The Battery Directive enacted in 2006 regulates the manufacture, disposal and trade of batteries in the European Union.

The damage encouraged passage of water pollution control legislation broadly regulating disposal of waste to include relatively innocuous materials like gravel.

The Pesticide Control Act was created to regulates the use and disposal of pesticides in an appropriate and approved of manner.

This is the fundamental notion behind laws regulating the generation, transportation, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste, and laws regulating the use of pesticides.

But the decision Mr. McCabe announced stopped short of putting the authority to regulate coal-ash disposal in the hands of the federal government.

"The town has not come up with any ordinance to regulate disposal of manure."

In most jurisdictions there exists legislation to regulate the appropriate handling and disposal of silver oxide batteries to reduce discharge of mercury to the environment.

To stop what was described as price-gouging by organized crime, the state decided to regulate waste hauling and disposal as a public utility.

In December, Rockwell paid $47,500 in fines for violating Federal pollution laws that regulate disposal of toxic chemicals.

Mr. Celebrezze said that under a 1988 agreement signed by the Energy Department, the state has clear authority to regulate disposal and treatment of hazardous waste.