United States Environmental Protection Agency Explained

Agency Id:6800
Coordinates:38.8939°N -77.0289°W
Budget:$9,559,485,000
Chief1 Name:Lee Zeldin
Chief1 Position:Administrator
Chief2 Name:David Fotouhi
Chief2 Position:Deputy Administrator

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters.[1] President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order.[2] The order establishing the EPA was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate.

The agency is led by its administrator, who is appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. Since January 29, 2025, the administrator is Lee Zeldin. The EPA is not a Cabinet department, but the administrator is normally given cabinet rank. The EPA has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. There are regional offices for each of the agency's ten regions, as well as 27 laboratories around the country.[3]

The agency conducts environmental assessment, research, and education. It has the responsibility of maintaining and enforcing national standards under a variety of U.S. environmental laws, in consultation with state, tribal, and local governments. EPA enforcement powers include fines, sanctions, and other measures.

It delegates some permitting, monitoring, and enforcement responsibility to U.S. states and the federally recognized tribes. The agency also works with industries and all levels of government in a wide variety of voluntary pollution prevention programs and energy conservation efforts.

The agency's budgeted employee level in 2023 was 16,204.1 full-time equivalent (FTE).[4] More than half of EPA's employees are engineers, scientists, and environmental protection specialists; other employees include legal, public affairs, financial, and information technologists.

History

Background

Beginning in the late 1950s and through the 1960s, Congress reacted to increasing public concern about the impact that human activity could have on the environment.[5] [6] [7] Senator James E. Murray introduced a bill, the Resources and Conservation Act (RCA) of 1959, in the 86th Congress. The bill would have established a Council on Environmental Quality in the Executive Office of the President, declared a national environmental policy, and required the preparation of an annual environmental report. The conservation movement was weak at the time and the bill did not pass Congress.[8]

The 1962 publication of Silent Spring, a best-selling book by Rachel Carson, alerted the public about the detrimental effects on animals and humans of the indiscriminate use of pesticide chemicals.[9]

In the years following, Congress discussed possible solutions. In 1968, a joint House–Senate colloquium was convened by the chairmen of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Senator Henry M. Jackson, and the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, Representative George P. Miller, to discuss the need for and means of implementing a national environmental policy. Congress enacted the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the law was based on ideas that had been discussed in the 1959 and subsequent hearings.[10] [8]

The Richard Nixon administration made the environment a policy priority in 1969–1971 and created two new agencies, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and EPA.[11] Nixon signed NEPA into law on January 1, 1970. The law established the CEQ in the Executive Office of the President. NEPA required that a detailed statement of environmental impacts be prepared for all major federal actions significantly affecting the environment. The "detailed statement" would ultimately be referred to as an environmental impact statement (EIS).[5]

Establishment

On July 9, 1970, Nixon proposed an executive reorganization that consolidated many environmental responsibilities of the federal government under one agency, a new Environmental Protection Agency.[12] This proposal included merging pollution control programs from a number of departments, such as the combination of pesticide programs from the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of the Interior.[13] After conducting hearings during that summer, the House and Senate approved the proposal. The EPA was created 90 days before it had to operate,[13] and officially opened its doors on December 2, 1970. The agency's first administrator, William Ruckelshaus, took the oath of office on December 4, 1970.[7]

EPA's primary predecessor was the former Environmental Health Divisions of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), and its creation caused one of a series of reorganizations of PHS that occurred during 1966–1973. From PHS, EPA absorbed the entire National Air Pollution Control Administration, as well as the Environmental Control Administration's Bureau of Solid Waste Management, Bureau of Water Hygiene, and part of its Bureau of Radiological Health. It also absorbed the Federal Water Quality Administration, which had previously been transferred from PHS to the Department of the Interior in 1966. A few functions from other agencies were also incorporated into EPA: the formerly independent Federal Radiation Council was merged into it; pesticides programs were transferred from the Department of the Interior, Food and Drug Administration, and Agricultural Research Service; and some functions were transferred from the Council on Environmental Quality and Atomic Energy Commission.[14]

Upon its creation, EPA inherited 84 sites spread across 26 states, of which 42 sites were laboratories. The EPA consolidated these laboratories into 22 sites.[15]

1970s

In its first year, the EPA had a budget of $1.4 billion and 5,800 employees. At its start, the EPA was primarily a technical assistance agency that set goals and standards. Soon, new acts and amendments passed by Congress gave the agency its regulatory authority. A major expansion of the Clean Air Act was approved in December 1970.[16]

EPA staff recall that in the early days there was "an enormous sense of purpose and excitement" and the expectation that "there was this agency which was going to do something about a problem that clearly was on the minds of a lot of people in this country," leading to tens of thousands of resumes from those eager to participate in the mighty effort to clean up America's environment.[17]

When EPA first began operation, members of the private sector felt strongly that the environmental protection movement was a passing fad. Ruckelshaus stated that he felt pressure to show a public which was deeply skeptical about government's effectiveness, that EPA could respond effectively to widespread concerns about pollution.

The burning Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1969 led to a national outcry and criminal charges against major steel companies. The US Justice Department in late 1970 began pollution control litigation in cooperation with the new EPA. Congress enacted the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, better known as the Clean Water Act (CWA).[18] The CWA established a national framework for addressing water quality, including mandatory pollution control standards, to be implemented by the agency in partnership with the states.[19] Congress amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) in 1972, requiring EPA to measure every pesticide's risks against its potential benefits.[20] [21]

In 1973 President Nixon appointed Russell E. Train to be the next EPA administrator.[22] In 1974 Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act, requiring EPA to develop mandatory federal standards for all public water systems, which serve 90% of the US population. The law required EPA to enforce the standards with the cooperation of state agencies.[23] [24]

In October 1976, Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) which, like FIFRA, related to the manufacture, labeling and usage of commercial products rather than pollution.[25] [26] This act gave the EPA the authority to gather information on chemicals and require producers to test them, gave it the ability to regulate chemical production and use (with specific mention of PCBs), and required the agency to create the National Inventory listing of chemicals.

Congress also enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1976, significantly amending the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965.[27] It tasked the EPA with setting national goals for waste disposal, conserving energy and natural resources, reducing waste, and ensuring environmentally sound management of waste. Accordingly, the agency developed regulations for solid and hazardous waste that were to be implemented in collaboration with states.[28]

President Jimmy Carter appointed Douglas M. Costle as EPA administrator in 1977.[29] To manage the agency's expanding legal mandates and workload, by the end of 1979 the budget grew to $5.4 billion and the workforce size increased to 13,000.[30]

1980s

In 1980, following the discovery of many abandoned or mismanaged hazardous waste sites such as Love Canal, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, nicknamed "Superfund." The new law authorized EPA to cast a wider net for parties responsible for sites contaminated by previous hazardous waste disposal and established a funding mechanism for assessment and cleanup.

In a dramatic move to the right, President Ronald Reagan in 1981 appointed Anne Gorsuch as EPA administrator.[31] Gorsuch based her administration of EPA on the New Federalism approach of downsizing federal agencies by delegating their functions and services to the individual states.[32] She believed that EPA was over-regulating business and that the agency was too large and not cost-effective. During her 22 months as agency head, she cut the budget of the EPA by 22%, reduced the number of cases filed against polluters, relaxed Clean Air Act regulations, and facilitated the spraying of restricted-use pesticides. She cut the total number of agency employees, and hired staff from the industries they were supposed to be regulating.[33] Environmentalists contended that her policies were designed to placate polluters, and accused her of trying to dismantle the agency.[34]

Assistant Administrator Rita Lavelle was fired by Reagan in February 1983 because of her mismanagement of the Superfund program.[35] Gorsuch had increasing confrontations with Congress over Superfund and other programs, including her refusal to submit subpoenaed documents. Gorsuch was cited for contempt of Congress and the White House directed EPA to submit the documents to Congress. Gorsuch and most of her senior staff resigned in March 1983.[35] [36] Reagan then appointed William Ruckelshaus as EPA administrator for a second term. As a condition for accepting his appointment, Ruckleshaus obtained autonomy from the White House in appointing his senior management team. He then appointed experienced competent professionals to the top management positions, and worked to restore public confidence in the agency.[37]

Lee M. Thomas succeeded Ruckelshaus as administrator in 1985.[38] In 1986 Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, which authorized the EPA to gather data on toxic chemicals and share this information with the public. EPA also researched the implications of stratospheric ozone depletion. Under Administrator Thomas, EPA joined with several international organizations to perform a risk assessment of stratospheric ozone, which helped provide motivation for the Montreal Protocol, which was agreed to in August 1987.[39]

In 1988, during his first presidential campaign, George H. W. Bush was vocal about environmental issues. Following his election victory, he appointed William K. Reilly, an environmentalist, as EPA administrator in 1989.[29] Under Reilly's leadership, the EPA implemented voluntary programs and initiated the development of a "cluster rule" for multimedia regulation of the pulp and paper industry.[40] At the time, there was increasing awareness that some environmental issues were regional or localized in nature, and were more appropriately addressed with sub-national approaches and solutions. This understanding was reflected in the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act and in new approaches by the agency, such as a greater emphasis on watershed-based approaches in Clean Water Act programs.[41]

1990s

In 1992 EPA and the Department of Energy launched the Energy Star program, a voluntary program that fosters energy efficiency.[42]

Carol Browner was appointed EPA administrator by President Bill Clinton and served from 1993 to 2001.[43] Major projects during Browner's term included:

Since the passage of the Superfund law in 1980, an excise tax had been levied on the chemical and petroleum industries, to support the cleanup trust fund. Congressional authorization of the tax was due to expire in 1995. Although Browner and the Clinton Administration supported continuation of the tax, Congress declined to reauthorize it. Subsequently, the Superfund program was supported only by annual appropriations, greatly reducing the number of waste sites that are remediated in a given year.[48] (In 2021 Congress reauthorized an excise tax on chemical manufacturers.[49])

Taking place In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the Executive Order 12898, which required the federal government to address environmental justice. The order told all federal agencies to consider how their actions might affect minority and low-income communities, especially communities that face higher levels of pollution or other environmental issues.[50]

This order had vital connection to the EPA, with the creation of the Office of Environmental Justice. The purpose of this office was to help coordinate environmental justice work across different environmental agencies and support efforts to protect communities that were facing disproportionate environmental burdens.

