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Laws We Use: Overview
Laws
Some laws, such as the Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, address radioactive contaminants only as part of the much larger problem of exposure to environmental contaminants. Other laws, such as the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land Withdrawal Act, directly address EPA's role in the disposal of radioactive waste.
Since it was established in 1970, EPA's radiation protection program has evolved as each of the laws we use was passed and put to work.
On this page:
- Atomic Energy Act
- Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act
- Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act
- Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land Withdrawal Act
- Nuclear Waste Policy Act
- Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act
- Clean Air Act
- Indoor Radon Abatement Act
- Energy Policy Act
- Safe Drinking Water Act
- Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuary Act
- Clean Water Act
- Public Health Service Act
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
- Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
Atomic Energy Act
The AEA gives EPA authority to establish standards and guidance to regulate radioactive materials from the production of nuclear energy.
summary | full text*| putting the AEA to work:
guidance: federal guidance
standards:Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act
UMTRCA directs EPA to set generally applicable public health and environmental standards for the cleanup and disposal of contaminants at closed uranium and thorium mill tailings sites. The standards limit air emissions and address soil and groundwater contamination at both operating and closed facilities.
summary | full text
Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act
The LLRWPA requires each state to provide disposal facilities for commercial low-level waste generated within its borders. It also encourages states to work together to develop regional disposal facilities.
summary | full text| history of the LLRWPA (PDF) (84pp,
1.2MB About PDF) [EPA 402-B-00-001]
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land Withdrawal Act
The WIPP LWA sets aside the land for developing and building a transuranic radioactive waste repository. It also requires EPA to set disposal standards, establish compliance criteria and a process to certify that the WIPP facility is technically able to meet the standards. EPA must reevaluate the WIPP every five years during its 35-year operation to determine if it continues to meet the standards and should be recertified.
summary | full textputting the WIPP LWA to work
Nuclear Waste Policy Act
The NWPA provides the basis for the current national program for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in deep geologic repositories (e.g., Yucca Mountain).
summary | full text putting the NWPA to work
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act
The NWPAA designates Yucca Mountain as the only site under consideration for the deep geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste. It directs the Department of Energy to phase out activities at other potential sites.
summary | full text putting the NWPAA to work
Energy Policy Act
EnPA directs EPA to develop standards that protect the public from releases of radioactive materials in the Yucca Mountain repository. The EnPA also directed EPA to sponsor a study by National Academy of Sciences to provide recommendations on reasonable standards for protection of the public. The standards must be based on and consistent with NAS's recommendations in the study report.
summary | full text putting the EnPA to work
Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act is the comprehensive federal law that regulates air emissions of specific hazardous air pollutants from area, stationary, and mobile sources.
summary | full text | putting the CAA to work:Indoor Radon Abatement Act
The IRAA establishes a long-term goal that indoor air be
as free from radon as the ambient air outside buildings. The law authorize funding for radon-related activities at
the state and
federal levels.
putting
the IRAA to work
Safe Drinking Water Act
The SDWA amends the Public Health Service Act. It directs EPA to develop a number of standards and processes:
- primary drinking water standards for contaminants in public water systems. The water systems should be able to meet the standards using the best available technology.
- mandatory water-testing schedules and methods
- a list of acceptable techniques for treating contaminated water
putting the SDWA to work:
Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
The MPRSA controls disposal in U.S. territorial waters. It authorizes EPA to issue permits and promulgate regulations. Disposal is permitted only when it will not degrade or endanger human health, welfare, ecological systems, the marine environment, or the economy. MPRSA specifically prohibits ocean disposal of high-level waste.
summary | full text putting the MPRSA to work
Clean Water Act
The CWA provides EPA the authority to protect rivers, lakes, wetlands, and other bodies of water in the United States from pollution.
summary | full text putting the CWA to work:
Public Health Service Act
The PHSA provides EPA the authority to monitor environmental radiation levels and to provide technical assistance to the states and other federal agencies in planning for and responding to radiological emergencies.
summary | full textputting the PHSA to work:
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
RCRA provides EPA the authority to regulate hazardous wastes from "cradle-to-grave." Areas of regulation include waste minimization, generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal.
summary | full textputting RCRA to work:
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
CERCLA provides broad federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment, and to assure permanent cleanup of contaminated sites listed on the National Priority List.
summary | full textputting CERCLA to work:
