The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was an agency proposed by President Richard Nixon. The EPA was created and came into effect on December 2, 1970. The EPA is an agency of the Federal Government of the United States and was established in order to protect human health and the environment by way of writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The EPA is responsible for the environmental policy of the United States.
The EPA has 17,000 employees across the country, those who are highly educated and technically trained. The EPA headquarters is based in Washington. DC and has 10 regional offices, and more than a dozen labs.
The President appoints the Administrator of the EPA and hence the Administrator is accountable to the President. The Administrator supervises the EPA. The Administrator is assisted by a Deputy Administrator and other qualified staff.
The EPA depends on different methods for accomplishing its objectives. A number of laws build the base for EPA in protecting the environment and human health. Other than the laws, Presidential Executive Orders also play a vital role in EPA’s activities. The EPA employs different methods to achieve cleaner air, purer water and better-protected land.
The EPA works as a regulatory agency and Congress authorizes the agency to write regulations that detail the necessary literature needed to implement environmental laws. The EPA’s enforcement programs work in hand with the Department of Justice, state and tribal governments, in order to take legal actions in both federal and state courts. The EPA’s enforcement offices deter persons or companies who violate the United States environmental law and regulations. The EPA sets the national standards which are enforced by the states and tribes through their own regulations.
The EPA guides the United State’s environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. The EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier and safer environment for the American people since 1970.