Major legislative updates during the Clinton Administration were the Food Quality Protection Act[51] and the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act.[52]

2000s

President George W. Bush appointed Christine Todd Whitman as EPA administrator in 2001. Whitman was succeeded by Mike Leavitt in 2003 and Stephen L. Johnson in 2005.[29]

In March 2005 nine 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 emissions did not follow the Clean Air Act, and that the regulations were influenced by top political appointees.[53] [54] The EPA had suppressed a study it commissioned by Harvard University which contradicted its position on mercury controls.[55] The suit alleged that the EPA's rule exempting coal-fired power plants from "maximum available control technology" was illegal, and additionally charged that the EPA's system of cap-and-trade to lower average mercury levels would allow power plants to forego reducing mercury emissions, which they objected would lead to dangerous local hotspots of mercury contamination even if average levels declined.[56] Several states also began to enact their own mercury emission regulations. Illinois's proposed rule would have reduced mercury emissions from power plants by an average of 90% by 2009.[57] In 2008—by which point a total of fourteen states had joined the suit—the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the EPA regulations violated the Clean Air Act.[58] In response, EPA announced plans to propose such standards to replace the vacated Clean Air Mercury Rule, and did so on March 16, 2011.[59]

In July 2005 there was a delay in the issuance of an EPA report showing that auto companies were using loopholes to produce less fuel-efficient cars. 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 the EPA delayed its release at the last minute.[60]

EPA initiated its voluntary WaterSense program in 2006 to encourage water efficiency through the use of a special label on consumer products.[61]

In 2007 the state of California sued the EPA for its refusal to allow California and 16 other states to raise fuel economy standards for new cars.[62] EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson claimed that the EPA was working on its own standards, but the move has been widely considered an attempt to shield the auto industry from environmental regulation by setting lower standards at the federal level, which would then preempt state laws.[63] [64] California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with governors from 13 other states, stated that the EPA's actions ignored federal law, and that existing California standards (adopted by many states in addition to California) were almost twice as effective as the proposed federal standards.[65] It was reported that Johnson ignored his own staff in making this decision.[66]

In 2007 it was reported that EPA research was suppressed by career managers.[67] Supervisors at EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment required several paragraphs to be deleted from a peer-reviewed journal article about EPA's integrated risk information system, which led two co-authors to have their names removed from the publication, and the corresponding author, Ching-Hung Hsu, to leave EPA "because of the draconian restrictions placed on publishing". The 2007 report stated that EPA subjected employees who author scientific papers to prior restraint, even if those papers are written on personal time.

In December 2007 EPA administrator Johnson approved a draft of a document that declared that climate change imperiled the public welfare—a decision that would trigger the first national mandatory global-warming regulations. Associate Deputy Administrator Jason Burnett e-mailed the draft to the White House. White House aides—who had long resisted mandatory regulations as a way to address climate change—knew the gist of what Johnson's finding would be, Burnett said. They also knew that once they opened the attachment, it would become a public record, making it controversial and difficult to rescind. So they did not open it; rather, they called Johnson and asked him to take back the draft. Johnson rescinded the draft; in July 2008, he issued a new version which did not state that global warming was danger to public welfare. Burnett resigned in protest.[68]

In April 2008, the Union of Concerned Scientists said that more than half of the nearly 1,600 EPA staff scientists who responded online to a detailed questionnaire reported they had experienced incidents of political interference in their work. The survey included chemists, toxicologists, engineers, geologists and experts in other fields of science. About 40% of the scientists reported that the interference had been more prevalent in the last five years than in previous years.[69]

President Barack Obama appointed Lisa P. Jackson as EPA administrator in 2009.[29]

2010s

In 2010 it was reported that a $3 million mapping study on sea level rise was suppressed by EPA management during both the Bush and Obama administrations, and managers changed a key interagency report to reflect the removal of the maps.[70]

Between 2011 and 2012, some EPA employees reported difficulty in conducting and reporting the results of studies on hydraulic fracturing due to industry and governmental pressure, and were concerned about the censorship of environmental reports.[71] [72] [73] [74] [75]

President Obama appointed Gina McCarthy as EPA administrator in 2013.[29]

In 2014, the EPA published its "Tier 3" standards for cars, trucks and other motor vehicles, which tightened air pollution emission requirements and lowered the sulfur content in gasoline.[76]

In 2015, the EPA discovered extensive violations by Volkswagen Group in its manufacture of Volkswagen and Audi diesel engine cars, for the 2009 through 2016 model years. Following notice of violations and potential criminal sanctions, Volkswagen later agreed to a legal settlement and paid billions of US dollars in criminal penalties, and was required to initiate a vehicle buyback program and modify the engines of the vehicles to reduce illegal air emissions.[77] [78]

In August 2015, the EPA finalized the Clean Power Plan to regulate emissions from power plants, projecting a 15-year cut of 32%, or 789 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.[79] In 2019 it was voided and replaced by the Affordable Clean Energy rule under the Trump administration,[80] and in 2022 its constitutionality was ruled out by the Supreme Court.[81]

In August 2015, the 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill occurred when EPA contractors examined the level of pollutants such as lead and arsenic in a Colorado mine,[82] and accidentally released over three million gallons of waste water into Cement Creek and the Animas River.[83] In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organization, cited research linking glyphosate, an ingredient of the weed killer Roundup manufactured by the chemical company Monsanto, to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In March 2017, the presiding judge in a litigation brought about by people who claim to have developed glyphosate-related non-Hodgkin's lymphoma opened Monsanto emails and other documents related to the case, including email exchanges between the company and federal regulators. According to The New York Times, the "records suggested that Monsanto had ghostwritten research that was later attributed to academics and indicated that a senior official at the Environmental Protection Agency had worked to quash a review of Roundup's main ingredient, glyphosate, that was to have been conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services." The records show that Monsanto was able to prepare "a public relations assault" on the finding after they were alerted to the determination by Jess Rowland, the head of the EPA's cancer assessment review committee at that time, months in advance. Emails also showed that Rowland "had promised to beat back an effort by the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct its own review."[84] [85] [86]

On February 17, 2017, President Donald Trump appointed Scott Pruitt as EPA administrator.[29] The Democratic Party saw the appointment as a controversial move, as Pruitt had spent most of his career challenging environmental regulations and policies. He did not have previous experience in the environmental protection field and had received financial support from the fossil fuel industry.[87] In 2017, the Presidency of Donald Trump proposed a 31% cut to the EPA's budget to $5.7 billion from $8.1 billion and to eliminate a quarter of the agency jobs.[88] However, this cut was not approved by Congress. Pruitt resigned from the position on July 5, 2018, citing "unrelenting attacks" due to ongoing ethics controversies.[89]

President Trump appointed Andrew R. Wheeler as EPA administrator in 2019.[29] Trump promised to eliminate EPA "in almost every form" leaving "only tidbits" intact.[90]

On July 17, 2019, EPA management prohibited the agency's Scientific Integrity Official, Francesca Grifo, from testifying at a House committee hearing. EPA offered to send a different representative in place of Grifo and accused the committee of "dictating to the agency who they believe was qualified to speak." The hearing was to discuss the importance of allowing federal scientists and other employees to speak freely when and to whom they want to about their research without having to worry about any political consequences.[91]

In September 2019 air pollution standards in California were once again under attack, as the Trump administration attempted to revoke a waiver issued to the state which allowed more stringent standards for auto and truck emissions than the federal standards.[92]

2020–2024

President Joe Biden appointed Michael S. Regan to be administrator in 2021. Regan began serving on March 11, 2021.[93]

In October 2021 EPA announced its "PFAS Strategic Roadmap." PFASs are organofluorine chemical compounds referred to as "forever chemicals". The roadmap is a "whole-of-EPA" strategy and the agency will consider the full life cycle of PFAS, including preventing PFAS from entering the environment, holding polluters accountable, and remediation of contaminated sites. It also will include drinking water monitoring and risk assessment for PFOA and PFOS in biosolids (processed sewage sludge used as fertilizer).[94]

In December 2021 EPA issued new greenhouse gas standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The standards, which will reduce climate pollution and improve public health, became effective for the 2023 vehicle model year.[95]

In March 2022 the Biden administration allowed California to again set stricter auto emissions standards.[96]

In August 2022 the EPA was allotted a listed ~$53.216 billion in funding pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The EPA listed 24 total initiatives, the most notable among them being greenhouse gas reduction and monitoring, a superfund petroleum tax, replacing current heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, and a methane incentive program.[97]

On February 3, 2023, more than 100 train cars were derailed in East Palestine, and around half of those cars containing chemicals like butyl acrylate, vinyl chloride, and ethylhexyl acrylate.[98] Subsequently, the chemicals combusted into a flame being seen from miles around and the fumes filled the air with residents reporting animals falling ill and a burning sensation in their eyes and nose. The EPA monitered the situation and experts recommended that local residents take part in the EPA's at-home air screening.[99] [100]

On April 21, 2023, the White House implemented the Justice40 Initiative as part of its broader effort to improve equality in minority communities. The goal of Justice40 is to make sure that 40 percent of the benefits from major federal investments go to communities that have been ignored. These investments include climate programs, clean energy projects, and efforts to reduce pollution. Justice40 changed the way federal agencies planned their programs and worked with each other. It guided how they identified disadvantaged communities and how they decided where money and support should go. For the EPA, this meant adjusting some of its grant programs and technical assistance, so they clearly supported Justice40’s goals and showed that the benefits were reaching the communities that needed them most.[101]

