POSITIVE LAW CODIFICATION
TITLE 55, UNITED STATES CODE


Environment



BACKGROUND

Over the past 6 decades, Congress has enacted a substantial body of law consisting of separate Acts dealing with pollution of air, water, and land generally and with specific pollutants in particular. That body of law has come to be known generally as "environmental law". Those Acts are presently classified to several titles of the United States Code in disparate places. This bill is the first in a series to consolidate those Acts as a new positive law title, Title 55, Environment, of the United States Code. The bill will enact subtitle I, General Provisions (consisting primarily of definitions for the title, establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, and national environmental policy), and subtitle II, Air (consisting of the Clean Air Act and related laws). It is contemplated that subsequent bills will enact subtitles relating to water, land, and particular substances.


The bill was prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel as part of the Office's ongoing responsibility under section 205(c) of House Resolution No. 988, 93d Congress, as enacted into law by Public Law 93-554 (2 U.S.C. 285b), to submit to the Committee on the Judiciary proposed bills for the enactment of positive law titles to the United States Code.


MAJOR ACTIONS AND STATUS

  • April 20, 2009.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel submitted a draft bill (and accompanying explanation) to the House Committee on the Judiciary for introduction in the 111th Congress.
  • August 13, 2010.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel submitted an updated draft bill (and accompanying explanation) to the House Committee on the Judiciary for introduction in the 111th Congress.
  • March 13, 2015.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel submitted an updated draft bill (and accompanying explanation) to the House Committee on the Judiciary for introduction in the 114th Congress.
  • June 17, 2015.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel submitted an updated draft bill (and accompanying explanation) to the House Committee on the Judiciary for introduction in the 114th Congress.
  • June 18, 2015.—The bill was introduced as H.R. 2834 (114th Congress).
  • October 27, 2015.—H.R. 2834 (114th Congress) was ordered to be reported.
  • June 22, 2017.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel submitted an updated draft bill (and accompanying explanation) to the House Committee on the Judiciary for introduction in the 115th Congress.

RELATED LINKS

(1) Bill (draft bill to enact title 55, United States Code)

(2) Explanation (explanation of the draft bill with section-by-section summary)

QUESTIONS & COMMENTS

Questions about and comments on this codification bill should be addressed to:


     Rob Sukol
     Office of the Law Revision Counsel
     U.S. House of Representatives
     Washington, D.C. 20515

     Email: robert.sukol@mail.house.gov
     Telephone: (202) 226-2411