Even though there is a decent bit of federal regulation concerning environmental protection laws, states can enact their own laws too to further this goal. California is a state that has a lot of its own, stricter laws about the environment, compared to many other states.
Some of California's premier laws regarding environmental protection are outlined below:
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), enacted in 1970, requires that state and local agencies evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed projects and mitigate any negative environmental effects to the extent that it is feasible. It also provides many other guidelines for state and local enforcement agencies. Public access to the Act is linked above, but it can also be found on Westlaw and Lexis.
The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (Proposition 65), enacted in 1986, outlaws discharges of certain toxic chemicals into sources of drinking water and requires businesses to provide warnings prior to exposing persons to certain toxic chemicals. Public access to the Act is linked above, but it can also be found on Westlaw and Lexis.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act, enacted in 2006, was the nation's first program to require by law a sharp reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Public access to the Act is linked above, but it can also be found on Westlaw and Lexis.
Other environmental laws can be found by searching in the California Code, and most environmental statutes are contained in the Public Resources Code or Water Code. Public access to the California Code can be found here. It can also be found on Westlaw and Lexis.
Most California environmental regulations can be found in Title 27 (Environmental Protection). Some others can be found in Title 14 (Natural Resources) or Title 23 (Waters) of the California Code of Regulations (CCR).
Public access to the California Code of Regulations can be found here.
The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) is the entity tasked with enforcement of California's environmental protection laws and regulations. There are several departments of CalEPA, each specializing in a particular area. The website of each department provides information on enforcement mechanisms, research, and other helpful resources, and they are linked below:
If you are looking to research state environmental laws for another states besides California, there are some helpful resources available.
The EPA has compiled a page called Health and Environmental Agencies of U.S. States and Territories, with a separate listing for each state.
Westlaw has created a 50 State Statutory Survey for environmental law, as well as a 50 State Regulatory Survey.
Lexis has also created a 50 State Survey on Statutes & Regulations for environmental law.