In March 2024, EPA published regulations for tailpipe emissions standards that accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). The standards require at least two-thirds of all new cars sold in the United States to be zero-emissions vehicles by 2032, in order to reduce air pollution and climate change. The agency projected that the regulations would cut emissions by 7 billion metric tons, or 56% of 2026 levels, by 2032.[102]

In April 2024, EPA finalized new standards for power plant carbon emissions, projecting cuts of 65,000 tons by 2028 and 1.38 billion tons by 2047.[103] The agency also issued final drinking water standards for six PFAS compounds.[104] [105]

In December, 2024 the EPA announced it approved California's plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035. EPA Administrator Michael Regan granted a waiver under the Clean Air Act to California to implement the plan which was first announced in 2020. It required that by 2035 at least 80% of new cars sold be electric and up to 20% plug-in hybrid models. California's rules were adopted by 11 other states including New York, Massachusetts and Oregon.[106]

Trump Era

With the second presidential term of Donald Trump, Lee Zeldin began serving as administrator on January 29, 2025.[107]

On February 27, 2025, EPA received a White House memo issued by Russell Vought to prepare for mass layoffs. Hours earlier, Trump had said that there would be a 65 percent reduction in its roughly 17,000 personnel, which was later corrected to 65 percent overall agency budget cuts.

In early 2025, the EPA began cutting many of the programs that supported environmental justice work. These programs usually help communities that face a variety of environmental burdens, especially low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Reports from The Guardian and The Washington Post explained that important funding for communities and partnerships with local governments were either paused, reduced, or sent to other parts of the agency. Newsweek also wrote about internal EPA memos that said the cuts were meant to focus the agency on its basic legal duties. In reality, this meant taking money away from programs that helped communities deal with environmental health problems.[108]

After these changes, many towns and cities struggled to continue projects related to pollution cleanup, public health, and environmental monitoring because the funding was no longer available.[109]

In March 2025 the EPA dropped a lawsuit against Denka, a chemical company, which was intended to reduce emissions of chloroprene at its plant in LaPlace, Louisiana.[110]

After the Supreme Court of the United States overturned an injunction against termination of government employees in AFGE v. Trump, the EPA announced in July 2025 that it would be eliminating its Office of Research and Development. The agency had previously denied plans to do so after a leaked memo indicating plans to do so was reported on in March.[111]

The EPA released a new proposed rule in July 2025 to repeal the previous endangerment finding that had been established in 2009 that greenhouse gases posed a risk to human health, a basis used in many of the EPA's regulations supporting the Clean Air Act. Zeldin asserted that the impact of these existing regulations was harming American citizens through increased costs, this being his rationale for eliminating the endangerment finding.[112]

By late 2025, the EPA had greatly reduced its environmental justice work. As part of the administration’s changes, the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights was shut down, and a large portion of the EJ staff were either reassigned or put on leave. Most EJ grants were also ended, which left many local projects without the funding they depended on. During this time, the EPA also removed EJScreen from its website. This made it harder for communities to access pollution and health data they had previously relied on. Without federal support, many state and local EJ programs began struggling to continue their work. While It was possible to use data from third party EJScreen websites, this information was commonly outdated or inaccurate as data is no longer being collected.[113]

Overall, these changes showed a major shift in federal policy away from community environmental protection and equity-based enforcement.

In January 2026, the EPA changed its methodology for calculating pollution limits. Where previously they had calculated their limits including the monetary value of lives saved, going forward they would only calculate limits based on projected cost to businesses.[114]

Organization

The EPA is led by the administrator, appointed following nomination by the president and approval from Congress.

Offices

Regions

Creating 10 EPA regions was an initiative that came from President Richard Nixon.[131] See Standard Federal Regions. Each EPA regional office is responsible within its states for implementing the agency's programs, except those programs that have been specifically delegated to states.

Each regional office also implements programs on Indian Tribal lands, except those programs delegated to tribal authorities.

Legal authority

The Environmental Protection Agency can only act pursuant to statutes—the laws passed by Congress. Appropriations statutes authorize how much money the agency can spend each year to carry out the approved statutes. The agency has the power to issue regulations. A regulation interprets a statute, and EPA applies its regulations to various environmental situations and enforces the requirements. The agency must include a rationale of why a regulation is needed. (See Administrative Procedure Act.) Regulations can be challenged in federal courts, either district court or appellate court, depending on the particular statutory provision.[133]

Related legislation

EPA has principal implementation authority for the following federal environmental laws:

There are additional laws where EPA has a contributing role or provides assistance to other agencies. Among these laws are:

Programs

EPA established its major programs pursuant to the primary missions originally articulated in the laws passed by Congress. Additional programs have been developed to interpret the primary missions. Some of the newer programs have been specifically authorized by Congress.[134] Former administrator William Ruckelshaus observed in 2016 that a danger for EPA was that air, water, waste and other programs would be unconnected, placed in "silos", a problem that persists more than 50 years later, albeit less so than at the start.[135]

Core programs

Air quality and radiation protection

The Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) describes itself as the official authority in charge of "developing national programs, policies, and regulations for controlling air pollution and radiation exposure." The OAR is responsible for enforcing the Clean Air Act, the Atomic Energy Act, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land Withdrawal Act, and other applicable laws. The OAR is in charge of the Offices of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Atmospheric Protection, Transportation and Air Quality, and the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air.[117]

Ambient standards
Stationary air pollution source standards
Mobile source standards
Radiation protection

The Radiation Protection Program comprises seven project groups.[136]

  1. Radioactive Waste[137]
  2. Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs[138] Protective Action Guides And Planning Guidance for Radiological Incidents: EPA developed a manual as guideline for local and state governments to protect the public from a nuclear accident,[139] the 2017 version being a 15-year update.
  3. EPA's Role in Emergency Response – Special Teams[140]
  4. Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORM) Program[141]
  5. Radiation Standards for Air and Drinking Water Programs[142]
  6. Federal Guidance for Radiation Protection[143]

Water quality

Science and regulatory standards

See also: United States regulation of point source water pollution.

Infrastructure financing

Land, waste and cleanup

Chemical approval, manufacture and usage

Enforcement

In 2019 the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative, "a network of academics, developers, and non-profit professionals", published a report which compared EPA enforcement statistics over time.[171] The number of civil cases filed by EPA have gradually decreased, and in 2018 the criminal and civil penalties from EPA claims dropped over four times their amounts in 2013, 2016, and 2017.[172] In 2016 EPA issued $6,307,833,117 in penalties due to violations of agency requirements,[173] and in 2018 the agency issued $184,768,000 in penalties.[174] EPA's inspections and evaluations have steadily decreased from 2015 to 2018. Enforcement activity has decreased partially due to budget cuts within the agency.[175]

In April 2025, the Department of Justice suddenly ended a long-running environmental justice settlement in Lowndes County, Alabama. The settlement was supposed to help fix the county’s severe wastewater problems, which had harmed mostly Black and low-income residents for years. Federal officials said they ended the agreement because of a new executive order from the Trump administration that restricted diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.[176]

The Associated Press then reported that the decision brought strong criticism from environmental and civil rights groups. They said ending the settlement would make the county’s already serious health problems even worse. Many critics from The Associated Press also saw this as part of a larger trend in 2025, where federal agencies were becoming less active in protecting vulnerable communities. Many warned that ending the Lowndes County agreement showed a broader retreat from federal oversight at a time when many EJ communities were still dealing with pollution, failing infrastructure, and a lack of basic environmental protection.

Additional programs

Past programs

Controversies

Scope and fulfillment of agency's authority

Congress enacted laws such as the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and CERCLA with the intent of preventing and reconciling environmental damages. Beginning in 2018 under Administrator Andrew Wheeler, EPA revised some pollution standards that resulted in less overall regulation.

Furthermore, the CAA's discretionary application[197] has caused a varied application of the law among states. In 1970, Louisiana deployed its Comprehensive Toxic Air Pollutant Emission Control Program to comply with federal law.[198] This program does not require pollution monitoring that is equivalent to programs in other states.[199]

Environmental justice

The EPA has been criticized for its lack of progress towards environmental justice. Administrator Christine Todd Whitman was criticized for her changes to President Bill Clinton's Executive Order 12898 during 2001, removing the requirements for government agencies to take the poor and minority populations into special consideration when making changes to environmental legislation, and therefore defeating the spirit of the Executive Order.[200] The EPA’s environmental justice work has developed in stages. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the agency focused on explaining what environmental justice meant and creating offices and programs to address pollution burdens in communities that were being disproportionately affected.[201] In a March 2004 report, the inspector general of the agency concluded that the EPA "has not developed a clear vision or a comprehensive strategic plan, and has not established values, goals, expectations, and performance measurements" for environmental justice in its daily operations. Another report in September 2006 found the agency still had failed to review the success of its programs, policies, and activities toward environmental justice.[202] Studies have also found that poor and minority populations were underserved by the EPA's Superfund program, and that this situation was worsening.[200] Under the Trump administration (2017–2021 and again starting in 2025), many environmental justice programs were reduced or rolled back. During the Biden administration (2021–2025), EJ work expanded, especially through programs like Justice40.

