ENMT303 Environmental Regulations and Policy Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 Connections between Acts and Agencies covered this week and your future careers

In our course content, we covered the titles of the CAA as well as the basics of NEPA and OSH Act and how the agencies created to implement these acts, EPA and OSHA, function.

Look up at least one career you are thinking of pursuing, describe the basis of that career, and explain which of the three acts we covered this week is relevant to that career and/or what type of agency work you would like to pursue.

Please change the title of this topic to clearly state the career you are posting about. This will allow other students interested in the same career to read your post and add relevant information and perspectives to what you began.

DQ2 NEPA, CAA, and EPA

What is the relationship between NEPA, CAA and EPA? Make sure to read what your classmates have written so that you can add something new to the discussion. Make sure to incorporate the major goals for these acts and the actions that have occurred by the agencies administering those acts.

Some specific questions you might want to address include:

What EPA activities require an Environmental Impact Statement according to NEPA?

What federal agencies does NEPA affect and how?

Which act would be most applicable during the construction of a coal-fired power plant?  Why?

Is there any are of overlap between NEPA and CAA?  Explain your answer.

Which aspect of CAA and NEPA most directly affect your life?

The general guidelines for engaging discussions are to share your thoughts on one of the questions above and then those who come later should add to what has already been discussed.

DQ3 Managing air quality: EPA versus OSHA, and difficulties of reaching attainment

Let’s first begin discussions on what specifically EPA and OSHA do in terms of air quality.

What specifically does EPA and OSHA do for ambient air quality?

Why is it so much more difficult to manage ambient outdoor air than ambient workplace air?

Once this has been clearly addressed, let’s branch out into other aspects of EPA and OSHA:

Does OSHA administer any more the OSH Act?  Why or why not?

What about the EPA?  What acts does the EPA administer?

What else other than ambient workplace air quality does OSHA affect in the workplace? Your readings this week noted that our national goal to meet NAAQS has still not been met in 2019. When CAA was enacted in 1970, they thought we would meet NAAQS by 1975.  So provisions were made in CAA amendments of 1977 — and then again in 1990. What were those provisions? Have they been helpful in meeting NAAQS?