Environmental Protection Agency

www.epa.gov

The Environmental Protection Agency is the federal government's main office responsible for protecting human health and maintaining clean air, water and land.    

Established in December 1970, the EPA is charged with environmental rule-making and enforcement, including clean air and water, pesticides, toxic chemicals and other pollutants.

About the EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency is the federal government's main office responsible for protecting human health and maintaining clean air, water and land. Established in December 1970, the EPA is charged with environmental rule-making and enforcement, including clean air and water, pesticides, toxic chemicals and other pollutants. The agency deals with a broad range of issues, such as fuel economy testing for automobiles, air pollution, Superfund sites, testing for substances such as lead, mercury and radon, and climate change.

The EPA consists of about 18,000 people in its headquarters, 10 regional offices and scored of laboratories across the nation. More than half of EPA's staff members are engineers, scientists and environmental protection specialists, while others have backgrounds in law, public affairs and finance.

The agency helps develop the nation's environmental science, research and assessment of its air, land and water quality.

EPA works with other federal agencies, state and local governments to develop and enforce environmental regulations. When standards are not met, the EPA can issue sanctions to push states and American Indian tribes to reach environmental quality standards. It also works with industry on pollution prevention and energy conservation programs.

The agency's web site has regional web pages, which offer regional news updates. The EPA has 10 regional offices that can be very helpful in providing data about your specific region of the country. Here’s the link to find the regional offices Web sites: http://www.epa.gov/epahome/whereyoulive.htm#regiontext

EPA Leadership

Lisa Jackson became EPA administrator in January 2009. She previously headed New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection and also served as chief of staff to New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. She is the first African-American to lead the EPA.

The EPA Website

The EPA’s Web site, www.epa.gov, is a wealth of information and is generally arranged in a logical fashion, include an alphabetical division of the different categories of issues that it deals with such as Acid Rain, Air, Asbestos, etc.

Other features include regularly updated information about the air quality in any region of the United States, practical advice for citizens on dealing with natural disasters and even interactive games to teach children about threatened environments. The Web site has versions in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.    

Congressional Jurisdiction

Several committees and subcommittees of Congress have jurisdiction over the EPA. They include: the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Resources Committee

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