The National Resource Defense Council has a list of major federal laws here.
The EPA's list of major environmental legislation is here. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) home page which lists all the various topics into broad categories at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/topics.html
The Fish and Wildlife Service has a list of federal resource laws here. Most are fairly minor, but not all.
The Congressional Research Service blog also a nice list of laws administered by the EPA here and environmental legislation, energy legislation, agriculture legislation, and transportation legislation. They discuss current environmental issues in the context of existing legislation.
List of Major U.S. Federal Environmental Legislation
1970 National Environmental Policy Act
1972 Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
1972 Ocean Dumping Act
1973 Endangered Species Act
1974 Safe Drinking Water Act
1974 Shoreline Erosion Control Demonstration Act
1975 Hazardous Materials Transportation Act
1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
1976 Toxic Substances Control Act
1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
1978 Uranium Mill-Tailings Radiation Control Act
1980 Asbestos School Hazard Detection and Control Act
1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act
1984 Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act
1986 Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act
1986 Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act
1988 Indoor Radon Abatement Act
1988 Lead Contamination Control Act
1988 Medical Waste Tracking Act
1988 Ocean Dumping Ban Act
1988 Shore Protection Act
1970 Clean Air Act
1972 Consumer Product Safety Act
1972 Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act
1972 Noise Control Act
1972 Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act
1972 Costal Zone Management Act
1973 Endangered Species Act
1974 Safe Drinking Water Act
1974 Strip Mining Act
1976 Toxic Substances Control Act
1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
1976 Solid Waste Disposal Act
1977 Clean Air Act Amendments
1977 Clean Water Act Amendments
1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act Superfund)
1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments
1986 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments
1986 Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
1987 Clean Water Act Reauthorization
1989 North American Wetlands Conservation Act
1990 Oil Pollution Act
1990 Pollution Prevention Act
1990 Clean Air Act Amendments
1992 Energy Policy Act
Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972,
The Clean Water Act (CWA) (1977)
The Clean Water Act (CWA) (1987)
The Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) (1986)
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)
Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act Public Law 1999
The Endangered Species Act (1973)
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Florida Everglades Restoration (1996?ish)
Wildlife and Endangered species
Lacey Act, 1900
Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 1918
Migratory Bird Conservation Act, 1929
Fish & Wildlife Coordination Act, 1934
Endangered Species Preservation Act, 1966
Endangered Species Conservation Act, 1969
Marine Mammal Protection Act,1972
Endangered Species Act, 1973; Amds, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1988
--some of the amendments are particularly interesting
Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf Restoration Act 1990
The 2009 Continuing Budget Resolution that includes a provision to strip federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies/Amend the ESA
Commercial Fishing
Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996
Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006
Air
Air Quality Act, 1960, 1967
Clean Air Act, 1963; Amds, 1970, 1977, 1990,
Water
Water Pollution Act, 1948
Water Pollution Control Act (Amds), 1956
Water Quality Act, 1965
Clean Water Restoration Act, 1966
Water Quality Improvement Act, 1970
Federal Water Poll. Control Act (Amds) 1972
Safe Drinking Water Act, 1974
Clean Water Act, 1977
Federal Water Poll. Control Act (Amds) 1977
Solid & Hazardous wastes
Solid Waste Disposal Act, 1965
Resource Recovery Act, 1970
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 1976
Comprehensive Env. Response, Compensation & Liability Act (CERCLA), 1980
Hazardous and Solid Waste Amds, 1984
Superfund Amds and Reauthorization Act, 1986
Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, 1986
Nuclear Energy
Atomic Energy Act, 1946
Atomic Energy Act, 1954
Price Anderson Act, 1957
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, 1963
Energy Reorganization Act, 1974
Nuclear Waste Policy Act, 1982; Amds 1987
Pesticides & Toxics
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 1972; Amds 1988
Toxic Substances Control Act, 1976
Environmental Pesticide Control Act, 1978
Noise
Noise Control Act, 1972
Quiet Communities Act, 1978
Forests, Parks & Land Use
Multiple Use-Sustained Yield Act, 1960
Wilderness Act, 1964
National Forest Management Act (1976)
Eastern Wilderness Areas Act, 1975
Endangered American Wilderness Act (1978)
Colorado Wilderness Act (1980)
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, 1971
Land Use Policy Act, 1974
Strip Mining Act, 1974
National Parks and Recreation Act, 1978
National Forest Management Act, 1976
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, 1977
Alaskan National Interest Lands Conservation Act, 1980
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978
Central Idaho Wilderness Act of 1980
Washington Wilderness Act of 1984
-any federal wilderness designation legislation such as the
2002 California Wild Heritage Act or the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Act
Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act 2000
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009
-any Wild and Scenic Rivers designation legislation, see for example the
Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation
President George Bush
Clear Skies Legislation
Health Forest Initiative
National Defense Authorization Act of 2004
Clear Skies legislation
Energy Policy Act of 2005
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act 2005 SAFETEA-L
2006 Amendments to Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act ?
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
Barack Obama
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009
American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) (cap and trade legislation, passes House)
There are also a number of other pieces of legislation which are not environmental, but have significant environmental implications.
The Farm Bill- an omnibus piece of legislation renewed every 5 years which addresses a wide array of agriculture related issues
The Transportation Bill- an omnibus piece of legislation which addresses a wide array of agriculture related issues
Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (Ice-T)
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).
Water Resources Development Act are omnibus pieces of legislation that deal with water resources issues: environmental, structural, navigational, flood protection, hydrology, etc The often allocate money for dams, flood, navigation, wildlife, and shoreline protection issues. No one has written about one of these laws yet.
Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004
Water Resources Development Act of 2007
The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972
Environmental Justice
- this is not a law, but an executive order. You can write a paper about how and why attempt to pass a law failed and the Executive Order resulted.Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act,
-both laws address the exposures of Navajo to uranium mining; they have an EJ flavor; see here