In August 2022 the EPA was allotted a listed ~42.8 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) towards what the EPA classifies as "Advancing Environmental Justice", and published the statement "Through the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA will improve the lives of millions of Americans by reducing pollution in neighborhoods where people live, work, play, and go to school; accelerating environmental justice efforts in communities overburdened by pollution for far too long; and tackling our biggest climate challenges while creating jobs and delivering energy security."[203]

In September 2022 EPA announced the creation of a new Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights that reports directly to the EPA administrator.[204] The new office has an expanded budget and staff with broader responsibilities than under the previous organizational arrangement. As of December 2025, the new administration had dismantled OEJECR and was in the process of laying off OEJECR personnel.[205] [206]

Under the current administration, the office has changed drastically. In February 2025, the EPA took its EJScreen mapping tool and all related training materials off its public website. EJScreen had helped people see environmental and demographic data to identify communities facing higher pollution levels. The Society of Environmental Journalists reported that this removal was part of a wider rollback of environmental justice and diversity resources across the agency’s online platforms. While older copies of EJScreen can still be found through independent archives, taking it off the EPA website made it much harder for the public to access important environmental equity data.

Environmental justice rollbacks (2025-)

In 2025, the Trump administration made broad changes to EPA that greatly reduced the agency’s ability to carry out environmental justice work. Many programs were paused or eliminated, and large numbers of EJ staff were removed from their positions. It can be objectively described as one of the most significant rollbacks of environmental justice capacity in the agency’s history.

One of the most impactful changes involved the restructuring of the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. The Washington Post reported that more than 450 employees working on environmental justice and diversity programs were told they would be fired or reassigned, which massively shut down its operations.

Additional staff removals followed soon after. Newsweek reported that at least 168 employees were placed on administrative leave after an executive order declared certain diversity, equity, and EJ programs “not related to the agency’s statutory duties.” Earlier that year, 139 employees had already been placed on leave after signing a letter during a federal workforce reduction effort.[207]

At the same time, the EPA’s research division faced major cuts. According to The Guardian, these actions were part of a plan to defund the agency’s main research arm, with senior scientists calling the move “the obliteration of ORD.” Public broadcasters confirmed that by February 2025, many remaining EJ staff were on indefinite leave, and a senior employee described the office as “on life support.”[208]

These staffing changes were paired with the suspension or closure of several environmental justice programs. The Guardian reported that mass layoffs across research and environmental divisions eliminated hundreds of EJ-related positions. The administration said these cuts were meant to refocus the EPA on “core statutory duties,” but many argued they stripped support from communities facing long-term pollution burdens.

Newsweek noted that new executive orders redefined the EPA’s mission to exclude EJ programs and community outreach grants, leaving historically ignored communities without federal assistance for pollution remediation or environmental cleanup. Supporters of the changes argued that the shift returned the agency to its traditional role and reduced supposedly unnecessary spending.

Experts and environmental groups warned in a Newsweek article that these rollbacks would have lasting consequences. Analysts pointed out that removing staff, ending grant programs, and limiting access to tools like EJScreen would make it much harder for vulnerable communities to get environmental data or seek legal fixes for unfair pollution exposure.

Influence of lobbying and economic interests

The Center for American Progress explained that industry lobbying and economic pressures likely played an important role in these rollbacks. Many large companies and trade groups do not support environmental justice tools because these tools make pollution patterns easy to see. When the public can clearly see where pollution is highest and which industries are responsible, there is often more pressure for stronger rules. These rules can lead to higher costs, stricter oversight, or legal actions that companies want to avoid. Because of this, industries often push federal agencies and lawmakers to limit or remove programs that increase transparency or help communities demand protection.

Weakening environmental justice programs reduces the amount of information available to the public and lowers the pressure on industries to follow stricter environmental standards. When staff positions are cut, grant programs end, or tools like EJScreen are removed, companies face fewer requirements that they have to meet. This situation benefits industries because it reduces their costs and the chances of facing enforcement. At the same time, it becomes harder for communities to learn about pollution in their area or to ask for government help. In our current administration, being a government system built to solely make the United States the economic powerhouse of the world, many injustices on a smaller scale go unnoticed.

Supporters of these cuts argued that reducing environmental justice programs would save money and make the EPA more efficient. They claimed that these programs were unnecessary or too expensive. However, research shows that most of the savings go to large industries rather than to the public. Communities affected by pollution often receive no benefit. Instead, they lose important protection and have fewer ways to understand or respond to environmental risks. Many of these communities already struggle with limited resources, so the loss of environmental justice makes their situation even more difficult.[209]

Freedom of Information Act processing performance

In the latest Center for Effective Government analysis of 15 federal agencies which receive the most Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, published in 2015 (using 2012 and 2013 data, the most recent years available), the EPA earned a D by scoring 67 out of a possible 100 points, i.e. did not earn a satisfactory overall grade.[210]

Pebble Mine

Pebble Mine is a copper and gold mining project located in the southwest region of Alaska in the Bristol Bay region organized by Northern Dynasty Minerals.[211] In 2014 the EPA released its statement on the impacts that mining would have on Bristol Bay and its tributaries. Among many things, the statement assesses geological, topographic, ecological, hydrological, and economic data and determined that mining could negatively impact the salmon population.[212] Seeing as Bristol Bay and its watershed provides around 46% of the world's sockeye salmon, the EPA did not want to risk an ecological disaster.[213] In July 2014, before Northern Dynasty Minerals had submitted its EIS, EPA's Region 10 office proposed restrictions pursuant to section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act, restrictions that would effectively prohibit the project.[214] Northern Dynasty Minerals protested this decision and on July 18, 2014, in a published statement, Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier said that the project would continue its litigation against EPA; noted that the EPA's action was under investigation by the EPA inspector general and by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; and noted that two bills were pending in Congress seeking to clarify that EPA did not have the authority to preemptively veto or otherwise restrict development projects prior to the onset of federal and state permitting. Collier's statement also said that EPA's proposal was based on outdated mining scenarios that were not part of the project's approach.[215] Multiple journalists and organizations have reported on the controversy including the Natural Resources Defense Council in support of the cancelation of the project and John Stossel in support of the development of the mine., the mine remains a controversial topic.[216]

On January 30, 2023, the EPA vetoed the mine.[217]

Water quality in East Palestine, Ohio

Ohio governor Mike DeWine and administrator of the EPA Michael Regan drank tap water in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, 2023, after a train derailment to show that the water was safe.[218] The derailment caused a fire and the release of toxic chemicals into the air and water making locals and environmental groups concerned for the quality of water in the area. Despite the EPA's assurance that the water is safe some residents do not trust the quality of the water and question its long-term effects.[219]

