Omar Bennett
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a regulatory agency that was established in 1970 by an executive order from President Richard Nixon. The EPA is tasked with protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations that implement environmental laws passed by Congress. These regulations, also known as Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), are published in the Federal Register and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The EPA's authority to create these regulations is derived from Congress, which authorizes the agency to fill in the critical details necessary to implement environmental laws. This includes setting national standards for states and tribes to enforce and providing grants to state environmental programs, non-profits, and educational institutions to help achieve its mission.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Regulatory agency | Congress authorizes the EPA to write regulations that explain the critical details necessary to implement environmental laws |
| Environmental laws | EPA implements environmental laws by writing regulations and setting national standards that states and tribes enforce through their own regulations |
| National standards | EPA helps states and tribes that fail to meet national standards |
| Enforcement | EPA enforces its regulations and helps companies understand the requirements |
| Grants | EPA provides grants to state environmental programs, non-profits, educational institutions, and others for projects such as scientific studies and community cleanups |
| Laboratories | EPA operates laboratories throughout the nation to identify and solve environmental problems and shares information with other countries, private sector organizations, academic institutions, and other agencies |
| Research integrity | EPA has been criticized for suppressing research and subjecting employees who author scientific papers to prior restraint |
| Funding | EPA's budget has been cut by administrators who believe the agency is too large and not cost-effective |
| Political influence | EPA administrators have been accused of politicizing the agency and ignoring employees' First Amendment rights |
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What You'll Learn
Congress authorises the EPA to create regulations
Congress authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create regulations that explain the critical details necessary to implement environmental laws. These regulations are created to protect human health and the environment.
The EPA is a regulatory agency that works to ensure that environmental laws passed by Congress are put into effect. Congress passes bills that become laws or acts, which are then standardized and published in the United States Code. However, these laws often lack the specific details required for their implementation. This is where the EPA steps in, authorized by Congress to create regulations that provide clear and specific requirements about what is legal and what is not.
For example, in 1970, Congress approved a major expansion of the Clean Air Act, which gave the EPA the authority to regulate air pollution. The EPA then issued regulations that specified the permissible levels of pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, to protect human health and the environment. These regulations outlined the legal limits for industries and the penalties for non-compliance.
In addition to the Clean Air Act, the EPA has been involved in implementing other significant acts, such as the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The TSCA, passed in 1976, authorized the EPA to gather information on chemicals, regulate their production and use, and create a National Inventory listing of chemicals. The RCRA, also enacted in 1976, tasked the EPA with setting national goals for waste disposal, energy conservation, and natural resource conservation, leading to the development of regulations for solid and hazardous waste management in collaboration with states.
The EPA also has specific programs and initiatives to address environmental concerns. For instance, the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Program, launched in 1985, focuses on regulating tanks containing petroleum and hazardous chemicals. The Smart Growth Program, started in 1998, works with local, state, and national experts to encourage development strategies that protect human health, create economic opportunities, and provide affordable neighborhoods.
Through its regulatory authority granted by Congress, the EPA plays a crucial role in protecting the environment and ensuring the well-being of Americans.
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EPA's role in implementing environmental laws
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a regulatory agency that implements environmental laws by writing regulations that explain the critical details necessary to carry them out. The EPA is authorized by Congress to write these regulations, which often take the form of national standards that states and tribes enforce through their own regulations. If they fail to meet these standards, the EPA can step in to help.
The EPA also enforces its regulations and helps companies understand the requirements. The EPA's enforcement of environmental laws includes holding entities legally accountable for violations. The EPA identifies and attempts to solve environmental problems at laboratories located throughout the nation, and it shares information with other countries, private sector organizations, academic institutions, and other agencies. The EPA also works with businesses, non-profit organizations, and state and local governments through dozens of partnerships to protect the environment. Examples of their work include conserving water and energy, minimizing greenhouse gases, reusing solid waste, and managing pesticide risks.
The EPA also provides grants to state environmental programs, non-profits, educational institutions, and others to help achieve its mission of protecting human health and the environment. These grants are used for projects such as scientific studies and community cleanups. The EPA's Smart Growth Program, for example, encourages development strategies that protect human health and the environment, create economic opportunities, and provide affordable neighborhoods for people of all income levels. The Brownfields Program provides grants and tools to local governments for the assessment, cleanup, and revitalization of brownfields, resulting in increased property values.
