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The Role of Business in Protecting the Environment

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The Role of Business in Protecting the Environment
Felicia Antim
Paper Research Rough Draft
October 6, 2013

According to Environmental Business Ethics, “Because of their impact on the environment, businesses have an obligation to try to moderate the effects of their activities in an effort to protect the land and water resources. Many businesses act voluntarily to reduce their environmental impact. Industries that use or produce hazardous waste are mandated by law to regulate their businesses. In any case, reducing their environmental impact is a sensible approach to business that can have many benefits.”
“To protect the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency has established several laws that impact how business operations affect the environment. First, The Clean Air Act which serves to protect the environment from pollution caused by business manufacturing or production processes. Second, The Clean Water Act that helps to provide a guide on how businesses should properly dispose of waste materials so that the disposal does not contaminate the various bodies of water around the business and the other bodies of water with which the pollution may come into contact. Third, The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act this act identifies ways companies can handle their waste from beginning to end to minimize environmental impacts”.
Since 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency has protected public health by setting and enforcing standards to protect the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink, but there is more to do. Many older power plants and industrial facilities enjoy loopholes that allow them to pollute at much higher levels than their cleaner counterparts. To protect public health from these dirty plants, we need the EPA to set standards that level the playing field by requiring all plants to meet the same cleaner standards. And since Congress failed to pass legislation to address global warming pollution, that job falls to the EPA.
“The law’s public health and economic benefits



Bibliography: Gillikin, Jason. eHow.com. 2013. web. 6 October 2013. Medina, Hana. "Luminarc leads the way in green-sensitive manufacturing." The Costco Connection October 2013: 47. Article. unknown. Natural Resources Defense Council. 2 December 2010. web. 6 October 2013.

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