Therefore, for any business person, it is helpful to be familiar with the problems addressed by our environmental laws, the provisions of those laws, and the kinds of mechanisms and administrative agencies through which those environmental laws are enforced.
Environmental laws deal with myriad pollution problems. Pollution or contamination of the environment is found within the walls of factories and other business facilities as well outside the walls of those facilities. Environmental law deals with contamination of our air, surface waters, drinking water, groundwater, and land. Those affected include workers and their families as well as other members of their communities. And, as U.S. businesspeople increase their participation in a global marketplace, it is becoming increasingly clear that environmental contamination extends beyond local and regional concerns; its effects are international and even global. As illustrated along the U.S.-Mexican border, environmental contamination does not recognize political boundaries.