The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a federal government agency of the United States. The EPA was created with the purpose to ensure health and environmental protection is provided to people. The agency accomplishes their function by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The agencies objective consists of the following tasks: environmental education; pollution prevention; regulatory development; research, science, and technology; and risk assessment and risk reduction. The EPA’s judicial process focuses on the enforcement of environmental laws and they ensure environmental requirements are in compliance. If the EPA finds it necessary they are to take action against violators of environmental laws, either in a civil or a criminal action. One of the EPA’s main concerns is the protection of communities that are affected by pollution. The agency has been consolidating environmental justice in identifying cases that need to be pursued and developing resolutions that benefit overwhelmed communities. …show more content…
A civil liability is uncompromising. Liability surfaces through the existence of the violation without any concern to what the offender was conscious about the law or regulation that was violated. For an offender to be found liable under a civil suit the standard of proof must be based upon the preponderance of evidence. Within the civil suit the defendant can be found liable following a trial or when both parties reach an agreement with the government. If the violator is found liable or agreement has been reached the retribution process may include the possibility of a monetary fine or they are required to correct the infraction. Although, the agreed terms must be met in completion by the defendant, they do not have to recognize that the law had been
It seems as if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been avoiding encounters with people who are fighting for environmental justice. However, there may be an underlying reason why the EPA is not putting effort into these environmental problems. Over the years, the EPA has experienced budget cuts, this has resulted in the loss of jobs and programs. When money is not readily available, the amount of money that is available is usually conserved and only used when necessary. It does not look as if they are the reason why majority of the issues are not be taken care of. Based on my understanding of the article, it seems as if the EPA is working at the will of the government. The people working in the agency are responsible for doing their
cruising through those small towns with souvenirs shops to each side, seafood restaurants mixed in and public access trails to the beaches spotted along the route you will notice that the buildings directly on the beach are on stilts.
Two major laws that are regulated by the EPA are the Clear Air Act and the Clean Water Act. These laws, passed by Congress, give the EPA the authority to write regulations. The Clean Air Act regulates emissions of hazardous substances into the air. The set the air emissions standards in which businesses must abide by or face penalties. The Clean Water Act restricts the release of pollutants into water. The goal of both of these laws is to protect the public and provide clean drinking water and sustainable habitats for marine life. The EPA also regulates many other environmental health concerns. They regulate hazardous substances such as asbestos, lead, and mold. They also have a large role in tackling major environment
The environmental protection agency has been stepping up its mandate of ensuring safer and better environment for not only the business operators, buts also the society as a whole. In order to achieve this goal of environmental protection, there has been the creation of environmental protection agency that has ensured that all the businesses, irrespective of their size and type, strive to ensure that the environment is protected for the benefit of current and future generations.
The Clean Air Act was the first major environmental law in the United States to include a provision for citizen suits. Numerous state and local governments have enacted similar legislation, either implementing federal programs or filling in locally important gaps in federal
Pezzullo investigates in this article the strategies of environmental justice advocates in Warren County, North Carolina. The rhetorical efforts shown by these advocates vigorously urged the state of North Carolina to clean up a local toxic landfill caused by a truck illegally dumping oil contaminated with PCBs in the middle of the night.
against an EPA compliance order until the case was brought to the US district court first, then
The major responsibilities of the EPA allow the government to maintain a healthier environment when instituting new laws and regulations. In order to be knowledgeable on what the EPA's responsibilities are, there must be an understanding of what exactly the EPA participates in. "The agency consolidates federal research, monitoring and enforcement activities... [and their] mission is to protect human health by safeguarding the air we breathe, water we drink and land on which we live," (EPA, 2017). In other words, the EPA's main responsibility is to guard all aspects of human life by the protection of the environment; they enforce regulations that improve the
The EPA is the agency responsible for setting all of the regulations and rules for drinking water. These regulations apply to individuals, businesses, state and local governments, non-profit institutions etc. Congress passes laws to govern the U.S but they have authorized the EPA and other federal agencies to help them put the laws into effect and to make sure they are as effective as possible. The first two steps in this process consists of Congress writing and the president approving a bill. Then the act must be “codified” by applying it to the United States Code. The United States Code is basically a list of permanent laws for the U.S. As soon as the law has been made official, agencies like the EPA begin to create regulations for the specific law to make it apply to individuals, businesses, and local governments; all of this to make the law work for everyone every day. The regulations set standards for each aspect of daily life that go along with the law. For example, the EPA will come up with specific levels of sulfur dioxide that is allowed in our air to coincide with the Clean Air Act to protect human health and the environment. The regulations in this example would tell industries and businesses exactly how much sulfur dioxide they can emit into the air
Environmental justice is “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies” (epa.gov). An equal playing field is just what society needs, and this goes hand in hand with one of Carrie Chapman Catt’s greatest achievements: the nineteenth amendment. The nineteenth amendment “granted women the right to vote” (history.com), which is just one aspect of environmental
Did you know EPA has a federal criminal Investigation division with a 90% conviction rate? (About EPA). Surprisingly not that many people know what EPA stands for or what they do. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Also known as the EPA was established in July 1970 by congress in response of the growing demand by the public for cleaner water, air, and land. By
In the 1970’s there was growing confusion regarding environmental policy due to certain states creating environmental protection laws which were largely ineffective. To ease confusion, fix national guidelines, and monitor and enforce them President Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA functions under three federal departments: the Interior, Agriculture, and Health, Education and Welfare departments. The original role of the EPA was to administrate the Clean Air Act which was enacted to reduce the air pollution caused by vehicles and industry. The EPA has since grown to enforce at least 12 major statutes such as: ocean dumping laws, safe drinking water, insecticides, and asbestos hazards in
For years, the government has been regulating citizens and subsidizing companies that they like. Each time they restrict or support a company, they hurt the free market, which then hurts the economy and like a Rube Goldberg machine the entire country is affected. The most common and harmful regulations are those set by the environmental protection agency (EPA). The EPA tries to stop natural selection and save animals through human intervention. Nearly all of the regulations have an effect on how everyone goes about their day. For example, in California the EPA saved a small fish with a minuscule population by pumping 71 billion gallons of fresh water into the ocean, this started one of the biggest droughts in California ever. The EPA
Those who get a job with the EPA will protect public health and the environment. There are many different offices within the EPA, such as the Offices of Air, Water and Enforcement and Compliance. Over half of EPA employees are highly educated professionals such as engineers, scientists and policy analysts. In order to get hired by the EPA, job candidates will need strong academic credentials, leadership skills and commitment to the community.
The environment and the health of the surrounding population go hand in hand. The Environmental Protection Agency takes on this ever so important mission of protecting them both. The mission statement of the EPA states, “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Small Business Programs is to support the protection of human health and the environment by advocating and advancing the business, regulatory, and environmental compliance concerns of small and socio-economically disadvantaged businesses, and minority academic institutions (US Enviromental Protection Agency, 2010).” The impact of its mission can be defined clearly as it examines the impact of contamination in the air, the water, and the land on human health.