Purpose and Intent
Purpose of Environmental Law
Balancing human’s needs and desires and the environment has been an issue every society has had to handle. This is the reason environmental law is invovled in many aspects of our daily lives.
Environmental law includes common law, treaties, regulations, policies, conventions and other types of restrictions on activity to protect a part of the environment. The intent of environmental law is to regulate the interaction of humans and the environment on a level that allows all to operate peacefully and uniformly keeping the earth from being destroyed.
Some environmental laws are common sense. Dumping toxic waste into a drinking water source is obviously a bad idea and therefore against the law. Other environmental laws are less obvious, including some of the laws, rules and regulations that govern environmental impacts in Guam. Protecting the environment through the legal system is difficult at times, time-consuming and especially important for Guam in light of the increasing development and military buildup affecting the island.
Click here to learn more about the environmental laws that govern Guam.
Rules and regulations to support environmental law
Much of Guam’s environmental law is put into action through regulations, permits and building codes. Guam EPA is tasked with enforcing multiple regulations outlined in the Guam Administrative Rules and Regulations (GAR). For more information about this topic, visit our Regulations page which includes information about program-specific regulations and various forms supporting permits outlined in the regulations.
Enacting new laws, rules and regulations
Legislative and Executive branches
Guam EPA works closely with other members of the Executive branch and various senators in the Legislature to keep Guam’s environmental laws current.