Pollution Act

1 Pages 348 Words

The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990: A Policy Who’s Time Has Come

This article talks about the Prevention Pollution Act of the 1990’s. This particular act signifies an effort to reduce pollution and is an important part of American history. This was an earlier focus on the need to reduce or repair environmental damage by controlling pollutants at the point where they are released to the environment. Pollution was targeted over waterways, public highways, and over private property. Past provisions have not failed just needed to be updated for cleaner air, which is vital for the human body along with our surroundings. The law was enacted as Title VI of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, P.L. 101-508, and is codified as 42 USC 13101-13109. The Environmental Protection Agency created a new office to advertise and invent an approach to cleaner air. This office is to bring new policies in front of congress to eliminate the sources of pollution. Auditing and promoting research is part of the process and enables the Environmental Protection Agency more authority to fight pollution. Also environmental public records are easier to access for the general public to be informed. Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 required owners and operators of many industrial facilities to report annually on their releases of toxic chemicals to the environment. The Pollution Prevention Act requires these reports to include information about the facility's efforts in source reduction and recycling. The major sections of The Prevention Act include Findings and Policy, definitions, EPA activities, grants to states for technical assistance, source reduction clearing house, source reduction and recycling data, EPA report, saving provisions, and authority of appropriations. This was an innovative procedure our federal government took to supply the Environmental Protection Agency with more authority and tools to util...