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Author:
Louis Myers, Senior Legal Reference Librarian, Law Library of Congress
Editors:
Barbara Bavis, Bibliographic and Research Instruction Librarian, Law Library of Congress
Anna Price, Legal Reference Specialist, Law Library of Congress
Olivia Kane-Cruz, Legal Reference Librarian, Law Library of Congress
Created: June 21, 2021
Last Updated: June 25, 2024
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Environmental law, in the United States, is the area of law focusing on environmental protections. Generally, environmental law focuses on preserving the air, water, and natural resources around us. Legislation and regulations have been put in place at the federal and state level to ensure that we have things like clean drinking water, unpolluted air to breathe, and solutions to clean up hazardous and toxic wastes. While environmental law can seem complex, the many different statutes governing its practice do provide a straightforward framework for regulations and enforcement.
The federal government has one agency specifically devoted to environmental protection, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many other U.S. agencies, however, have offices that engage in similar regulatory administration and enforcement. For example, the Department of the Interior (DOI), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Commerce (DOC), and the Department of Energy (DOE) all have offices involved in environmental policy. The Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division prosecutes violations of U.S. environmental laws.
This research guide is designed to provide resources covering all aspects of environmental law, including recommendations on treatises, handbooks and other practical materials, an overview of the more prominent federal statutes and regulations related to environmental law, and information on how to research environmental law at the state level. We also provide information about current news sources, online resources, and leading academic publications related to environmental law.
The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional digital content are provided when available.