ENV 320 Wk 1 – Environmental Laws Paper

Select one of the following environmental laws that may be of most interest to you, or request instructor approval for a law that is not on the list:

• Clean Air Act of 1970 and Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
• Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974
• Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
• Endangered Species Act of 1973
• Oil Pollution Act of 1990
• Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you include the following:

• Describe the purpose, creation, enforcement, and revisions of your chosen environmental law. Include any relevant historical information that led to its passage and a summary of the purpose of the law as it relates to human health and the environment.
• Identify which federal and state government environmental agencies enforce your chosen law and compare the agency’s roles in protecting the environmental resources.
• Most environmental laws passed by the legislative branch result in the enforcing agencies writing regulations that will implement the law. Describe where in the Code of Federal Regulations you would find regulations for your chosen law.
• Summarize the benefits that your chosen law will make to the environment and human health, in your state or city. Include in your discussion how the law addresses either the “Tragedy of the Commons”, the free-rider problem, or pollution as an externality.
• Based on your research, compare the benefits of the law to the costs that it may impose on society and draw conclusions on the adequacy of the law to achieve its purpose.

Cite at least four references, two of which must be peer-reviewed.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.