Natural Resources + Environmental Quality

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Ambient
conditions

Existing conditions. To evaluate changes in

environmental conditions, we begin by
measuring the ambient conditions.

Babbitt v.
Sweet Home
Chapter of
Communities
for a Great
Oregon
(1996)

U.S. Supreme Court case where the Court

decided that the government can restrict land
development to protect endangered species and
their habitats, per the Endangered Species Act
of 1973, and it does not constitute a taking.

Bioterrorism
Act of 2002

Federal legislation that established a national

preparedness plan for bioterrorism and other
public health emergencies.

Calvert Cliffs
Coordinating
Committee v.
Atomic
Energy
Commission
(1971)

U.S. Supreme Court case that represented the

first time the courts interpreted the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as creating
a cause of action against federal agencies that
do not comply with the Act's directives. The
effect of the case was to make federal agencies
accountable for their impact on the
environment. Specifically, it ruled that the
Atomic Energy Commission's NEPA
compliance rules were insufficient to fulfill
NEPA's environmental impact assessment
duties.

Clean Water
Act of 1972

Federal legislation that regulated water

quality of lakes and rivers by using a permit
process (NPDES) to control point source
pollution. Set wastewater standards for
industry and water quality standards for
surface water contaminants. Section 404
protects wetlands and requires a permit for
depositing fill material in wetlands.

Coastal Barrier
Resources Act
of 1982

Federal legislation that designates various

undeveloped coastal barrier islands for
inclusion in the Coastal Barrier Resources
System. These areas are ineligible for direct
or indirect federal assistance that might
support development, including flood
insurance.

Coastal Zone
Management
Act of 1972

Federal legislation that created a voluntary

National Coastal Management Program in
which participating states develop coastal
management programs to meet established
minimal federal standards. Participating
states map their waterfront areas and
identify ways to control land uses and
protect the coastal environment.

Community
Right-to-Know
Act of 1986

Federal legislation that requires certain

industries annually to report the amount
and type of toxic substances and hazardous
wastes they generate

Comprehensive
Environmental
Response,
Compensation,
and Liability
Act of 1980
(a.k.a.
Superfund Act)

Federal legislation that created a liability

for persons discharging hazardous waste
into the environment; gave EPA the power
to seek out those parties responsible for any
hazardous releases and assure their
cooperation in the cleanup.

Conservation
Easement

A legal agreement between a landowner

and a land trust or government agency that
permanently limits uses of the land in order
to protect its conservation values. It allows
landowners to continue to own and use
their land, and they can also sell it or pass
it on to heirs. The most traditional tool for
conserving private land.

15.

Drumlin

A glacial landform shaped like half of a

hard-boiled egg cut lengthwise; the long
axis indicates the direction of flacier flow

16.

Effluent

Treated wastewater discharged by sewage

treatment plants

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Carrying
capacity

The largest number of any given species that a

habitat can support indefinitely

Citizens to
Preserve
Overton
Park, Inc. v.
Volpe (1971)

U.S. Supreme Court case that established the

basic legal framework for judicial review of the
actions of administrative agencies. It also
stands as a notable example of the power of
litigation by grassroots citizen movements to
block government action. Court ruled against
Transportation Secretary Volpe's proposal to
built a highway through Overton Park.

13.

Clean Air Act

Amendments
of 1990

Federal legislation that created a cap and trade

system for reducing sulfur dioxide emissions
and enabled the EPA to withhold federal
highway funds from metro areas that fail to
meet federal air quality standards. Set limits on
the quantity of a pollutant that can be in the air
anywhere in the U.S. Required states to create
and implement a State Implementation
Program (SIP) for metropolitan areas that do
no meet federal National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS).

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Clean Air Act

of 1970

Federal legislation that created National

Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and
required non-attainment areas (areas not
meeting the standards) to develop strategies to
achieve compliance.

Endangered
Species Act of
1973

Federal legislation that established a

federal list of endangered and threatened
species. Authorized federal assistance to
state and local jurisdictions to establish
conservation programs for endangered
plant and animal species.

Environmental
Indicators
Initiative

EPA document that identifies where

additional research, data quality
improvements, and information are needed.

