epa

an independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment

EPA redirects here. For the omega-3 fatty acid, see Eicosapentaenoic acid. For the city, see East Palo Alto, California. For Electrostatic Protected Areas, see Electrostatic discharge.'' The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an List of United States federal agenciesagency of the United States federal government charged with protecting human health and with safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land. The EPA began operation on December 2, 1970. It is led by its Administrator of the Environmental Protection AgencyAdministrator, who is appointed by the President of the United States. The EPA is not a United States CabinetCabinet agency, but the Administrator is normally given cabinet rank. The current Administrator (as of 2005) is Stephen L. Johnson.

Overview - The EPA comprises 18,000 people in headquarters program offices, 10 regional offices, and 17 labs across the country. The EPA employs a highly educated, technically trained staff, more than half of whom are engineers, scientists, and environmental protection specialists. A large number of employees are legal, public affairs, financial, and computer specialists. The EPA provides leadership in the nation's environmental science, research, education, and assessment efforts. The EPA works closely with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and Native American tribes to develop and enforce regulations under existing environmental laws. The EPA is responsible for researching and setting national standards for a variety of environmental programs and delegates to states and tribes responsibility for issuing permits, and monitoring and enforcing compliance. Where national standards are not met, the EPA can issue sanctions and take other steps to assist the states and tribes in reaching the desired levels of environmental quality. The Agency also works with industries and all levels of government in a wide variety of voluntary pollution prevention programs and energy conservation efforts.In July of 1970, the law that established the EPA was passed in response to the growing public demand for cleaner water, air and land. Prior to the establishment of the EPA, the federal government was not structured to make a coordinated attack on the pollutants which harm human health and degrade the environment. The EPA was assigned the task of repairing the damage already done to the natural environment and to establish new criteria to guide Americans in making a cleaner environment a reality.In 1992 the EPA launched the Energy Star program. EPA also administers the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (which is much older than the agency) and registers all pesticides legally sold in the United States. It is also responsible for reviewing projects of other federal agencies' Environmental Impact Statements under NEPA.

Fuel economy - American automobile manufacturers are required to use EPA fuel economy test results to advertise the gas mileage of their vehicles, and the manufacturers are disallowed from providing results from alternate sources. However, the tests have been questioned, because they do not measure actual fuel consumption but rather base measurements on tailpipe emissions. As emissions standards have become more strict, the test has drifted away from actual vehicle performance. The EPA's current testing system was developed in 1972. It apparently takes little to no consideration of carbon dioxide as it is not a regulated part of motor vehicle exhaust in the United States, even though it is the primary component.In the 1980s, an EPA study showed that customers were obtaining significantly lower mileage than the EPA rating. The agency correspondingly reduced advertised city mileage by 10% and highway mileage by 22%, but there continue to be significant differences. As of the 2000s decade, this problem is most evident in hybrid vehicles, which sometimes produce zero emissions (when running on battery (electricity)batteries).In February 2005, the organization launched a program called "fueleconomy.gov - Your MPG" that allows drivers to add real-world fuel economy statistics into a database on the EPA's fuel economy website and compare them with others and the original EPA test results.

Related legislation - The legislation here is general environmental protection legislation, and may also apply to other units of the government, including the United States Department of the InteriorDepartment of the Interior and the United States Department of AgricultureDepartment of Agriculture.

Air -

1955 - Air Pollution Control Act PL 84-159

1963 - Clean Air Act PL 88-206

1965 - Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act PL 89-272

1966 - Clean Air Act Amendments PL 89-675

1967 - Air Quality Act PL 90-148

1969 - National Environmental Policy Act PL 91-190

1970 - Clean Air Act (1970)Clean Air Act Extension PL 91-604

1976 - Toxic Substances Control Act PL 94-469

1977 - Clean Air Act Amendments PL 95-95

1990 - Clean Air Act (1990)Clean Air Act Amendments PL 101-549

Water -

1948 - Water Pollution Control Act PL 80-845

1965 - Water Quality Act PL 89-234

1966 - Clean Waters Restoration Act PL 89-753

1969 - National Environmental Policy Act PL 91-190

1970 - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration created

1970 - Water Quality Improvement Act PL 91-224

1972 - Water Pollution Control Act PL 92-500

1974 - Safe Drinking Water Act PL 93-523

1976 - Toxic Substances Control Act PL 94-469

1977 - Clean Water Act PL 95-217

1987 - Water Quality Act PL 100-4

Land -

1964 - Wilderness Act PL 88-577

1968 - Scenic Rivers Preservation Act PL 90-542

1969 - National Environmental Policy Act PL 91-190

1970 - Environmental Protection Agency established

1970 - Wilderness Act PL 91-504

1977 - Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act PL 95-87

1978 - Wilderness Act PL 98-625

1980 - Alaska Land Protection Act PL 96-487

1994 - California Desert Protection Act PL 103-433

Endangered species -

1946 - Coordination Act PL 79-732

1966 - Endangered Species Preservation Act PL 89-669

1969 - Endangered Species Conservation Act PL 91-135

1972 - Marine Mammal Protection Act PL 92-522

1973 - Endangered Species Act PL 93-205

Hazardous waste -

1965 - Solid Waste Disposal Act PL 89-272

1969 - National Environmental Policy Act PL 91-190

1970 - Resource Recovery Act PL 91-512

1976 - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act PL 94-580

1980 - Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ("Superfund") PL 96-510

