More than a dozen major statutes or laws form the legal basis for the programs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
(More about the full text of these laws.)
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA); 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347
NEPA is the basic national charter for protection of the environment. It establishes policy, sets goals, and provides means for carrying out the policy.
NEPA full text | More about NEPA 
Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act Public Law 106-40, Jan. 6, 1999; 42 U.S.C. 7412(r)
Amendment to Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act
Factsheets and full text
The Clean Air Act (CAA); 42 U.S.C. s/s 7401 et seq. (1970)
CAA summary |
CAA full text | Guide to the CAA | CAA - US Code
The Clean Water Act (CWA); 33 U.S.C. ss/1251 et seq. (1977)
CWA summary | CWA full text
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) 42 U.S.C. s/s 9601 et seq. (1980)
CERCLA summary | CERCLA full text
The Emergency Planning & Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA); 42 U.S.C. 11011 et seq. (1986)
EPCRA summary | EPCRA full text
The Endangered Species Act (ESA); 7 U.S.C. 136;16 U.S.C. 460 et seq. (1973)
ESA summary | ESA full text
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); 7 U.S.C. s/s 135 et seq. (1972)
FIFRA summary | FIFRA full text
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) 21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.
FFDCA full text
Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Public Law 104-170, Aug. 3, 1996
FQPA summary and full text
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); U.S.C. s/s 552 (1966)
FOIA summary | FOIA full text
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA); 29 U.S.C. 651 et seq. (1970)
OSHA summary | OSHA full text
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA); 33 U.S.C. 2702 to 2761
OPA summary | OPA full text
The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA); 42 U.S.C. 13101 and 13102, s/s et seq. (1990)
PPA summary | PPA full text
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); 42 U.S.C. s/s 321 et seq. (1976)
RCRA summary | RCRA full text
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA); 42 U.S.C. s/s 300f et seq. (1974)
SDWA summary | SDWA full text
The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA); 42 U.S.C.9601 et seq. (1986)
SARA summary | SARA full text
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); 15 U.S.C. s/s 2601 et seq. (1976)
TSCA summary | TSCA full text
A more comprehensive list of laws (as of 1995) administered by EPA is available.
Please note that most of the full text versions below are those available at Cornell University
This collection was generated from the most recent version of the Government Printing Office CD-ROM.
The Government Printing Office maintains the official government version of the laws through the GPO Access database structure.
The U.S. Code is the official record of all federal laws and contains the general and permanent laws of the United States. The most recent version of the U.S. Code released in electronic form contains the laws in effect as of January 16, 1996. For more recent laws one must turn to the uncompiled Public Laws as passed by Congress available through the Thomas Legislative Information Website.
