Environmental Solutions in New England

Environmental Laws and Regulations

EPA provides summaries of many federal environmental laws and regulations. Some of these resources are listed, by statute, below. Please note that these resources merely provide general background information and are no substitute for reading the laws and regulations.

Note also that other laws and regulations may apply to your facility. Additional state requirements may also apply, and in some programs, substitute for the federal requirements. To access state web sites www.epa.gov/region1/topics/government/state.html.

Please select an area of environmental law. Clean Air Act (CAA) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) Pesticides Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Water - Related laws and regulations

Clean Air Act (CAA)

• Clean Air Act
• The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act
• Air Pollution Operating Permit Program Update
• Clean Air Act Regulations -- Office of Air and Radiation Policy and Guidance Information
• EPA Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

• Overview
• Reporting Chemical Releases
  Click on FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) to understand what is required under federal law, but you should also check with your state emergency agency for what may be required under state laws and regulations.
• Brownfields
  This link is for the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act which is an amendment to CERCLA
• Superfund summary

Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA)

• EPCRA Overview
• Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention (CEPPO) home page

Pesticides (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act - FIFRA)

• General Information
• Fact Sheets about the pesticides regulatory process

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

• RCRA: Reducing Risk from Waste
• RCRA Orientation Manual (2006 version)
• RCRA Training Modules from RCRA, Superfund & EPCRA Hotline Training Module

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
• Lead in Paint, Dust and Soil
• Lead Paint Assistance/Enforcement, EPA New England
• The Lead Paint Disclosure Rule, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• TSCA Section 5 New Chemicals Program

Underground Storage Tanks

• Underground Storage Tanks (UST)

Water

• Clean Water Act
• NPDES: Water Permitting 101 (PDF) (11 pp., 41 KB, about PDF)
  
• Oil Spill Program: A Summary of Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Requirements
  
• Drinking water: Water On Tap: A Consumer's Guide to the Nation's Drinking Water
  
• Safe Drinking Water Act
• Wetlands: Wetlands Fact Sheets