2. WHAT IS EPA?
The United States Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the U.S. federal
government which was created for the purpose of protecting human health and the
environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress.
The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on
December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. The agency is led by its
Administrator, who is appointed by the president and approved by Congress. The
current administrator is Gina McCarthy.
The EPA has its headquarters in Washington, D.C., regional offices for each of the
agency's ten regions, and 27 laboratories. The agency conducts environmental
assessment, research, and education. It has the responsibility of maintaining and
enforcing national standards under a variety of environmental laws, in consultation
with state, tribal, and local governments.
3. A BRIEF HISTORY
Beginning in the late 1950s Congress reacted to increasing public concern about the
impact that human activity could have on the environment. A key legislative option
to address this concern was the declaration of a national environmental policy. The
statute that ultimately addressed this issue was the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969. The law was signed by President Nixon on January 1, 1970. It declared a
national policy to protect the environment and created a Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) in the Executive Office of the President.
In 1970, President Richard Nixon proposed an executive reorganization that would
consolidate many of the federal government's environmental responsibilities under
one agency, a new Environmental Protection Agency. That reorganization proposal
was reviewed and passed by the House and Senate.
4. EPA’S PERFORMANCE FOR 2014
EPA Yearly evaluates the success and
effectiveness of its proposals and
strategies. This is then published as a
report which is accessible by the general
public.
5. STRATEGIC GOAL 1
Addressing Climate Change and Improving Air
Quality
ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE.
Minimize the threats posed by climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and taking actions that help to protect human health and help communities and
ecosystems become more sustainable and resilient to the effects of climate change.
IMPROVE AIR QUALITY.
Achieve and maintain health- and welfare-based air pollution standards and reduce
risk from toxic air pollutants and indoor air contaminants.
6. RESTORE AND PROTECT THE OZONE LAYER.
Restore and protect the earth’s stratospheric ozone layer and protect the public from
the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
MINIMIZE EXPOSURE TO RADIATION.
Minimize releases of radioactive material and be prepared to minimize exposure
through response and recovery actions should unavoidable releases occur.
8. STRATEGIC GOAL-2
Protecting America’s Waters
PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH.
Achieve and maintain standards and guidelines protective of human health in
drinking water supplies, fish, shellfish, and recreational waters, and protect and
sustainably manage drinking water resources.
PROTECT AND RESTORE WATERSHEDS AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS.
Protect, restore, and sustain the quality of rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands on a
watershed basis, and sustainably manage and protect coastal and ocean resources
and ecosystems.
10. STRATEGIC GOAL-3
Cleaning Up Communities And Advancing
Sustainable Development
PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AND LIVEABLE COMMUNITIES.
Support sustainable, resilient, and liveable communities by working with local, state,
tribal, and federal partners to promote smart growth, emergency preparedness and
recovery planning, redevelopment and reuse of contaminated and formerly
contaminated sites, and the equitable distribution of environmental benefits.
PRESERVE LAND.
Conserve resources and prevent land contamination by reducing waste generation
and toxicity, promoting proper management of waste and petroleum products, and
increasing sustainable materials management.
11. RESTORE LAND.
Prepare for, respond to accidental or intentional releases of contaminants, clean up,
and restore polluted sites for reuse.
STRENGTHEN HUMAN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN INDIAN COUNTRY.
Support federally recognized tribes to build environmental management capacity,
assess environmental conditions and measure results, and implement environmental
programs in Indian Country.
13. STRATEGIC GOAL-4 Ensuring The Safety
of Chemicals And Preventing Pollution
ENSURE CHEMICAL SAFETY
Reduce the risk and increase the safety of chemicals that enter our products, our
environment, and our bodies.
PROMOTE POLLUTION PREVENTION.
Conserve and protect natural resources by promoting pollution prevention and the
adoption of other sustainability practices by companies, communities, governmental
organizations, and individuals.
15. STRATEGIC GOAL-5
Protecting Human Health And The Environment
By Enforcing Laws And Ensuring Compliance
ENFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS TO ACHIEVE COMPLIANCE.
Pursue vigorous civil and criminal enforcement that targets the most serious water, air,
and chemical hazards in communities to achieve compliance. Assure strong,
consistent, and effective enforcement of federal environmental laws nationwide. Use
Next Generation Compliance strategies and tools to improve compliance and
reduce pollution.
17. VISION FOR 2016
EPA's proposed budget defines EPA's program goals for fiscal year 2016 (October 1, 2015
to September 30, 2016) and associated resource requirements.
The President's 2016 Budget is designed to bring middle class economics into the 21st
century. It shows what we can do if we INVEST in America's future and commit to an
economy that rewards hard work, generates rising incomes, and allows everyone to
share in the prosperity of a growing America.
It lays out a strategy to strengthen our middle class and help America's hard-working
families get ahead in a time of relentless economic and technological change.
18. For the EPA, the proposed budget of $8.6 billion seeks to further key work in addressing
climate change and improving air quality, protecting our water, safeguarding the
health and safety of the public from toxic chemicals, supporting the environmental
health of communities, and working toward a sustainable environmental future for all
Americans.
Central to this work is supporting our state, local, and tribal partners and working with
them to deliver on our environmental and health improvements.