Environmental
Protection
Agency (1970)

Federal agency established for the purposes

of enforcing environmental laws, such as
the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act

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Esker

A long, narrow hill of sand and gravel in

an area once covered by ice

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Eutrophication

Nutrient enrichment of aquatic ecosystems

or the accumulation of nitrates and
phosphates in aquatic ecosystems. Such
increased nutrient load leads to an increase
in the growth of algae, which, when it dies
reduces the supply of oxygen dissolved in
the body of water, thereby producing an
environment that cannot support aquatic
life.

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Federal
Insecticide,
Fungicide, and
Rodenticide
Act of 1996
(FIFRA)

Federal law that set up the basic U.S.

system of pesticide regulation to protect
applicators, consumers, and the
environment. It is administered and
regulated by EPA.

Fragmentation

A concern when, for example, there are

many acres of open space but they are not
connected, which means animals cannot
safely use all of the acreage for habitat.

General
Electric Co. v.
Litton
Industrial
Automation
Systems, Inc.
(1990)

U.S. Circuit Course case that validated the

Superfund act, which requires the cleanup
of hazardous waste sites

George Perkins
Marsh (18011882)

American diplomat who wrote Man and

Nature (1864), inspired conservation
movement

Gifford
Pinchot (18651946)

First American profession forester.

Appointed by Teddy Roosevelt as Director of
US Forest Services (1905). Leader of
conservation movement.

Hydric soil

A type of soil associated with wetlands

Hydrostatic
pressure

The pressure exerted on a column of liquid.

Causes water in an aquifer to rise to the
"potentiometric" surface.

John Muir
(1838-1914)

Scottish-American naturalist who founded

Sierra Club in 1892 to promote the
protection and preservation of the natural
environment. Leader of the preservation
movement.

John Wesley
Powell (18341902)

American solider, geologist, and explorer of

the West who wrote "Report on the Lands of
the Arid Region of the US" in 1878,
proposed regional plan to foster settlement
of arid west while conserving scarce water
resources.

Just v.
Marinette
County (1972)

Wisconsin Supreme Court case that upheld

a zoning ordinance that restricted
development on wetland next to navigable
waters. Established that environmental
protection regulations are a reasonable
exercise of the police power of the state and
do not amount to a taking of private property
without just compensation.

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Lacustrine

A lake or lake-type environment, such as a

wetland

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Limnology

The study of the chemical, hydrological, and

biological aspects of lakes and ponds.

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Littoral

An inter-tidal shallow water zone with

rooted aquatic plants

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Methane gas

An explosive greenhouse gas that results

from decomposition in landfills, septic
systems, wetlands, oil exploration, and
elsewhere.

Monsanto v.
U.S. (1989)

U.S. Circuit Course case that ruled an

absentee landowner, ignorant of pollution
on land leased to someone else, is liable for
partial removal of hazardous waster stored
by the entity leasing that land under the
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of
1980(CERCLA), a.k.a. Superfund.

Moraine

A glacial deposit of rock and soil

National
Ambient Air
Quality
Standards
(NAAQS)

Standards for outdoor air quality established

by the EPA under authority of the Clean Air
Act of 1970.

National
Environmental
Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA)

Federal legislation that requires an

environmental impact statement (EIS) for
every federal or federally funded state or
local action that has potential to
significantly harm the environment.

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National
Pollution
Discharge
Elimination
System
(NPDES)

Federal program that controls water

pollution by regulating point sources that
discharge pollutants into waters of the
United States, as authorized by the Clean
Water Act of 1972.

Newlands
Reclamation
Act of 1902
(a.k.a. U.S.
Reclamation
Act)

United States federal law that funded

irrigation projects for the arid lands of 20
states in the American West through the
sale of public land in the arid western
states. Much of the West could not have
been settled without the water provided by
the Act.

Nitrogen

Accumulation of excess nitrogen in surface

water and grounwater can be hazardous to
human health. Nitrogen is commonly
derived from fertilizers, wastewater, and
domestic animals

50.

Oligotrophic

A deep lake with few nutrients and little

organic material

Palazzolo v.
State of Rhode
Island (2001)

United States Supreme Court case in which

the Court held that a claimant does not
waive his right to challenge a regulation as
an uncompensated regulatory taking by
purchasing property after the enactment of
the regulation challenged. The case
involved an individual who purchased
several wetland properties and was denied
permits to develop them.

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Palustrine

A swamp or marsh type of non-tidal

wetland with cattails

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Phosphorous

Accumulation of excess phosphorous,

particularly in surface water, can
contribute to algae bloom, which will kill
some living things in the aquatic
ecosystem leading to unpleasant odors and
a bad taste in drinking water. Phosphorous
is commonly derived from point sources
such as municipal wastewater treatment
and industrial operations and from
nonpoint sources such as stormwater
runoff.

