User:Andrewkuo17/sandbox

Plans of Contribution
I plan on adding details on each of the different environmental standards. I will also add a little preface of it to give an overview. The current lead on the article is sufficient and the sources are reliable so that will remain untouched. I will separate the Types of Environmental Standards into three subcategories: Ambient, Emission, and Technology. They will be delineated with bold so that it is easier to see. I plan on using sources from the JSTOR database sine they are all reputable and relying on other sources only when needed. I will hyperlink some of the more complex concepts to other Wikis in order to keep my article focused.

Outline

 * Lead Section
 * Types of Environmental Standards
 * Ambient
 * Emission
 * Technology
 * References

Environmental Standard
An environmental standard is a policy guideline that regulates the effect of human activity upon the environment. Standards may specify a desired state (e.g. lake pH should be between 6.5 and 7.5) or limit alterations (e.g. no more than 50% of natural forest may be damaged).

Environmental standards are a set of quality conditions that are adhered or maintained for a particular environmental component and function. The different environmental activities have different concerns and therefore different standards.

Types of Environmental Standards
The three main types of environmental standards, ambient, emission, and technology, work together to help regulate the impact human activity have on the environment. The regulation of ambient pollutants in the air ensures that the air remains breathable and does not further deteriorate. Emission standards are installed to control the amount of pollutants that are released into the air in order to maintain air quality. Technological standards are put in place to to encourage progressiveness across different industries.

Ambient Standards

The ambient standards, also known as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), is set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate how much pollutes are in the air. Apart of the Clean Air Act initiative, ambient standards are set to ensure that people are breathing clean air. Furthermore, these regulation help preserve public welfare from any known pollutants that could potentially damage it. Furthermore, the enforcement of these set standards will prevent further degradation to the national air quality. Individual states are not restricted to the national standards, for they can set their own limitations on ambient air. However, the allowance for any state standard must be lower than the national one in order to be enforced. The NAAQS regulates the six criteria air pollutants: sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and lead (Pb). To ensure that the ambient standards are met, the EPA uses the Federal Reference Method (FRM) and Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) systems measure the amount of pollutants in the air are within the limits.

Emission Standards

Emission standards are national regulations, managed by the EPA, that control the amount of pollutants can be released into atmosphere. These standards are put into place in order to maintain air quality and human health, as well as, regulate the release the of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), oxides of nitrogen and oxides of sulfur. The EPA have restrictions and regulations on vehicles not only to protect the environment, but also to benefit families financially. The standards set are established in two phases to stay up to date, with final projections aiming to collectively save Americans $1.7 trillion in fuel costs and reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 6 billion metric tons. Similar to the ambient standards, individuals states may also tighten regulations to their liking. For example, California set their own emissions standards through the California Air Resources Board (CARB), whose numbers were beginning to be adopted by other states. Emission standards also regulate the amount of pollutants released on an industrial level, especially for one that produce electricity.

Technology Standards

The technological standards set by the EPA do not necessarily enforce the usage of specific technologies, but sets a minimum performance levels for different industries. Furthermore, these regulations allows data collection to be more precise, allowing for the standards set based off those information to be feasible. The EPA often encourage technological improvement by setting standards that are unachievable with current technologies. These standards are always set based on the industry's top performers to promote the overall improvement of the industry as a whole.