Pollution in the United States

Pollution meaning

The contamination of air, water and soil by poisonous or noxious substances or noises. Some nuisances cause pollution. Toxic torts (q.v.) are examples of pollution as are some mass torts (see this entry).

Waste, Pollution, and the Constitution

According to the Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, the rise of environmental consciousness since the early 1970s has made solid waste disposal through recycling an important issue of public policy. The disposal of solid wastes raises interstate issues as some states find it difficult to use local landfills.

Pollution in the International Business Landscape

Definition of Pollution in the context of U.S. international business and public trade policy: Industrial byproducts that are discharged into the physical environment and that have social cost.

Pollution Prevention Law and Policies

The Pollution Prevention Act establishes a national policy that EPA implements:

• Pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible;
• Pollution that cannot be prevented should be recycled in an environmentally safe manner whenever feasible;
• Pollution that cannot be prevented or recycled should be treated in an environmentally safe manner whenever feasible; and
• Disposal or other release into the environment should be employed only as a last resort and should be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.

Executive orders

The following executive orders help to protect human health and the environment. EPA is charged with administering all or part of each:

• Executive Order (EO) 13693, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade, was signed by President Obama on 19 March 2015. This order promotes sustainable acquisition and procurement of products and services by federal agencies. Federal procurement actions must include specific environmental performance and sustainability factors to the maximum extent practicable.
• Section 16 of EO 13693 revoked Executive Order 13423 of January 24, 2007 and Executive Order 13514 of October 5, 2009.
• On October 8, 2009, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13514, “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance (PDF)” (15 pp, 88 K, About PDF ) (revoked by EO 13693). This order established an integrated strategy towards sustainability and made reduction of greenhouse gas emissions a priority in the federal government.
• On January 24th, 2007, President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13423, “Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management” (revoked by EO 13693). This order required widespread use of Environmental Management Systems as the framework for managing and improving sustainable practices and required federal agencies to purchase environmentally preferable products and services. The President’s Office of Management and Budget issued a series of scorecards to help track the progress of federal agencies in implementing Executive Order 13423.