Although the federal government has imposed significant regulation on concerning environmental protection laws, many states have enacted their own laws too to further this goal. California is a state with extensive regulation. Its laws are often stricter regarding the environment when compared to 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 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 within 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, or 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, or on Westlaw or Lexis.
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, here are some helpful resources available.
The EPA has compiled the Health and Environmental Agencies of U.S. States and Territories webpage. It has 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 several 50 State Survey on Statutes & Regulations for environmental law.
