1. Introduction to the Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Training Institute (ETI)
Introduction to the Environmental Protection Agency
EPA/State Agencies and Regulations

2. Lesson Objectives
Discuss the purpose of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Review regulatory areas and authorities of the EPA
Identify the sources of environmental aspects and impacts

3. The Environmental Protection Agency
December 1970
Mission Statement: The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.
Issue Grants
Study Environmental Issues
Sponsor Partnerships
Education
Publish
Develop and Enforce Regulations
We will begin the lesson by discussing the EPA or the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA was established in December The EPA has a mission statement which states the purpose of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. To accomplish this mission the EPA performs the following actions:
Issue Grants: The EPA issues grants to research specific issues as well as to provide education to the community.
Study Environmental Issues: The EPA is involved with studying specific environmental issues to identify impacts and vulnerabilities.
Sponsor Partnerships: The EPA works with communities and tribal nations to identify environmental challenges.
Education: The EPA provides free videos and webinars on specific environmental issues.
Publish: On the EPA website there is a ton of free information and documents that can be downloaded.
Develop and Enforce Regulations: The EPA promulgates regulations as well as enforces them. These regulations are published in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

4. EPA 12 Offices 10 Regions Laws Land Air Water Health/Chemical
HANDOUT – EPA Organizational Structure
The EPA has 12 Offices in their organization structure. These offices are:
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Office of General Counsel
Office of International and Tribal Affairs
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Office of Environmental Information
Office of Inspector General
Office Research and Development
Office of Water
Office of Administration and Resources Management
Office of Air and Radiation
Across the US, there are regional offices for the EPA. There are 10 EPA regional offices. We are in Region 6 which consists of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
The EPA has basically four program areas which are Land, Air, Water and Health/Chemical.

5. EPA Website
Here is an image of the EPA website. If you click on the words “Learn the Issues”, a drop down menu will appear showing the program areas of air, water, land and chemical/health as well as others. The Land section primarily refers to waste issues. There are other areas noted in the drop down menu which includes: safety and health issues in the community and climate change information published by the EPA.

6. EPA Website
From this drop down menu, more information can be obtained.
By clicking the Air option, you will be taken to the EPA’s page on Air on the website. Click on the link and show/discuss the headline on the air page.
By clicking the Water option, you will be taken to the EPA’s page on Water on the website. Click on the link and show/discuss the headline on the water page.
By clicking the Waste option, you will be taken to the EPA’s page on Waste on the website. Click on the link and show/discuss the headline on the waste page.
By clicking the Health/Chemical option, you will be taken to the EPA’s page on Health/Chemical on the website. Click on the link and show/discuss the headline on the health/chemical page.
Links from the following images:
Air -
Water -
Waste -
Pesticides, Chemicals and Toxics -

7. Environmental Laws Clean Water Act Clean Air Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
Endangered Species Act
Toxic Substances Control Act
Oil Pollution Act
From the specific EPA program area webpage, these environmental laws and their related regulations are presented.
Although there are other environmental laws as well as executive orders that provide the rules for the environment, during this class we will review these acts which are presented at the EPA website by Air, Water, Land and Chemical as follows: (refer to the next four slides)

8. Environmental Laws Clean Water Act Clean Air Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
Endangered Species Act
Toxic Substances Control Act
Oil Pollution Act
Air:
Clean Air Act

9. Environmental Laws Clean Water Act Clean Air Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
Endangered Species Act
Toxic Substances Control Act
Oil Pollution Act
Water:
Clean Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Oil Pollution Act

10. Environmental Laws Clean Water Act Clean Air Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
Endangered Species Act
Toxic Substances Control Act
Oil Pollution Act
Land:
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

11. Environmental Laws Clean Water Act Clean Air Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
Endangered Species Act
Toxic Substances Control Act
Oil Pollution Act
Chemical/Health:
Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act
Endangered Species Act
Toxic Substances Control Act
The environmental laws are published in the United States Code and describe the “what” is needed to protect the environment. These are things like the purpose of the law and resources.

12. Environmental Regulations
Safe Drinking Water Act
40 Code of Regulations
Although it is good to know the what of the law, there is also the “how”. This is how the regulation is to be implemented. The Code of Federal Regulations describes how the law is to be implemented in the workplace. For example, the Code of Federal Regulations describes how air monitoring is to be performed and how training is to be conducted.
On this slide, there is a reference to the safe drinking water act which describe what is needed to protect drinking water in America. Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations or CFR describes how the act is to be implemented in communities across the US.
The link provided is to the section of the regulations that describes the contents of a Consumer Confidence Report. Has anyone ever received a water quality report from the company that provides water to your home? This is a consumer confidence report used to report, annually, the quality of your water supply. This section of the CFR (40 CFR ) describes the information to be kept in the report.

13. Lesson Objectives
Discussed the purpose of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reviewed regulatory areas and authorities of the EPA
Identified the sources of environmental aspects and impacts
Ask:
What is the purpose of the EPA? The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.
What is the EPA regional area for this state?
Where are regulations (or the how) published for the EPA? 40 CFR
What are the sources of environmental aspects and impacts? The things we do and produce as well as the activities performed.