Environmental Protection Agency

History

flowers In July of 1970, the White House and Congress worked together to establish the Environmental Protection Agency in response to the growing public demand for cleaner water, air and land. Prior to the establishment of the EPA, the federal government was not structured to make a coordinated attack on the pollutants that harm the human health and degrade the environment. The EPA was assigned the daunting task of repairing the damage already done to the natural environment and to establish new criteria to guide Americans in making a cleaner environment a reality.

Mission

The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, the EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.

What They Do

The EPA employs 17,000 people across the country, including at its headquarters offices in Washington, DC, 10 regional offices and more than a dozen labs. They are charged with:

Developing and enforcing regulations
Offering financial assistance
Performing environmental research
Sponsoring voluntary partnerships and programs
Furthering environmental education
Publishing information

For additional information about the EPA, please visit their website at www.epa.gov.