This incident also raised environmental justice concerns. Many residents felt that their community did not receive clear information or enough support during the cleanup, and some believed that a wealthier and more prevalent town might have received faster action and more resources. Community members reported strong odors, health symptoms, and fear of long-term contamination, and they argued that their voices were not taken seriously. These concerns reflected broader environmental justice issues, where communities with fewer resources often struggle to get the same level of protection, transparency, and attention from state and federal agencies.[220]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Our Mission and What We Do. January 21, 2017 . EPA . March 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170328120158/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/our-mission-and-what-we-do . March 28, 2017 . live.
  2. Web site: Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970 . EPA . 2020-07-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180212130101/https://archive.epa.gov/epa/aboutepa/reorganization-plan-no-3-1970.html . February 12, 2018. live.
  3. Web site: EPA Regional Laboratories Unique Analytical Capabilities and Services by Region . September 12, 2017 . EPA . April 3, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180404073655/https://www.epa.gov/regionallabs/epa-regional-laboratories-unique-analytical-capabilities-and-services-region . April 4, 2018 . dead.
  4. Web site: FY 2023 EPA Budget in Brief . EPA . March 1, 2022 . January 11, 2023 . December 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221229015210/https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-03/fy-2023-epa-bib.pdf . live .
  5. Rinde . Meir . Richard Nixon and the Rise of American Environmentalism . Distillations . 2017 . 3 . 1 . 16–29 . . Philadelphia, PA . https://web.archive.org/web/20180405024821/https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/richard-nixon-and-the-rise-of-american-environmentalism. April 5, 2018 . live.
  6. Web site: EPA History: Clean Air Act of 1970/1977 . October 18, 2016 . EPA . March 28, 2017 . February 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200225081217/https://www.epa.gov/history/epa-history-clean-air-act-1970/1977 . dead .
  7. Web site: The Guardian: Origins of the EPA . Spring 1992 . EPA Historical Publication . EPA . March 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170329045640/https://archive.epa.gov/epa/aboutepa/guardian-origins-epa.html . March 29, 2017 . live .
  8. Luther . Linda . The National Environmental Policy Act: Background and Implementation . November 16, 2005 . Congressional Research Service (CRS) . Washington, D.C. . CRS-3 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170801025406/https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/Unit1_01CRSReport.pdf . August 1, 2017 . dead . RL33152.
  9. News: Griswold . Eliza . September 21, 2012 . How 'Silent Spring' Ignited the Environmental Movement . The New York Times Magazine . September 17, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170914204632/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/magazine/how-silent-spring-ignited-the-environmental-movement.html . September 14, 2017 . live.
  10. United States. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969., Approved January 1, 1970. et seq.
  11. Amending the National Environmental Policy Act: Federal Environmental Protection in the Twenty-First Century . Weiland . Paul S. . Spring 1997 . Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law . 275–301 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070712230318/http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/landuse/Vol122/Weiland.pdf . July 12, 2007.
  12. July 9, 1970 . Reorganization Plans Nos. 3 and 4 of 1970. Message from the President of the United States to the House of Representatives . House of Representatives, 91st Congress, 2d Session . Document no. 91-366 . March 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170426222447/https://archive.epa.gov/ocir/leglibrary/pdf/created.pdf . April 26, 2017 . live .
  13. Web site: Behind the Scenes at the Creation of EPA: An interview with Chuck Elkins . October 2013 . Oral History Program . EPA Alumni Association . https://web.archive.org/web/20180821093827/https://www.epaalumni.org/userdata/pdf/600A1DB1B9EF1E85.pdf . August 21, 2018 . live.
  14. Web site: 2016-08-15. Records of the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]]. 2021-04-23. National Archives. Section 412.2. en. April 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210419122728/https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/412.html. live.
  15. Web site: Williams . Dennis C. . 1993-03-01 . Why Are Our Regional Offices and Labs Located Where They Are? A Historical Perspective on Siting . 2021-04-23 . EPA . May 10, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200510005954/https://www.epa.gov/history/why-are-our-regional-offices-and-labs-located-where-they-are-historical-perspective-siting . live .
  16. United States. Clean Air Amendments of 1970. Approved December 31, 1970.
  17. Web site: 18 February 2013 . EPA Alumni Association: Bill Ruckelshaus and some of his closest aides recall the Opening Months of the New Agency in 1970 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161011072603/http://www.epaalumni.org/history/video/interview.cfm?id=16 . 11 October 2016 . 2026-02-28 . EPA Alumni Association.
  18. United States. Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972. Approved 1972-10-18.
  19. Jim Hanlon, Mike Cook, Mike Quigley, Bob Wayland. "Water Quality: A Half Century of Progress." EPA Alumni Association. March 2016.
  20. United States. Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act. Approved 1972-10-21.
  21. Susan Wayland and Penelope Fenner-Crisp. "Reducing Pesticide Risks: A Half Century of Progress." EPA Alumni Association. March 2016.
  22. J. Brooks Flippen, Conservative Conservationist: Russell E. Train and the Emergence of American Environmentalism (LSU Press, 2006).
  23. United States. Safe Drinking Water Act. Approved 1974-12-16.
  24. Web site: Information about Public Water Systems . . 2017-03-08 . Drinking Water Requirements for States and Public Water Systems . EPA . July 26, 2020 . July 27, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200727070236/https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/information-about-public-water-systems . live .
  25. United States. Toxic Substances Control Act. Approved 1976-10-11.
  26. Auer, Charles, Frank Kover, James Aidala, Marks Greenwood. "Toxic Substances: A Half Century of Progress". . EPA Alumni Association. March 2016.
  27. United States. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Approved 1976-10-21.
  28. Horinko, Marianne, Cathryn Courtin. "Waste Management: A Half Century of Progress ." EPA Alumni Association. March 2016.
  29. Web site: EPA's Administrators . 2022-03-23 . EPA . April 11, 2022 . April 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220411045537/https://www.epa.gov/history/epas-administrators . live .
  30. Web site: EPA's Budget and Spending . 2022-05-16 . U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) . Washington, D.C. . January 12, 2017 . January 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170113120223/https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/budget . live .
  31. Richard Lazarus and Andrew Slottje, "Justice Gorsuch and the Future of Environmental Law." Stanford Environmental Law Journal 43 (2023) pp.2–3. online.
  32. Web site: Views from the Former Administrators . November 1985 . EPA . https://web.archive.org/web/20150925054739/http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/views-former-administrators#Gorsuch . 2015-09-25.
  33. News: Sullivan . Patricia . Anne Gorsuch Burford, 62, Dies; Reagan EPA Director . 2004-07-22 . The Washington Post . https://web.archive.org/web/20170812031743/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3418-2004Jul21.html . 2017-08-12.
  34. News: Martin . Douglas . Anne Gorsuch Burford, 62, Reagan E.P.A. Chief, Dies . The New York Times . July 22, 2004 . December 2, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131114095030/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/22/us/anne-gorsuch-burford-62-reagan-epa-chief-dies.html . November 14, 2013 . live.
  35. News: Chronology of Events in the E.P.A. Dispute . 1983-03-10 . The New York Times . January 17, 2021 . January 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122182623/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/10/us/chronology-of-events-in-the-epa-dispute.html . live .
  36. News: Hoffman . David . Peterson . Cass . Burford Quits as EPA Administrator . 1983-03-10 . The Washington Post . January 17, 2021 . January 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122084901/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/03/10/burford-quits-as-epa-administrator/49ef0add-f834-4bef-8fd5-35f13d1f2abd/ . live .
  37. News: William Ruckelshaus, who quit in 'Saturday Night Massacre,' dies at 87 . McFadden . Robert D. . 2019-11-27 . The New York Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20191203105106/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/us/politics/william-ruckelshaus-dead.html . December 3, 2019.
  38. Web site: EPA History (1970-1985) . 2016-09-06 . EPA . January 17, 2021 . January 7, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210107095041/https://archive.epa.gov/epa/aboutepa/epa-history-1970-1985.html . live .
  39. Web site: Interview with Lee Thomas . 2012-04-19 . EPA Alumni Association . September 25, 2018 . April 12, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190412070306/https://www.epaalumni.org/userdata/pdf/60740780F5ACB3D5.pdf . live .
  40. EPA (1993-12-17). "Effluent Limitations Guidelines, Pretreatment Standards, and New Source Performance Standards: Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Category; National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Category: Pulp and Paper Production." Proposed rules. Federal Register,
  41. Former Deputy Administrator Hank Habicht talks about management at EPA. An Interview with Hank Habicht = 17 Video, = 7 Transcript (see pp. 7, 10). December 21, 2012.
  42. Web site: What is Energy Star . 2021-06-12 . EPA and U.S. Department of Energy . January 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210102224156/https://www.energystar.gov/about . live .
  43. Web site: Chronology of EPA Administrators . 2021-03-11 . EPA . October 13, 2020 . October 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201013114615/https://www.epa.gov/history/chronology-epa-administrators . live .
  44. Web site: Overview of EPA's Brownfields Program . 2021-07-26 . EPA . August 18, 2021 . October 20, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231020135311/https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/overview-epas-brownfields-program . dead .
  45. EPA (1995-08-18). "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Petroleum Refineries." Final rule. Federal Register, .
  46. EPA (1996-08-29). "Lead; Requirements for Lead-Based Paint Activities in Target Housing and Child-Occupied Facilities." Final rule. Federal Register, .
  47. EPA (1997-07-18). "National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter." Final rule. Federal Register, ; "National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone." Final rule. .
  48. Superfund: Trends in Federal Funding and Cleanup of EPA's Nonfederal National Priorities List Sites . September 2015 . U.S. Government Accountability Office . Washington, D.C. . GAO-15-812 . March 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304132159/http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/673051.pdf . live.
  49. United States. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Section 80201. Approved November 15, 2021.
  50. Web site: Register . Federal . February 16, 1994 . Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations . Presidential Documents.
  51. United States. Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. 1996-08-03.
  52. United States. Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996. 1996-08-06.
  53. News: Proposed Mercury Rules Bear Industry Mark . Eric . Pianin . https://web.archive.org/web/20191229021711/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/01/31/proposed-mercury-rules-bear-industry-mark/028e1379-0026-4bcb-b7ce-192bbae7b4c6/ . December 29, 2019 . January 31, 2004 . limited . The Washington Post . July 21, 2020.
  54. News: Shankar . Vedantam . EPA Inspector Finds Mercury Proposal Tainted. https://web.archive.org/web/20200527092803/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61762-2005Feb3.html. May 27, 2020 . The Washington Post . February 4, 2005 . July 21, 2020.
  55. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55268-2005Mar21.html New EPA Mercury Rule Omits Conflicting Data
  56. Bustillo, Miguel.States Sue EPA Over Mercury Emissions, Los Angeles Times, March 30, 2005
