| The Global Environment Facility |
|
| The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a international financial organization whose mission is to protect the global environment. The GEF was established in 1991 and has three implementing agencies: the World Bank, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the United Nations Development Programme; however, it is independent of each of those three agencies. The GEF assists international efforts to achieve goals of sustainable development--development that improves living standards of people everywhere while preserving natural resources and the environment for the use and enjoyment of future generations--developed at United Nations conferences in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972 and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. More... |
|
|
| Federal Preemption of State Environmental Law |
|
| In certain areas of environmental law, Congress will see fit to completely preempt states from acting. However, despite the power of the federal government to preempt states from acting in the field of environmental law, most federal environmental statutes recognize that the protection of the environment is in principle an appropriate area for the exercise of state police power to protect the health, safety, and welfare of state citizens. More... |
|
|
| Automotive Fuel Economy |
|
| At the time of the energy crisis, the fuel economy of automobiles averaged 13.5 miles per gallon (mpg) and trucks averaged 11.6 mpg. One of the purposes of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act was to provide for the improved energy efficiency of motor vehicles. For passenger cars, the EPCA gradually increased the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards to 27.5 mpg for vehicles built after 1984. The CAFE standard for light trucks is currently 20.7 mpg and is scheduled to increase to 22.2 mpg for the 2007 model year.
More... |
|
|
| Disposal of Transuranic Waste |
|
| Transuranic waste is produced primarily from nuclear weapons development and production and consists largely of ordinary items such as rags, clothing, and tools that become contaminated by transuranic radioactive material, most prominently plutonium. More... |
|
|
| EPA's Phaseout of Diazinon |
|
| In December 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that, pursuant to an agreement with manufacturers of diazinon, all residential uses of diazinon, one of the most widely used pesticides in the United States, would be phased out. Diazinon is an organophosphate insecticide that is relatively persistent, which means that it does not readily break down in to non-harmful byproducts. More... |
|
|