Under the 1982 Alabama Environmental Management Act, the Alabama Environmental Management Commission was created and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) was established. The ADEM absorbed several commissions, programs, and agencies that had been responsible for Alabama's environment.
The Environmental Commission, whose seven members are appointed to six-year terms by the governor and approved by the Alabama Senate, is charged with managing the state's land, air, and water resources. The ADEM administers all major federal environmental groups including the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and solid and hazardous waste laws. The most active environmental groups in the state are the Alabama Environmental Council, Sierra Club, League of Women Voters, Alabama Audubon Council, and Alabama Rivers Alliance.
Major concerns of environmentalists in the state are the improvement of land-use planning and the protection of groundwater. Another issue is the transportation, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes. In 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency's database listed 258 hazardous waste sites in Alabama, 13 of which were on the National Priorities List. One of the nation's five largest commercial hazardous waste sites is in Emelle, in Sumter County. Alabama's solid waste stream is 4.500 tons a year (1.10 tons per capita). There are 108 municipal land fills and 8 curbside recycling programs in the state. Air quality is generally satisfactory. In 2001, Alabama received $54,490,000 in federal grants from the EPA; EPA expenditures for procurement contracts in Alabama that year amounted to $1,978,000.