  57. http://www.epa.state.il.us/environmental-progress/v32/n1/environmental-progress.pdf Governor Blagojevich and Illinois EPA Propose Aggressive Mercury Controls For Illinois Power Plants
  58. News: Baltimore . Chris . EPA must rewrite utility mercury rule: U.S. court . February 1, 2017 . Reuters . February 8, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180322204634/https://www.reuters.com/article/environment-usa-utilities-mercury-dc-idUSN0847678520080208 . March 22, 2018 . live.
  59. Web site: History of the MATS Regulation . EPA . February 1, 2017. November 11, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170202092159/https://www.epa.gov/mats/history-mats-regulation. February 2, 2017 . dead.
  60. News: E.P.A. Holds Back Report on Car Fuel Efficiency . . July 28, 2005 . Danny Hakim . February 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150509135924/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/28/business/28fuel.html . May 9, 2015 . live .
  61. Web site: Accomplishments and History . 2022-06-14 . WaterSense . EPA . June 13, 2021 . June 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210613035348/https://www.epa.gov/watersense/accomplishments-and-history . live .
  62. Keim . Brandon . Governor Arnie to EPA: Hasta La Vista, Bureaucratic Delay Monkeys | Wired Science . https://web.archive.org/web/20080307171242/http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/10/governor-arnie-.html . dead . March 7, 2008 . Wired . January 28, 2017.
  63. News: Maynard . Micheline . E.P.A. Denies California Emission's Waiver . 2007-12-19 . The New York Times.
  64. News: Absurdity at the EPA: Denying California emissions plan a new low . Editorials . The Dallas Morning News . January 1, 2008 . November 21, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081025074902/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-EPA_30edi.ART.State.Edition1.36bb1ef.html . October 25, 2008 . live.
  65. Web site: Text of Letter from Gov. Schwarzenegger and 13 other Governors Regarding U.S. EPA's Denial of California's Tailpipe Emissions Waiver Request . State of California, Office of the Governor . November 21, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091124000909/http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/8596 . November 24, 2009.
  66. News: EPA chief is said to have ignored staff . Los Angeles Times . December 21, 2007 . Janet . Wilson . https://web.archive.org/web/20220407151426/https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-epa21dec21-story.html . April 7, 2022 .
  67. Stedeford . Todd . 2007 . Prior restraint and censorship: acknowledged occupational hazards for government scientists . William and Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review . 31 . 3 . 725–745 . May 17, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150519061055/http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmelpr/vol31/iss3/4/ . May 19, 2015 . live .
  68. News: Shiffman . John . Sullivan . John . An Eroding Mission at EPA . 2008-12-02 . The Philadelphia Inquirer . https://web.archive.org/web/20221225211948/https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/special_packages/inquirer/Inq_ST_EPA1.html . 2022-12-25.
  69. Interference at the EPA. April 2008. UCS Publications. The Scientific Integrity Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists. July 12, 2022. October 8, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221008215532/https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/interference-at-the-epa.pdf. live.
  70. Josh Harkinson and Kate Sheppard . Coastal Collapse . June 1, 2010 . Slate . April 27, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100606050100/http://www.slate.com/id/2252063. June 6, 2010 . live.
  71. News: Pressure Limits Efforts to Police Drilling for Gas . Ian . Urbina . More than a quarter-century of efforts by some lawmakers and regulators to force the federal government to police the industry better have been thwarted, as E.P.A. studies have been repeatedly narrowed in scope and important findings have been removed . March 3, 2011 . The New York Times . February 23, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120108162945/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/us/04gas.html . January 8, 2012 . live .
  72. Web site: DiCosmo . Bridget . SAB Pushes To Advise EPA To Conduct Toxicity Tests In Fracking Study . But some members of the chartered SAB are suggesting that the fracking panel revise its recommendation that the agency scale back its planned toxicity testing of chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, process, because of the limited resources and time frame ... Chesapeake Energy supported the draft recommendation, saying that "an in-depth study of toxicity, the development of new analytical methods and tracers are not practical given the budget and schedule limitation of the study.". May 15, 2012 . Inside EPA . Inside Washington Publishers . May 19, 2012 . .
  73. News: The Debate Over the Hydrofracking Study's Scope . While environmentalists have aggressively lobbied the agency to broaden the scope of the study, industry has lobbied the agency to narrow this focus . March 3, 2011 . The New York Times . May 1, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120502220627/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/04/us/20110304_natural-gas-documents-intro.html . May 2, 2012 . live .
  74. News: Natural Gas Documents . February 27, 2011 . The New York Times . May 5, 2012 . The Times reviewed more than 30,000 pages of documents obtained through open records requests of state and federal agencies and by visiting various regional offices that oversee drilling in Pennsylvania. Some of the documents were leaked by state or federal officials. . https://web.archive.org/web/20120502204707/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/27/us/natural-gas-documents-1.html#document/p533/a9948 . May 2, 2012 . live .
  75. Letter from Chesapeake Energy to EPA . Satterfield . John . June 30, 2011 . Flowback and Produced water ... Chesapeake agrees that an in-depth study of toxicity, the development of new analytic methods and tracers are not practical given the budget and schedule limitations of the study ... Wastewater Treatment and Waste Disposal ... Chesapeake believes there was unjustified emphasis on the surface disposal of produced water to treatment plants in the SAB's Review ... Chesapeake disagrees with the inclusion of water distribution network corrosion and burden of analyzing for contaminants by POTW's into the study.. Inside EPA . May 19, 2012 . subscription.
  76. EPA (2014-04-18). "Control of Air Pollution From Motor Vehicles: Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards." Final rule. Federal Register,
  77. News: Judge approves $15B Volkswagen settlement . Bomey . Nathan . 2016-10-25 . USA Today . June 6, 2022 . June 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220606232156/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/10/25/volkswagen-settlement-approved/92719174/ . live .
  78. Web site: Learn About Volkswagen Violations . 2021-10-18 . EPA . June 6, 2022 . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220610033747/https://www.epa.gov/vw/learn-about-volkswagen-violations . live .
  79. Web site: Clean Power Plan . US EPA . January 19, 2017 . May 27, 2024.
  80. Web site: Affordable Clean Energy Rule . US EPA . May 10, 2019 . May 27, 2024.
  81. Web site: Soronen . Lisa . Supreme Court Strikes Down Clean Power Plan . National League of Cities . July 1, 2022 . May 27, 2024.
  82. News: EPA Causes Massive Spill of Mining Waste Water in Colorado, Turns Animas River Bright Orange. Zoë. Schlanger. August 7, 2015. August 10, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150809171122/http://www.newsweek.com/epa-causes-massive-colorado-spill-1-million-gallons-mining-waste-turns-river-361019. August 9, 2015. live.
  83. News: 'They're not going to get away with this': Anger mounts at EPA over mining spill. Joseph J.. Kolb. August 10, 2015. August 10, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150810191420/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/08/10/navajo-nation-aims-to-sue-epa-over-devastating-mining-spill/. August 10, 2015. live.
  84. News: Hakim . Danny . Monsanto Weed Killer Roundup Faces New Doubts on Safety in Unsealed Documents . The New York Times . March 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180809185318/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/business/monsanto-roundup-safety-lawsuit.html. August 9, 2018 . live.
  85. News: Yan . Holly . Patients: Roundup gave us cancer as EPA official helped the company . CNN . May 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180818052539/https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/15/health/roundup-herbicide-cancer-allegations/index.html . August 18, 2018. live.
  86. News: Nelson . Arthur . EU declared Monsanto weedkiller safe after intervention from controversial US official . The Guardian . May 24, 2017 . August 17, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180817110131/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/24/eu-declared-monsanto-weedkiller-safe-after-intervention-from-controversial-us-official . August 17, 2018 . live.
  87. News: EPA's Scott Pruitt haunted by corruption allegations, old and new . MSNBC . April 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180425115033/http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/epas-scott-pruitt-haunted-corruption-allegations-old-and-new. April 25, 2018 . live.
  88. News: Hiroko . Tabuchi . Hiroko Tabuchi . What's at Stake in Trump's Proposed E.P.A. Cuts . April 10, 2017 . The New York Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20170417165254/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/climate/trump-epa-budget-cuts.html . April 17, 2017 . live.
  89. News: EPA chief Scott Pruitt resigns amid ethics scandals . Jeremy Diamond (journalist) . Jeremy Diamond . Eli Watkins . Juana Summers . CNN . July 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180705195635/https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/05/politics/scott-pruitt-epa-resigns/index.html . July 5, 2018. live.
  90. News: Friedman . Lisa . 2025-02-26 . Trump Says E.P.A. Layoffs Will Cut Staff by 65 Percent . 2025-02-27 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  91. News: Top EPA Scientific Integrity Official Not Allowed To Testify At House Hearing . NPR . 2019-07-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190718104031/https://www.npr.org/2019/07/17/742818906/top-epa-scientific-integrity-official-not-allowed-to-testify-at-house-hearing . July 18, 2019 . live.
  92. Web site: Trump revokes waiver for California to set higher auto emissions standards . Kevin . Liptak . September 18, 2019 . CNN . October 24, 2022 . October 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221024203619/https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/18/politics/epa-trump-california/index.html . live .
  93. Web site: Michael S. Regan Sworn in as 16th EPA Administrator . 2021-03-11 . EPA . News Release . March 22, 2021 . March 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210322223915/https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/michael-s-regan-sworn-16th-epa-administrator . live .
  94. Web site: PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA's Commitments to Action 2021-2024 . October 14, 2021 . EPA . March 29, 2022 . September 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220914144724/https://www.epa.gov/pfas/pfas-strategic-roadmap-epas-commitments-action-2021-2024 . live .
  95. Web site: EPA Finalizes Greenhouse Gas Standards for Passenger Vehicles, Paving Way for a Zero-Emissions Future . 2021-12-20 . News Release . December 26, 2022 . December 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221226183023/https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-finalizes-greenhouse-gas-standards-passenger-vehicles-paving-way-zero-emissions . live .
  96. News: Davenport . Coral . Biden Restores California's Power to Set Stringent Tailpipe Rules . 2022-03-09 . The New York Times . October 24, 2022 . October 22, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221022015254/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/climate/biden-california-tailpipe-waiver.html . live .
  97. Web site: Inflation Reduction Act . 2022-12-07 . EPA . January 10, 2023 . January 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230110141843/https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act . live.
  98. Web site: Train 32N - East Palestrine . 2023-02-13. EPA. February 14, 2023. February 17, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230217230221/https://response.epa.gov/sites/15933/files/TRAIN%2032N%20-%20EAST%20PALESTINE%20-%20derail%20list%20Norfolk%20Southern%20document.pdf . live.