The EPA also administers specific laws and executive orders that help protect human health and the environment, such as the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substance Control Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act.
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The EPA's Smart Growth Program
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a regulatory agency that works with local, state, and national agencies, nonprofits, community organizations, academia, and the development sector. The EPA's Smart Growth Program, which began in 1998, is one such initiative. It helps communities improve their land development practices and secure the type of development they want.
The program encourages development strategies that protect human health and the environment, create economic opportunities, and provide attractive and affordable neighborhoods for people of all income levels. For instance, the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) works with public-sector entities that want to incorporate smart growth techniques into their development. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund Pilot Program was a partnership between the EPA's Office of Water and Office of Sustainable Communities to pilot a technical assistance program with three states' Clean Water State Revolving Funds programs.
The Smart Growth Index was a GIS sketch model that simulated alternative land-use and transportation scenarios and evaluated their outcomes using indicators of environmental performance. The program is no longer active, but the materials are available in the EPA Archive.
The Brownfields Program, which started as a pilot in the 1990s and was authorized by law in 2002, provides grants and tools to local governments for the assessment, cleanup, and revitalization of brownfields. As of September 2015, the EPA estimates that program grants have resulted in 56,442 acres of land ready for reuse, 116,963 jobs, and $24.2 billion in economic activity. The program also found that property values around assessed or cleaned-up brownfields increased by 5.1 to 12.8 percent.
The EPA's smart growth efforts help create healthier and more environmentally sustainable communities. It is an overall approach to development and conservation strategies that can help protect health, the natural environment, and make communities more attractive, economically stronger, and resilient to climate change.
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EPA's Underground Storage Tank Program
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established by Congress in 1980 following the discovery of many abandoned or mismanaged hazardous waste sites. The EPA is a regulatory agency, authorised by Congress to write regulations that explain the critical details necessary to implement environmental laws.
The EPA's Underground Storage Tank (UST) Program was launched in 1985, following a 1983 CBS 60 Minutes segment that brought national attention to the effects of leaking USTs on families in Canob Park, Rhode Island. The greatest potential threat from a leaking UST is the contamination of groundwater, which is the source of drinking water for almost half of all Americans.
The EPA estimated that there were approximately 2.1 million USTs in the US at the time, storing petroleum or hazardous substances. Knowing that there were not enough resources to fully implement the UST program, the EPA enlisted the partnership of states, territories, and tribal partners to implement the program.
The EPA's regional offices coordinate the state program approval process for states and territories under their jurisdiction. EPA regional officials work closely with state officials while state programs are under development. Once state legislatures enact statutes and state agencies develop regulations in accordance with EPA requirements, states may apply for formal approval. The EPA must respond to applications within 180 days.
The EPA has also established specific geographic programs for particular water resources, such as the Chesapeake Bay Program, the National Estuary Program, and the Gulf of Mexico Program.
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The EPA's role in the Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal statute regulating the protection of the nation's water. The Act aims to prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution in the nation's water to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shares enforcement responsibilities with state governments.
The EPA's enforcement authorities are set forth in CWA § 309, which authorizes the EPA to issue orders requiring compliance with specified CWA sections and issue penalty orders for violations. The EPA is also involved in the Clean Water Act Compliance Monitoring program, which includes investigations and inspections to ensure drinking water safety and restore and maintain aquatic ecosystems.
Additionally, the EPA has specific geographic programs for particular water resources, such as the Chesapeake Bay Program, the National Estuary Program, and the Gulf of Mexico Program. The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, authorized in a 2000 amendment to the Clean Water Act, requires the EPA to develop criteria to test and monitor coastal recreational waters and notify the public of any concerns. The EPA also launched the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Program in 1985 to regulate tanks containing petroleum and hazardous chemicals.
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Frequently asked questions
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a regulatory agency that creates regulations to implement environmental laws.
The EPA's mission is to protect human health and the environment.
Some examples of EPA regulations include the Clean Air Act, the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Program, and the Smart Growth Program.
The EPA researches issues and proposes regulations, which are listed in the Federal Register for public comment. After considering public comments, the EPA revises and issues a final rule, which is published in the Federal Register and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations.
The EPA's authority is derived from Congress, which authorizes the agency to create regulations that explain the critical details necessary to implement environmental laws.