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Polluter pays
principle

Polychlorinated
Biphenyl (PCB)

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Legal principle in environmental law that

holds that the party responsible for
producing pollution should be responsible
for paying for the damage caused to the
natural environment. Underpins much
environmental policy, including CAFE
standards and the Superfund Act.
A group of manufactured chemicals
containing carbon, hydrogen, and
chlorine. Used from 1926 to 1976 in electric
transformers. Banned in 1979.

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Preservation
vs.
Conservation

Preservation concerns the absolute protection

of wilderness, as advocated by John Muir
(1838-1914). Conservation concerns the wise
use of natural resources, as advocated by
Gifford Pinchot (1865-1946).

Public
Utilities
Regulatory
Policy Act of
1978

Federal law that requires utilities to buy power

from eligible cogeneration sources, small
hydro or waste-fueled facilities, under
contracts at an avoided cost rate. It was meant
to promote energy conservation (reduce
demand) and promote greater use of domestic
energy and renewable energy (increase
supply). The law was created in response to
the 1973 energy crisis.

Rachel
Carson
(1907-1964)

Marine biologist and conservationist who

wrote Silent Spring (1962). Alerted nation to
harmful effects of pesticides

Resource
Conservation
and Recovery
Act of 1976
(RCRA)

Federal legislation that gave the EPA the

authority to control the generation, treatment,
storage, transport, and disposal of hazardous
waste; a.k.a. "cradle-to-the-grave legislation."

R-value

Measurement of thermal resistance in

building construction. Measures the
effectiveness of insulation, with higher values
indicating more effective insulation.

Safe
Drinking
Water Act of
1974 (SDWA)

Federal legislation that set standards for

drinking water, required owners or operators
of public water systems to comply.

Sierra Club v.
Morton
(1972)

US Supreme Court case in which the Court

ruled that the Sierra Club did not have
standing to sue the US Forest Services for
allowing a proposed ski resort development in
the Sequoia National Forest because it had
not suffered economic, aesthetic, or
environmental injury.

Soil
Conservation
Act of 1935

Federal law that gave farmers subsidies to

plant native grasses and trees or raise
vegetables rather than commercial crops that
depleted soil nutrients. Made prevention of
soil erosion a national responsibility and
established the U.S. Soil Conservation Service
to conduct soil erosion surveys and implement
erosion measures. The Act was a response to
the Dust Bowl.

Sole Source
Aquifer

Aquifers that supply the bulk of the drinking

water for an area, as designated by the EPA.

Superfund
Amendments and
Reauthorization Act of
1986 (SARA)

Federal legislation that reauthorized CERCLA (Superfund Act), increased state involvement and public
participation in the decision-making process concerning the cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

Tennessee Valley
Authority v. Hill (1978)

United States Supreme Court case and the Court's first interpretation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
The case involved the discovery of an endangered fish in a river that was to be dammed. The Court upheld
the Endangered Species Act and issued an injunction of the dam project.

Theodore Roosevelt
(1858-1919)

American president and staunch supporter of the conservation movement. Established Inland Waterway
Commission in 1907.

Tidal range

The vertical difference between water levels at high tide and low tide

Total Maximum Daily

Load (TMDL)

The maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive and still meet water quality standards.

Toxic Substances
Control Act of 1976

Federal legislation that gave the EPA the ability to track industrial chemicals that are produced or imported
into the United States; to ban the manufacture and import of harmful chemicals; and to require reporting or
testing of harmful chemicals.

U.S. Forest Service

(1905)

Federal agency formed to promote the wise use of forest resources. Gifford Pinchot was first director.

Vernal pools

Seasonal wetlands that hold water for about two months in the spring and act as breeding grounds for
amphibians but do not contain fish.

Volatile Organic
Compound (VOC)

Highly mobile organic compound such as petroleum, hudrocarbons, and solvents that readily evaporate.

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Wilderness Act of 1964

Federal legislation that established a National Wilderness Preservation System of federally owned land
designated by Congress as wilderness areas. Prohibited development, settlement, road building, and all
forms of mechanized transport within the boundaries of such wilderness areas.

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Wrack

The algae, plant, and animal materials that accumulate on beaches at the high water mark

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