  99. Web site: Health concerns grow in East Palestine, Ohio, after train derailment . 2023-02-14 . NPR . February 14, 2023 . February 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230214142257/https://www.npr.org/2023/02/14/1156567743/health-east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-chemicals. live.
  100. Web site: Residents not yet allowed to return to homes near site of fiery train derailment in Ohio . 2023-02-07 . CNN . February 14, 2023 . February 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230214130944/https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/06/us/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-fire-monday/index.html . live.
  101. Web site: Justice40 Initiative Environmental Justice . 2025-12-04 . The White House . en-US.
  102. Web site: Daly . Matthew . Krisher . Tom . EPA issues new auto rules aimed at cutting carbon emissions, boosting electric vehicles and hybrids . AP News . March 20, 2024 .
  103. Web site: Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Suite of Standards to Reduce Pollution from Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants . April 25, 2024 . EPA . News release.
  104. EPA (2024-04-26). "PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation." Federal Register,
  105. Web site: Final PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation . 2024-05-22 . EPA.
  106. News: December 18, 2024 . US EPA approves California plan to ban sale of gas-only cars starting in 2035 .
  107. Web site: Lee M. Zeldin Sworn in as 17th EPA Administrator . 2025-01-30 . EPA.
  108. News: Amadulat . Ajasa . April 22, 2025 . EPA to fire or reassign hundreds of environmental justice employees. . Washington Post.
  109. News: 2025-07-19 . Trump's EPA eliminates research and development office and begins layoffs . 2025-12-04 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  110. News: Friedman . Lisa . 2025-03-04 . Trump Administration Said to Drop Lawsuit Over Toxic Chemical . The New York Times.
  111. News: Friedman . Lisa . Joselow . Maxine . 2025-07-18 . E.P.A. Says It Will Eliminate Its Scientific Research Arm . 2025-07-19 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  112. News: Inside the 'Radical Transformation' of America's Environmental Role . David . Gelles . Maxine . Joselow . August 3, 2025 . August 3, 2025 . .
  113. Web site: 2025-02-13 . "EPA Removes EJScreen From Its Website" (But Not From the Web) SEJ . 2025-12-04 . www.sej.org . en.
  114. News: It’s the NYT, do your job autocite.
  115. Web site: About the Office of the Administrator . October 26, 2017 . EPA . February 18, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110105122554/http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/ao.html . January 5, 2011 . live.
  116. Web site: About the Office of Policy . 2023-02-07 . EPA . February 13, 2023 . February 13, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230213184605/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-policy-op . live .
  117. Web site: About the Office of Air and Radiation . 2022-07-13 . EPA . March 20, 2017 . March 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170313035320/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-air-and-radiation-oar . live .
  118. Web site: About the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention . EPA . May 13, 2014 . May 19, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140603223904/http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-chemical-safety-and-pollution-prevention-ocspp . June 3, 2014 . live.
  119. Web site: About the Office of the Chief Financial Officer . EPA . January 20, 2017 . November 6, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161013041423/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-chief-financial-officer-ocfo . October 13, 2016 . live.
  120. Web site: About the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights . 2022-10-06 . EPA . October 24, 2022 . October 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221024205430/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-environmental-justice-and-external-civil-rights . live .
  121. Web site: About the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. EPA. November 17, 2010. March 20, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170329024948/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-enforcement-and-compliance-assurance-oeca. March 29, 2017. live.
  122. Web site: About the Office of General Counsel . EPA . November 17, 2010 . April 22, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120501141448/http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/ogc.html . May 1, 2012 . dead.
  123. Web site: About EPA . https://web.archive.org/web/20120510195006/http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/oig.html . dead . EPA . January 18, 2013 . May 10, 2012.
  124. Web site: About the Office of International and Tribal Affairs . EPA . November 17, 2010 . March 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170329025052/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-international-and-tribal-affairs-oita . March 29, 2017 . live.
  125. Web site: EPA Organization Chart . EPA . 2013-01-29 . 2019-07-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190710034347/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-organization-chart . July 10, 2019 . live.
  126. Web site: 2019-04-08. EPA's Office of Research and Development Reorganizes to Better Support EPA's Mission. EPA. November 6, 2021. November 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211106212415/https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/epas-office-research-and-development-reorganizes-better-support-epas-mission. live.
  127. Web site: 2013-01-29 . Organization Chart for the Office of Research and Development . 2021-11-06 . EPA . November 6, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211106212415/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/organization-chart-office-research-and-development-ord . live .
  128. Web site: About the Office of Land and Emergency Management . November 17, 2010 . EPA . January 27, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160127120503/http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-land-and-emergency-management-olem . January 27, 2016. live.
  129. Web site: About the Office of Water . EPA . November 17, 2010 . April 22, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120501133930/http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/ow.html . May 1, 2012 . dead.
  130. Web site: About the Office of Water . EPA . January 29, 2013 . March 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170320233011/https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-water#wetlands . March 20, 2017. live.
  131. EPA Alumni Association: Former EPA Administrator William Ruckelshaus and his senior assistants discuss integrating 10 regional offices into the fledgling agency. = 16 Video, = 6 Transcript (see pp. 6, 9).
  132. Memorandum Of Agreement between The Navajo Nation and The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regions 6, 8, and 9 regarding the Implementation of Environmental Standards and Regulations on the Navajo Nation, October 9, 1991
  133. Garvey . Todd . A Brief Overview of Rulemaking and Judicial Review . 2017-03-27 . U.S. Congressional Research Service . Washington, D.C. . R41546 . July 4, 2020 . July 27, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200727111130/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41546.pdf . live .
  134. FY 2013 Annual Performance Plan and President's Budget . 2012 . EPA . EPA 190-R-12-005 . July 30, 2020 . October 30, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201030041141/https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=P100GCFT.txt . live .
  135. EPA Alumni Association: EPA Administrator William Ruckelshaus comments on the "silos" problem that has dogged EPA from the start.= 16 Video, = 11 Transcript (see p. 11).
  136. Web site: Radiation Protection . 2022-03-29 . EPA . July 9, 2011 . September 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230914131227/https://www.epa.gov/radiation . live .
  137. Web site: Radioactive Waste . 2022-07-11 . EPA . December 26, 2022 . December 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221207224622/http://www.epa.gov/radtown/radioactive-waste . live .
  138. Web site: Radiological Emergency Response. July 27, 2016 . EPA . March 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174231/https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radiological-emergency-response. March 15, 2017 . live.
  139. Web site: EPA Protective Action Guide . January 11, 2017. EPA . 86 . March 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174648/https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/documents/epa_pag_manual_final_revisions_01-11-2017_cover_disclaimer_8.pdf . March 15, 2017 . live.
  140. Web site: Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Consequence Management . Emergency Response . 2022-12-19 . EPA . March 14, 2017 . March 30, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170330170507/https://www.epa.gov/emergency-response/chemical-biological-radiological-and-nuclear-consequence-management . live .
  141. Web site: Naturally-Occurring Radiation Program . 2022-07-05 . EPA . March 14, 2017 . March 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174445/https://www.epa.gov/radiation/technologically-enhanced-naturally-occurring-radioactive-materials-tenorm . live .
  142. Web site: Radiation Regulations and Laws, Standards for Air and Drinking Water. January 19, 2017 . EPA . March 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150907191429/http://www.epa.gov/radiation/air-water-overview.html . September 7, 2015 . dead.
  143. Web site: Federal Guidance for Radiation Protection. September 1, 2016 . EPAaccess-date = March 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174138/https://www.epa.gov/radiation/federal-guidance-radiation-protection. March 15, 2017. live.
  144. Web site: NPDES Permit Basics . 2025-06-03 . EPA.
  145. Web site: NPDES State Program Authority . 2025-02-24 . EPA.
  146. Clean Water Act section 402(p); .
  147. Web site: Effluent Guidelines . 2025-07-01 . EPA.
  148. Web site: What are Water Quality Standards? . 2025-06-03 . EPA.
  149. Web site: Polluted Runoff: Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution . 2025-05-08 . EPA.
  150. Web site: Section 404 of the Clean Water Act: Permitting Discharges of Dredge or Fill Material . 2025-07-10 . EPA.
  151. Web site: Primacy Enforcement Responsibility for Public Water Systems . 2024-10-30 . EPA.
  152. Web site: Protecting Underground Sources of Drinking Water from Underground Injection . 2025-06-13 . EPA.
  153. Web site: Clean Water State Revolving Fund Infographic . 2024-01-30 . EPA.
  154. Web site: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund . 2024-07-10 . EPA.
  155. Web site: Fiscal Year 2024 Allotments for the State Revolving Fund Provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Base Program Funding. Attachment A. . Drinking Water State Revolving Fund . 2024-04-03 . EPA.
  156. EPA (1979-09-13). "Criteria for Classification of Solid Waste Disposal Facilities and Practices; Final rule." Federal Register,
  157. 25 Years of RCRA: Building on Our Past To Protect Our Future . April 2002 . EPA . EPA 530-K-02-027 . March 21, 2021 . April 16, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210416020325/https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=10000MAO.txt . live .
  158. United States. Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984. Approved November 8, 1984.
  159. Web site: Land Disposal Restrictions for Hazardous Waste . 2023-02-22 . EPA . March 21, 2021 . March 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210320215115/https://www.epa.gov/hw/land-disposal-restrictions-hazardous-waste . live .
  160. Web site: Learn about Corrective Action . 2016-01-22 . EPA . 2018-12-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181223154426/https://www.epa.gov/hw/learn-about-corrective-action . December 23, 2018 . live.
  161. Web site: Categories of Hazardous Waste Generators . 2022-05-22 . EPA . March 21, 2021 . March 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210319210524/https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/categories-hazardous-waste-generators . live .
  162. Web site: UST Program Facts . . May 2018 . EPA . August 27, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180825173609/https://www.epa.gov/ust/ust-program-facts . August 25, 2018 . live.
  163. Web site: Interview with Ron Brand re the Underground Storage Tank Program . April 24, 2013 . EPA Alumni Association . August 26, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180827075349/https://www.epaalumni.org/userdata/pdf/602BCE06FAFAB29B.pdf . August 27, 2018.
  164. Web site: Learn About Underground Storage Tanks . 2022-08-23 . EPA . March 21, 2021 . March 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210323182308/https://www.epa.gov/ust/learn-about-underground-storage-tanks-usts . live .
