IN 1970, PRESIDENT Richard Nixon established the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of an executive reorganization plan. William Ruck-elshaus served as the first administrator, which is the title of the head of the EPA. The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. Because global warming and climate change can have effects on both human health and the environment, they are encompassed as part of EPA’s mission.
Structure and mission
The vigor in which EPA pursues climate change research and policy recommendations is usually dependent upon how sympathetic the presidential administration is to such policies. In 2005, the EPA faced some criticism after a former oil lobbyist influenced reports about climate change. Since then, the agency has taken a closer look at the potential effects of global warming. More recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered EPA to become even further involved in global climate change remediation by regulating carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. In Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, 12 states and U.S. cities brought suit against the EPA. The U.S. Supreme Court handed down the five to four decision in April 2007.
The EPA is organized into different program and regional offices across the United States, as well as several laboratories. The EPA is charged with several tasks. First, it develops and enforces regulations. Next, the EPA offers financial assistance in the form of research and community grants. Environmental and risk management research is also performed at some of the EPA’s laboratories. The EPA also sponsors and facilitates partnerships with a variety of governmental and nongovernmental organizations and businesses. The different divisions engage in environmental education and outreach, as well. Finally, the EPA creates many of publications that are used by multiple stakeholders, businesses, and educational institutions.
The EPA’s headquarters are located in Washington, D.C. There are 10 regional offices throughout the Unites States and 12 EPA laboratories. Native American tribes work with the EPA region that includes the state that their reservation borders. In some instances, tribes are delegated specific authority to implement EPA programs on their lands. In other instances, tribes work with the EPA to enforce regulations and alter guidelines. The EPA employs over 17,000 scientists, lawyers, policy analysts, and engineers. Many employees hold post-baccalaureate degrees. The EPA is not considered a cabinet-level agency, however, most presidents appoint the administrator to their cabinet. Usually, when choosing an EPA administrator, a public servant is sought, who is not necessarily a scientist.
Regulation and financial assistance
The EPA works to achieve positive results in several program areas. The first of these is to develop and enforce regulations that protect human health and the environment. Congress promulgates laws to limit environmental degradation and maintain human health. The EPA is charged with the task of creating regulations to fill in the specific requirements of the legislation. The EPA’s employees conduct research and then set national standards and requirements. At times, the EPA delegates authority to states and tribes for monitoring and compliance. If necessary, the EPA can assist states and tribes in ensuring that specific environmental quality standards are met, or revoke enforcement authority all together.
Next, the EPA offers financial assistance to many stakeholders. Most money is provided directly to states as grants to assist them in administering delegated enforcement requirements and state environmental programs. The EPA also provides many research and fellowship grants for graduate and undergraduate students. These include funding for research, community involvement, small business initiatives, internships, and tribal collaboration programs. The EPA offers several well-known fellowships, such as the National Network for Environmental Management Studies Fellowships, Science to Achieve Results (STAR) fellowships, Public Health fellowships, and American Association for the Advancement of Science fellowships. Each of these opportunities allows graduate students to fund their education, as well as participate in training programs, and conduct innovative research, often incorporating some aspect related to climate change.
Environmental research
The EPA is considered a leader in confronting environmental problems and advancing risk assessment technologies and decision-making mechanisms. The EPA labs throughout the United States conduct basic scientific and groundbreaking research on current environmental issues. Together, with collaborations from business, academia, and industry, the EPA evaluates the environmental conditions of the United States and identifies, recognizes, and resolves present and future environmental problems.
The EPA has several offices and programs devoted to accomplishing the goals of environmental research. One is housed within the Office of Research and Development (ORD). This office focuses on producing basic peer-reviewed environmental research and engendering cost-effective new technologies. To further this goal, the office awards research grants and fellowships to universities. Another research program is designed to monitor and assess the nation’s biological resources. The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) tracks the current status of U.S. ecological conditions, and predicts future trends and risks associated with natural resources.
The Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study is another EPA project. From 1994 to 1999 the Great Lakes National Programs Office undertook this research effort. The goal of this project was to better understand the types and amounts of toxic substances in Lake Michigan, as well as how to manage the associated risks. Another research program administered by the EPA is the Microbiology Home Page. This is a comprehensive information clearinghouse that provides detailed information about methods relating to a variety of microorganisms. The website is maintained by Human Exposure Division of the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL).
The EPA sponsors the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA). This center is a general information resource about the overall process of human health and ecological risk assessments. Also, the center works to integrate dose-response, hazard, and exposure data into accepted risk characterization models. The National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE) explores the different relationships among the economy, environment, human health, and pollution control mechanisms. The NCEE also communicates and resolves multidisciplinary issues relating to the environment and economics.
Another research program managed by EPA is the National Center for Environmental Research (NCER). This organization mostly supports extraneous research through grants and fellowships. It is part of the ORD and oversees the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) funding program for universities. Next, the National Environmental Scientific Computing Center (NESC2) administers EPA’s first supercomputing center. This provides High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) that allow EPA to undertake global-scale modeling and research, better science to create improved regulations, and educational environmental and computer science programs. This program is part of the Environmental Modeling and Visualization Laboratory. The final research program administered by EPA is the Office of Science and Technology (OST), Office of Water. The OST is charged with developing standards under the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. This office also issues guidelines and advisories in conjunction with other water-related laws.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also administers several research offices across the United States. These include the following: National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory (NAREL), Montgomery, Alabama; National Enforcement Investigations Center Laboratory, Denver, Colorado; National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL), various locations; National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), various locations; National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), various locations; National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL), Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Radiation and Indoor Environments National Laboratory, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Partnerships and programs
Another significant area of programming for the EPA is the sponsorship of voluntary partnerships and programs. The regional offices and headquarters of the EPA work with over 10,000 businesses, nonprofit organizations, local governments, and industries on voluntary programs. These groups engage in approximately 40 different programs promoting energy conservation and efficiency, as well as pollution prevention and education. Partners undertake projects in many areas including finding ways to conserve water, reducing greenhouse gases and toxic emissions, recycling solid wastes, mitigating indoor air pollution problems, and better understanding pesticide risks.
In addition to voluntary programs, the EPA promotes several other partnerships, such as stewardship programs, information exchange partnerships, and general partnerships. For instance, the environmental stewardship program provides resources for industry, governments, and other agencies to promote sustainable actions and environmental protection. The Information Exchange Partnership is an internet-based exchange of standards-focused secure data. This resource ensures integrated information, real-time access, and the ability to electronically collect and store accurate information. The Information Exchange Partnership also includes the Central Data Exchange. This allows the EPA and contacted program offices to receive environmental data submissions from state and local governments, tribes, industry, and other collaborative partners. The Central Data Exchange provides a means for fast and efficient communication between stakeholders and the EPA.
The EPA also participates in several other collaborative initiatives. For example, Binational.net is a program in which the EPA and Environment Canada work to preserve the Great Lakes. This program fulfills the requirements set forth in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The EPA and U.S. laboratories have also formed a voluntary partnership dedicated to improving the performance, environmental sustainability, and energy efficiency of nationwide laboratories. This is called Labs for the 21st Century. A final collaborative program of note is the Office of Pollution and Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) and Tribal Environmental Network. The EPA established this program to better facilitate communication with tribes and to assist Native American tribes with the protection of the environment.
Promoting environmental education is another area of EPA programming. It is the goal of this agency to promote environmental consciousness and respect by inspiring individual responsibility for caring for the environment. To accomplish this, the EPA provides a variety of resources to educators, students, and interested citizens. The Office of Environmental Education promotes grants, fellowships, educator training programs, and the President’s Environmental Youth Awards.
The final program goal of the EPA is to publish and disseminate information. This is one way that EPA keeps the public abreast of current activities and the status of environmental regulations. The E-Govern-ment Act of 2002 requires that federal agencies keep an up-to-date inventory of information to be published on their websites, to establish and convey a publications schedule, and to allow public comment on those schedules. The EPA maintains this on their website and makes an effort to distribute publications as soon as printed.
