Environmental Law Exam 1 (Ch. 1 - 3) Questions
and Verified Answers.
Is environmental law a new field? - ANS Yes
Does environmental law stem from the Constitution? - ANS No
What did the Constitution give us? - ANS Our basic rights
What does top down mean? - ANS Legislators at the top making the laws and changes
What does bottom up mean? - ANS 1) Normal people are creating a movement/laws
2) Grassroots efforts
Environmental law was created from the ______ - ANS Bottom up
What are grassroots efforts? - ANS Actions organized at the community level to address
a problem or concern of importance to that community (black lives matter, me too
movement)
What did George Perkins Marsh do/say? - ANS 1) Wrote Man and Nature
2) Said harming the environment would lead to collapse of civilizations
What did Marsh's ideas lead to? - ANS Laws protecting the environment
If we are harming the environment, we are harming ______. - ANS ourselves
What was the first national park? - ANS Yellowstone National Park
What was the first state park? - ANS Niagara Falls State Park
What did the Lacey Act do? - ANS Made the act of poaching illegal
What is an example of environmental laws being created for not all pure reasons? -
ANS *Rivers and Harbors Act* - Passed to address all the garbage being dumped in the
river. They weren't worried about the rivers; they were worried about their ships not
being able to make it through the garbage.
Why were their so many environmental laws passed in the 1960-1970's? - ANS Many
people were able to have TV's in their homes and they could see the damage being
done around the world instead of just reading about it
Who enforces the environmental laws? - ANS The EPA - Environmental Protection
Agency
, What are the goals of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)? - ANS 1) Protect
human health
2) Protect the environment
What are some laws passed by the EPA? - ANS 1) Clean Air Act in 1970
2) Clean Water Act in 1972
3) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) in 1980 - Created because it was found out these kids were playing in an
area with rocks they called "hot rocks" and then they fell ill and got diseases like cancer.
Later it was found out that it was an abandoned hazard waste site. So this law was
passed
What are the goals of environmental law? - ANS 1. Protect and Conserve Environment
2. Correct Old Harms
3. Prevent New Harms
What is a reactive approach? - ANS Making laws responding to something that
happened in the past (ex. CERCLA - formed because of what happened to the kids
playing in Love Canal NY)
What is a proactive approach? - ANS Means that the laws are anticipatory; acting in
advance to address an expected issue
A lot of proactive laws are based on ______________. - ANS sustainability (using
resources in a manner that does not permanently deplete them)
The proactive approach does not make prior bad acts _____________. - ANS redress
able (you can't be guilty for something that was not illegal before the law was passed)
What are themes in environmental law? - ANS 1. One World to Share
2. Business v. Environment Tension
3. Uncertainty
4. Enforcement Challenges
5. Intergenerational Equity
6. Who Pays?
One World to Share - ANS 1. Humans v. Animals
2. Humans v. Other Humans
Business v. Environment Tension - What is the traditional approach? - ANS Getting the
greatest profit
Uncertainty - What is the precautionary principle? - ANS Decision makers should err on
the side of caution when their decisions will affect the environment
What are some Enforcement Challenges? - ANS Budgets / money
and Verified Answers.
Is environmental law a new field? - ANS Yes
Does environmental law stem from the Constitution? - ANS No
What did the Constitution give us? - ANS Our basic rights
What does top down mean? - ANS Legislators at the top making the laws and changes
What does bottom up mean? - ANS 1) Normal people are creating a movement/laws
2) Grassroots efforts
Environmental law was created from the ______ - ANS Bottom up
What are grassroots efforts? - ANS Actions organized at the community level to address
a problem or concern of importance to that community (black lives matter, me too
movement)
What did George Perkins Marsh do/say? - ANS 1) Wrote Man and Nature
2) Said harming the environment would lead to collapse of civilizations
What did Marsh's ideas lead to? - ANS Laws protecting the environment
If we are harming the environment, we are harming ______. - ANS ourselves
What was the first national park? - ANS Yellowstone National Park
What was the first state park? - ANS Niagara Falls State Park
What did the Lacey Act do? - ANS Made the act of poaching illegal
What is an example of environmental laws being created for not all pure reasons? -
ANS *Rivers and Harbors Act* - Passed to address all the garbage being dumped in the
river. They weren't worried about the rivers; they were worried about their ships not
being able to make it through the garbage.
Why were their so many environmental laws passed in the 1960-1970's? - ANS Many
people were able to have TV's in their homes and they could see the damage being
done around the world instead of just reading about it
Who enforces the environmental laws? - ANS The EPA - Environmental Protection
Agency
, What are the goals of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)? - ANS 1) Protect
human health
2) Protect the environment
What are some laws passed by the EPA? - ANS 1) Clean Air Act in 1970
2) Clean Water Act in 1972
3) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) in 1980 - Created because it was found out these kids were playing in an
area with rocks they called "hot rocks" and then they fell ill and got diseases like cancer.
Later it was found out that it was an abandoned hazard waste site. So this law was
passed
What are the goals of environmental law? - ANS 1. Protect and Conserve Environment
2. Correct Old Harms
3. Prevent New Harms
What is a reactive approach? - ANS Making laws responding to something that
happened in the past (ex. CERCLA - formed because of what happened to the kids
playing in Love Canal NY)
What is a proactive approach? - ANS Means that the laws are anticipatory; acting in
advance to address an expected issue
A lot of proactive laws are based on ______________. - ANS sustainability (using
resources in a manner that does not permanently deplete them)
The proactive approach does not make prior bad acts _____________. - ANS redress
able (you can't be guilty for something that was not illegal before the law was passed)
What are themes in environmental law? - ANS 1. One World to Share
2. Business v. Environment Tension
3. Uncertainty
4. Enforcement Challenges
5. Intergenerational Equity
6. Who Pays?
One World to Share - ANS 1. Humans v. Animals
2. Humans v. Other Humans
Business v. Environment Tension - What is the traditional approach? - ANS Getting the
greatest profit
Uncertainty - What is the precautionary principle? - ANS Decision makers should err on
the side of caution when their decisions will affect the environment
What are some Enforcement Challenges? - ANS Budgets / money
