Env. Orders/Policies Pt.2

Written by: Caroline Kim

November 19, 2022

In part two of this three part series on Environmental Orders and Policies, the AEA, BEACH Act, Energy Policy Act, Chemical Safety Info/Site Security/Fuels Regulatory Relief Act, and Oil Pollution Act will be discussed.

On the topic of energy, we’ll dive into the AEA (Atomic Energy Act) and Energy Policy Act. The AEA is carried out by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and U.S. Department of Energy, and monitors environmental radiation standards (Summary of the Atomic Energy Act). On the other hand, the Energy Protection Act monitors energy efficiency, renewable energy, oil and gas, coal,tribal energy, nuclear matters and security, vehicles and motor fuels including ethanol, hydrogen, electricity, energy tax incentives, hydropower and geothermal energy, and climate change technology, providing support to groups working towards technology that decreases emissions (Summary of the Energy Policy Act).

In regards to the policies related to pollution, we’ll explore the Beach Act, Chemical Safety

Info/Site Security/Fuels Regulatory Relief Act, and Oil Pollution Act. The Beach (Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health) Act protects against disease that may be in contact with people utilizing that nation's coastal recreation waters (Summary of The Beach Act). They support microbiological testing to maintain coastal recreational waters/Great Lakes, implementing programs to notify the public of the potential exposure to disease-causing microorganisms that may be present in waters. The Chemical Safety act outlines plans for reporting information in regards to the Clean Air Act and is mostly concerned with “flammable fuels and public access to offsite consequence analysis” (Summary of the Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act). Lastly, the Oil Pollution Act is constantly working to regulate and improve response systems for oil spills; for example, trust funds are set up in case intervention for clean ups are necessary (Summary of the Oil Pollution Act). Additionally, regulations are set in place for above ground storage facilities as well as oil tankers (Summary of the Oil Pollution Act).

Sources:

“Summary of the Atomic Energy Act.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-atomic-energy-act.

“Summary of the Energy Policy Act .” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-energy-policy-act.

“Summary of The Beach Act.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-beach-act.

“Summary of the Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-chemical-safety-information-site-security-and-fuels-regulatory-relief-act.

“Summary of the Oil Pollution Act.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-oil-pollution-act.