  165. United States. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980., approved December 11, 1980. et seq.
  166. Web site: Oil Spills Prevention and Preparedness Regulations . March 7, 2017 . EPA . March 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170314063148/https://www.epa.gov/oil-spills-prevention-and-preparedness-regulations . March 14, 2017 . live .
  167. News: Tabuchi . Hiroko . 2025-02-26 . She Lobbied for Formaldehyde. Now She's at E.P.A. Approving New Chemicals. . 2025-02-27 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  168. Web site: Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program . EPA . February 13, 2017 . March 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170310051921/https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program . March 10, 2017 . live .
  169. Web site: Basic Information on Enforcement . 2022-11-02 . EPA . February 13, 2023 . February 13, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230213183916/https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/basic-information-enforcement . live .
  170. Web site: National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives . 2023-01-19 . EPA . February 13, 2023 . February 13, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230213183914/https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-enforcement-and-compliance-initiatives . live .
  171. Web site: May 2019 . A Sheep In The Closet: The Erosion of Enforcement at the EPA . Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI) . April 13, 2021 . May 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230522170104/https://envirodatagov.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Sheep-in-the-Closet.pdf . dead .
  172. Web site: 2019-06-11 . Update of Sheep in the Closet Report; EPA Enforcement Record in the Trump Administration through Fiscal Year 2018 . EDGI . April 13, 2021 . April 16, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210416012438/https://envirodatagov.org/update-of-sheep-in-the-closet-report-epa-enforcement-record-in-the-trump-administration-through-fiscal-year-2018/ . live .
  173. Web site: 2018-02-08 . Enforcement Annual Results for Fiscal Year 2016 . 2021-04-06 . EPA . February 9, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180209000954/https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/enforcement-annual-results-fiscal-year-2016 . dead .
  174. Web site: February 8, 2019 . Fiscal Year 2018 EPA Enforcement and Compliance Annual Results . April 13, 2021 . January 31, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240131181902/https://archive.epa.gov/epa/sites/production/files/2019-02/documents/fy18-enforcement-annual-results-data-graphs.pdf . live .
  175. Web site: 2013-02-08 . Historical Planning, Budget, and Results Reports . 2021-04-06 . EPA . April 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210413201335/https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/archive . live .
  176. Web site: 2025-04-12 . DOJ ends environmental justice agreement in Alabama county citing Trump . 2025-12-04 . AP News . en.
  177. Web site: Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative . EPA . December 22, 2008 . July 16, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110903000102/http://www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/formulat/sdsi.htm . September 3, 2011 . dead .
  178. Web site: CleanGredients Home Page . Cleangredients.org . July 16, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725175840/http://www.cleangredients.org/ . July 25, 2011 . live .
  179. Former Deputy Administrator Hank Habicht talks about management at EPA. An Interview with Hank Habicht = 17 Video, = 10 Transcript (see p 7, 10). December 21, 2012.
  180. EPA. "2006 Annual Report: Energy Star and Other Climate Protection Partnerships." . Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  181. EnergyStar.gov, = about.ab_history "History: Energy Star." . Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  182. Web site: Smart Growth . EPA . January 28, 2017 . April 5, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170128002119/https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth . January 28, 2017 . live .
  183. Thomas Voltaggio and John Adams. "Superfund: A Half Century of Progress." EPA Alumni Association. March 2016.
  184. Web site: Creating Healthy Indoor Air Quality in Schools . EPA . November 28, 2016 . March 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174743/https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/indoor-air-quality-tools-schools-action-kit . March 15, 2017 . live .
  185. Bearden . David M. . National Environmental Education Act of 1990: Overview, Implementation, and Issues for Congress . 2008-09-05 . CRS . 97-97.
  186. Web site: Environmental Education . 2024-07-11 . EPA.
  187. Web site: Clean School Bus; Clean Diesel and DERA Funding . EPA . October 24, 2016 . January 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170128005855/https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/clean-school-bus . January 28, 2017 . live .
  188. Web site: Information about the Green Chemistry Challenge . EPA . 2013-02-13 . 2018-12-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181221044518/https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/information-about-green-chemistry-challenge . December 21, 2018 . live.
  189. Web site: About the BEACH Act . 2013-02-28. EPA . 2018-12-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181225030846/https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/about-beach-act. December 25, 2018 . live.
  190. Web site: EPA – Wetlands – Wetlands Fact Sheet . June 28, 2006 . EPA . July 16, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120216182656/http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/facts/fact28.html . February 16, 2012 . dead.
  191. Web site: One Cleanup Program . 2016-02-21 . EPA . July 30, 2020 . December 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201216195605/https://archive.epa.gov/oswer/onecleanupprogram/web/html/index.html . live .
  192. Former Deputy Administrator Hank Habicht talks about management at EPA. An Interview with Hank Habicht = 17 Video, = 7 Transcript (see p7). December 21, 2012.
  193. Web site: 33/50 Program. EPA. September 16, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180917105121/https://archive.epa.gov/oppt/3350/web/pdf/3350-fnl.pdf. September 17, 2018. live.
  194. Web site: Fact Sheet: 2010/2015 PFOA Stewardship Program. EPA . 2016-05-10 . 2018-12-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181208160450/https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/fact-sheet-20102015-pfoa-stewardship-program . December 8, 2018 . live.
  195. Web site: About the OSV Bold . EPA . EPA 842-F-05-004 . January 17, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090224070656/http://www.epa.gov/owow/osvbold/brochure.html . February 24, 2009.
  196. News: Long . Katherine . What a $5,000 deal: Seattle Central gets former Navy ship | Local News . The Seattle Times . December 2, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131012042420/https://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021743030_sccvesselxml.html . October 12, 2013.
  197. Book: Carruth, Russelyn S. . Environmental Health Law: An Introduction . December 17, 2013 . Wiley . 978-1-118-41944-1 . 1058564715. Goldstein. Bernard D..
  198. Web site: RS 30:2060; Toxic air pollutant emission control program . Louisiana State Laws . 2021-04-06 . Louisiana State Legislature . Baton Rouge, LA . April 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210413201336/https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=87125 . live .
  199. Flatt . Victor Byers . 2006 . Gasping for Breath: The Administrative Flaws of the Federal Hazardous Air Pollutant Program . SSRN Electronic Journal . 10.2139/ssrn.929211 . 111813069 . 1556-5068.
  200. O'Neil, S. G. (2007). Superfund: Evaluating the Impact of Executive Order 12898 . Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 115, Number 7, pp. 1087–93
  201. Web site: Tools and Products for Environmental Justice Action . December 4, 2025 . EPA Office of Environmental Justice in Action. September 2017.
  202. Bullard . Robert . July 25, 2007 . Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Regarding Environmental Justice.
  203. Web site: Advancing Environmental Justice . 2022-12-19 . EPA . January 11, 2023 . January 11, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230111133449/https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/advancing-environmental-justice . dead .
  204. News: Dennis . Brady . EPA unveils new office to place environmental justice at agency's core . 2022-09-24 . The Washington Post . October 24, 2022 . September 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220928190107/https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/09/24/epa-environmental-justice/ . live .
  205. Web site: EPA Eliminated Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) and EJ Regional Divisions . 12 March 2025. Environmental and Energy Law Program. Harvard Law School.
  206. Web site: EPA Terminates Biden's Environmental Justice, DEI Arms of Agency . March 12, 2025 . EPA. EPA Press Office.
  207. News: 2025-02-06 . Trump's push to end DEI sharply impacts EPA's Environmental Justice office . 2025-12-04 . Newsweek.
  208. News: Borunda . Alejandra . Perez . Nate . 2025-02-07 . EPA employees who work on environmental justice are put on leave . 2025-12-04 . WJCT News 89.9 . Jacksonville, FL.
  209. Web site: 2023-12-05 . These Fossil Fuel Industry Tactics Are Fueling Democratic Backsliding . 2025-12-04 . Center for American Progress . Washington, D.C..
  210. http://www.foreffectivegov.org/access-to-information-scorecard-2015/ Making the Grade: Access to Information Scorecard 2015
  211. Web site: History and Location . 2023-01-07 . Pebble Project . Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. . Vancouver, BC . January 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230106152716/https://northerndynastyminerals.com/pebble-project/history-and-location/ . live .
  212. Bristol Bay Assessment - Final Report . 2014 . EPA . EPA 910-R-14-001ES . January 6, 2023 . January 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230106152713/https://www.epa.gov/bristolbay/bristol-bay-assessment-final-report-2014 . dead .
  213. Web site: About Bristol Bay . 2022-09-08 . EPA . January 6, 2023 . January 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230106152714/https://www.epa.gov/bristolbay/about-bristol-bay . live .
  214. Web site: Proposed Determination of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Pursuant to Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act Pebble Deposit Area, Southwest Alaska . EPA . Seattle, WA . 25 November 2014 . 14 . July 2014 . July 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210714145552/https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-07/documents/pebble_es_pd_071714_final.pdf . live .
  215. Web site: EPA Continues to Deny Pebble Due Process . Alaska Business Monthly . Alaska Business . Anchorage, AK . 2014-07-18 . 2014-07-28 . January 28, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180128225323/http://www.akbizmag.com/Alaska-Business-Monthly/July-2014/EPA-Continues-to-Deny-Pebble-Due-Process/ . live .
  216. Web site: 2022-12-22 . Bristol Bay . EPA . Seattle, WA . January 6, 2023 . January 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230106152715/https://www.epa.gov/bristolbay . live .
  217. Web site: EPA Blocks Pebble Mine with Rare Veto. What Happens Next? . January 31, 2023 . April 10, 2023 . April 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230410173241/https://www.nrdc.org/bio/joel-reynolds/epa-blocks-pebble-mine-rare-veto-what-happens-next#:~:text=On%20January%2030%2C%202023%2C%20after,of%20stakeholders%20in%20the%20region . live .
  218. Web site: 2023-03-21. EPA administrator, Ohio Gov. DeWine visit East Palestine residents' homes, sip tap water. ABC news. April 4, 2023. April 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230404214310/https://abcnews.go.com/US/epa-administrator-ohio-gov-dewine-visit-east-palestine/story?id=97362950. live.
  219. Web site: 2023-03-20 . East Palestine, Ohio, residents concerned about water, air despite assurances both are safe . wbur . April 4, 2023 . April 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404214311/https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2023/02/20/east-palestine-ohio-air-water . live .
  220. Web site: 2023-03-23 . NAACP Issues Immediate Demands in Response to East Palestine Environmental Crisis . 2025-12-04 . NAACP . en. https://web.archive.org/web/20230323165521/https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-issues-immediate-demands-response-east-palestine-environmental-crisis. 23 March 2023. Conner. Abre'.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "United States Environmental Protection Agency".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2026, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.