1982 - Nuclear Waste Repository Act PL 97-425

1982 - Hazardous and Solid Wastes Amendments Act

1986 - Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act PL 99-499

2002 - Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act ("Brownfields Law") PL 107-118

Controversy - The EPA has been involved in allegedly improper practices, during the George W. Bush administrationBush administration which was in power from 2001 to the present. EPA reports have allegedly been modified and distorted or politically-timed, and political influence has been alleged, but not proven, to be a factor in many cases. Cornell University and the Union of Concerned Scientists found in a non-scientific survey of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that about 42 percent of scientists said they "felt pressured to not report publicly any findings that do not agree with Bush policies on endangered species" and almost a third said they felt pressured not to even express views within the !agency.:ref cornellstudy msnbc.msn.com - Scientists take aim at White House, ''MSNBC'', February 20, 2005

Mercury Emissions - In March of 2005, 9 states, California, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New Mexico and Vermont, sued the EPA. The EPA's inspector general had determined that the EPA's regulation of mercury (element)mercury emissions did not follow the Clean Air Act, and that the regulations were influenced by top political appointees.refproposed refinspgen The EPA had suppressed a study it commissioned by Harvard University which contradicted its position on mercury controlsrefharvstudy . The suit alleged (alleges) that the EPA's rule allowing exemption from "maximum available control technology" was illegal, and additionally charged that the EPA's system of pollution credit trading allows power plants to forego reducing mercury emissions.reflawsuit :noteproposed washingtonpost.com - Proposed Mercury Rules Bear Industry Mark, ''Washington Post'', January 31, !2004:inspgen washingtonpost.com - EPA Inspector Finds Mercury Proposal Tainted, ''Washington Post'', February 4, !2005:harvstudy washingtonpost.com - New EPA Mercury Rule Omits Conflicting Data, ''Washington Post'', March 22, !2005:lawsuit waterconserve.info - States Sue EPA Over Mercury Emissions, ''LA Times'', March 30, 2005

9/11 Air Ratings - mindfully.org - EPA's 9/11 Air Ratings Distorted, Report Says, ''LA Times'', August 23, 2003

Global Warming - guardian.co.uk - Bush covers up climate research, ''Guardian Unlimited'', September 21, 2003

A memo revealed Philip Cooney, chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, had edited climate change documents though he was unqualified to do so.noteclimatememo Cooney resigned two days after the memo released, coincidentally, as Cooney said he had planned to resign for over two years. He said he resigned to "spend time with his family,"notefamily but just one week later he took a job at Exxon Mobil.notecooney :refclimatememo cslproductions.com - U.S. Official Edited Warming, Emission Link - Report, ''Reuters'', June 8, !2005:family ? commondreams.org - White House Official Resigns After Climate Documents Flap, ''Agence France Presse'', June 12, !2005:cooney political-news.org - Ex-White House environment official joins Exxon, ''Reuters'', June 15, 2005

Fuel Economy - In July of 2005, an EPA report showing that auto companies were using loopholes to produce less fuel-efficient cars was delayed. The report was supposed to be released the day before a controversial energy bill was passed and would have provided backup for those opposed to it, but at the last minute the EPA delayed its release.notedelay :refdelay nytimes.com - E.P.A. Holds Back Report on Car Fuel Efficiency, ''New York Times'', July 28, 2005

EPA regional offices - Each EPA regional office is responsible within its states for the execution of the Agency's programs.Region 1 - responsible within the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.Region 2 - responsible within the states of New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Region 3 - responsible within the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.Region 4 - responsible within the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia (U.S. state)Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.Region 5 - responsible within the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.Region 6 - responsible within the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.Region 7 - responsible within the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.Region 8 - responsible within the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.Region 9 - responsible within the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the territories of Guam and American Samoa.Region 10 - responsible within the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

List of EPA administrators -

See also -

Acid mine drainage

Renewable energy

Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training

External links -

epa.gov - Environmental Protection Agency

fueleconomy.gov - !www.fueleconomy.govCategory:Un ited? States federal agenciesCategory:Environmental Protection Agency Category:United States environmental !organizationsCategory:Independ ent? Agencies of the United States Governmentfr:Environmental Protection Agencynl:Environmental Protection Agency DEBUG REDIRECT (environmental protection agency)

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Environmental Protection Agency
Committed to protecting the natural environment.
http://www.epa.gov/

Californian Environmental Protection Agency
Information about environmental projects and legislation.
http://www.calepa.ca.gov/

Energy Star
U.S. EPA Energy Star programs and products help save the environment and save consumers money by using less energy through advanced design or construction. Consumer products include most major appliances, lighting fixtures, office products, hvac systems, and homes. Site is good source of appliance energy ratings.
http://www.energystar.gov/

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Information about permit application forms, vehicle emissions testing station locations, annual reports on the state's environmental conditions, the history and organizational structure of the Illinois EPA, and contact information.
http://www.epa.state.il.us/