What is the Environmental Protection Agency?
The Environmental Protection Agency is a federal government agency committed to protecting and and preserving the American environment and the impact it has on human health. The EPA writes and enforces regulations directed for the better impact of the environment based upon laws passed by Congress. The EPA establishes environmental cleanup programs, and pollution standards with acts such as the Clean Air Act, which improves and protects the United States stratospheric ozone layer and air quality. The agency also supports voluntary pollution reduction, conducts and funds research in relation to the environment. The EPA also provides public educations programs to spread knowledge about issues such as environmental contamination, waste dumping, and airborne pollutants.
The goal of the EPA is to reduce the amount of pollution and establish better waste practices to preserve a safe environment for the future. The EPA keeps record of pollutants and the effects on the environment and human health. To determine this, the agency test the soil, air, and water of a site to figure out which pollutants are present and how much is acceptable. Then, a plan is designed to either maintain or cleanup the site.
The EPA was proposed and founded under President Richard Nixon in 1970. The agency began on December 3, 1970 and to date, as approximately 18,000 full time employees.