Environmental Law Newsletters

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.

Indoor Air Pollution

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers indoor air pollution to be one of the top five environmental risks to public health. Pursuant to increased Congressional interest in indoor air quality in the 1980's, the EPA established an Indoor Environments Division, which has created a comprehensive program to identify sources of indoor air pollution and their health effects, to develop technologies and methods for reducing indoor air pollution, and to gather information about indoor air pollution for dissemination to researchers and the public.

Protection of Children's Health from Environmental Risks

In 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a report entitled "Environmental Health Threats to Children," which acknowledged that children are at particular risk from pollution because their systems are still developing, their organs and tissues are immature and more vulnerable, and their immune systems are weaker. The EPA report established the National Agenda to Protect Children's Health from Environmental Threats (Children's Health Agenda), which outlines the EPA's role in protecting the health of children.

Public Participation in the Enforcement and Administration of Environmental

There are several avenues for public participation in the administration and enforcement of environmental laws. Under certain environmental statutes, federal agencies must solicit public comments at certain times, for instance, when they propose regulations to carry out environmental statutes, when a permit has been applied for under an environmental statute, and when they propose settlements with violators in enforcement actions.

The 2003 EPA Air Quality Status Report

On September 22, 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report on the status of United States air quality based on preliminary data from 2003. According to the report, total emissions of the six principal pollutants targeted by the Clean Air Act for their potentially adverse effects on human health and the environment--sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, ozone, lead, and particulate matter--dropped in 2003. Since 1970, the aggregate total emissions from all six pollutants have decreased from 301.5 million tons per year to 147.8 million tons per year, a 51 percent decrease.