative.

  • Environmental Law and Compliance

    (Describe your opinion of its function and include at least one example to support your statements) 3. Describe the ways that environmental audit information can be protected from public disclosure.

  • Discussing Environmental Issues

    Major Environmental Health Laws that Have Been Introduced in Past Ten Years The major environmental health laws that has been introduced in the past ten years are the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation

  • Agency Analysis Identify

    Some of the important laws passed during the last 25 years are the National Environmental Policy Act, Noise and the Noise Control Act, Pollution Prevention Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, The Comprehensive Environmental

  • Comprehensive Outline for paper on Environmental Issues

    The solution provides advise in tackling a research on environmental concerns, it provides a comprehensive sample outline on the topic of Clean Air and Water with reference to the guideline set about in the original problem (see long description).

  • Consumer, Environmental, and Antitrust Law

    Laws written by Congress provide the authority for EPA to write regulations, such as the, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, More Law Summaries...

  • Stewardship and sustainability in managing natural resources

    We cannot depend on our future to solve this problem, we must take drastic steps. In order to do this assistance from the government is critical. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act must be continuously revised and implemented at all cost.

  • Strengths & Weaknesses of Media Specific Regulations

    For example, the Clean Water Act focused on water specifically, because people were suffering from acutely polluted water. But some chemicals, such as volatile organics, can be released into both water and air.

View More Related Solutions