Timeline of major U.S. environmental and occupational health regulation

• 1947 – Los Angeles Air Pollution Control District created; first air pollution agency in the US.

• 1948 – Federal Water Pollution Control Act

• 1955 – National Air Pollution Control Act

• 1959 – California Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board created to test automobile emissions and set standards.

• 1963 – Clean Air Act (amended in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1977, 1990)

• 1964 – Wilderness Act

• 1965 – National Emissions Standards Act

• 1965 – Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act

• 1965 – Solid Waste Disposal Act

• 1967 – California Air Resources Board established; set emissions standards predating EPA.

• 1967 – Air Quality Act (amendment to CAA)

• 1969 – Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act

• 1969 – National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

• 1970 – Reorganization Plan No. 3 created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by Presidential Executive Order

• 1970 – Clean Air Act (Extension). Major rewrite of CAA, setting National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) Hazardous Air Pollutant standards, and auto emissions tailpipe standards.

• 1970 – Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act created OSHA and NIOSH

• 1970 – Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act

• 1970 – Environmental Quality Improvement Act

• 1972 – Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972 (P.L. 92-500). Major rewrite.

• 1972 – Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (amended by Food Quality Protection Act of 1996)

• 1972 – Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972

• 1973 – Endangered Species Act

• 1974 – Safe Drinking Water Act

• 1975 – Hazardous Materials Transportation Act

• 1976 – Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

• 1976 – Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

• 1977 – Clean Water Act. Amended FWPCA of 1972.

• 1977 – Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

• 1978 – National Energy Conservation Policy Act

• 1980 – Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Created the Superfund program.

• 1980 – Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act

• 1980 – Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act

• 1982 – Nuclear Waste Policy Act

• 1986 – Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986

• 1986 – Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRKA)

• 1986 – Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)

• 1987 – Water Quality Act. Amended FWPCA of 1972.

• 1989 – Basel Convention

• 1989 – Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting chemicals enters into force.

• 1990 – Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Set new automobile emissions standards, low-sulfur gas, required Best Available Control Technology (BACT) for toxins, reduction in CFCs.

• 1990 – Oil Pollution Act of 1990

• 1991 – Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)

• 1992 – Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act

• 1993 – North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act

• 1994 – Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice

• 1996 – Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act (P.L. 104-19)

• 1996 – Food Quality Protection Act (amended FIFRA)

• 1996 – Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996

• 1998 – Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)

• 2002 – California AB 1493 sets standards for emissions of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases from automobiles and light duty trucks.

• 2002 – Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (amended CERCLA)

• 2005 – Energy Policy Act of 2005

• 2005 – Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA)

See also

• EPA
• OSHA
• Timeline of environmental events
• Workers' compensation

References