Knowra United States Environmental Protection Agency United States Environmental Protection Agency The United States Environmental Protection Agency is a federal agency that protects human health and the environment by administering environmental laws and setting pollution standards.
Clean Air Act : A United States federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. The EPA sets and enforces many of the national air pollution limits required by this law.
United States environmental movement : A broad social and political movement seeking to protect ecosystems, public health, and natural resources in the United States. Public concern and activism helped make a federal environmental agency politically possible.
William Ruckelshaus : The first administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, serving from 1970 to 1973. As the agency's founding administrator, he established early approaches to regulation and enforcement.
Safe Drinking Water Act : A United States federal law authorizing standards and oversight for public drinking-water systems. The EPA sets national drinking-water standards and oversees implementation of this law.
State environmental agencies : Government bodies that administer environmental programs within individual United States states. States often implement federal standards under EPA oversight, while retaining distinct local responsibilities.
Clean Water Act : A United States federal law regulating pollutant discharges into navigable waters and establishing water-quality programs. The EPA administers discharge-permit and water-quality programs under this law.
Rachel Carson : An American marine biologist and author whose book Silent Spring exposed environmental harms associated with pesticides. Her work helped intensify public scrutiny of pesticide risks before the EPA was formed.
Carol Browner : An American environmental official who served as EPA administrator from 1993 to 2001. Her tenure included major policy debates over air pollution, climate, and chemical regulation.
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act : A United States federal law regulating the registration, distribution, sale, and use of pesticides. The EPA registers pesticides and evaluates their risks under this statute.
Environmental advocacy : Organized efforts to influence policy and public behavior to protect the environment. Advocacy groups press for environmental protections but do not exercise the EPA's regulatory authority.
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