State by State
This state set a precedent for climate law regulating greenhouse gas emissions from personal vehicles with the Pavley Act. Which state is this?
California! Similar laws have since been enacted in 17 other states.
The Chief of the US Forest Service is an appointed position, currently held by Tom Schultz. What state department is responsible for appointing the Forest Service Chief?
The US Department of Agriculture
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) led to the creation of which federal agency focused on environmental conservation in 1970?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Which was the first National Park to be established, in 1872?
Yellowstone
Four states have executive orders or statutes committing to net-zero carbon emissions by 2045. Name one.
California, Hawaii, Virginia, and Maryland
Which cabinet position is responsible for overseeing the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management?
Secretary of the Interior
One of the most important environmental bills in US history, the Clean Air Act seeks to reduce and control air pollution, and is regulated by the EPA. In what year was this bill passed?
1963
Under which president was the EPA created
Richard Nixon
What state has the greatest acreage of protected parklands?
Alaska, with over 253 million acres of protected parks. Many of those acres came from the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which protected over 157 million acres and more than doubled the size of the National Parks System.
Who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works?
Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 seeks to clean up uncontrolled hazardous waste sites with the mandatory cooperation of the parties responsible for the site. What are these sites called? (Hint: Onandaga Lake in Syracuse was designated one of these sites)
Superfund Sites
One of the main responsibilities for this department early on was regulating the hunting of animals for fur, particularly seals in Alaska.
US Fish and Wildlife Services
Six states have environmental rights specifically guaranteed in their constitutions. You have three guesses to name two of those six states.
Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island
Who is the Administrator (top official) of the EPA, appointed on January 29, 2025
Lee Zeldin
The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 and establishes a structure for protecting and conserving endangered species and their habitats. How many endangered species are recognized in New York State?
26
What is the newest National Park, gaining this status in December 2020?
New River Gorge, West Virginia