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Environmental Policies

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Unit 5 Individual Project – Environmental Policies
Danielle Wynma
AIU
SCIE210 – Environmental Science
Lindsey Nieratka
December 14, 2014

Abstract
This paper will discuss one environmental law. Major provisions will be summarized as well as the economic impact of the law. Global warming will also be discussed as well as whether the U.S. should adopt additional policies to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Unit 5 Individual Project – Environmental Policies
Introduction
This paper will discuss the Clean Water Act. This law was passed initially in 1948 and was known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. It was reorganized and expanded upon in 1972 when it became known as the Clean Water Act (EPA, 2014). This paper will summarize the major provisions of this law as well as the economic impact. It will also describe what, if anything, the law has improved. Finally, global warming will be discussed and whether additional policies should be adopted to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Provisions and economic impact of the law The Clean Water Act was the first major law to address water pollution. One of the major provisions of this act are that it prohibits the discharge of any pollutant except those in compliance with the Act. The Act imposes limitations on existing sources and how the pollutant is discharged (whether the pollutant goes directly into an open body of water or to publicly owned treatment plant). This law requires the EPA to maintain water quality criteria, pretreatment programs and administration of the NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permit program. It also requires states to identify waters that cannot meet water quality criteria due to non-point sources polluting the water, identify what is causing the pollution and create ways to identify the controls and programs for individual non-point sources

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