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Environmental Protection AgencyThe Environmental Protection Agency is the federal agency responsible for protecting human health and the environment through science-based regulations and enforcement. Established in 1970 amid growing public concern over pollution and a series of human-made environmental disasters, the EPA has since played a central role in dramatically reducing air, water, and land pollution across the United States.
The agency enforces major laws passed by Congress—most notably the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act—and establishes standards, such as those for fuel emissions, to limit pollution, safeguard natural resources, and hold industries accountable for environmental harm. It operates through 10 regional offices and employs roughly 12,000 people nationwide who work with state and tribal governments to carry out day-to-day enforcement.
Once a source of broad bipartisan support, the EPA's work has become increasingly politicized in recent decades. Recent Supreme Court rulings, significant budget cuts, and restructuring have reduced the agency's enforcement authority and narrowed its regulatory scope.Explore Environmental Protection Agency
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Determine your carbon footprint with this web toolThis tool from the Environmental Protection Agency calculates a user's carbon footprint based on their zip code, household size, and emission factors involving home energy, transportation, and water production. EPARevelations that apples were sprayed with the chemical Alar led to its ban in the 1980sAlmost three decades after Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” a “60 Minutes” segment on the use of Alar, a chemical sprayed on apples, drew national attention and inspired supermarkets and schools to remove apples from their shelves and cafeterias. That same year, the Environmental Protection Agency took action against the use of the chemical in food. Organic RisingRachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' exposed the harmful effects of pesticides on foodThe 1962 book warned against the use of DDT, a pesticide often sprayed over fields of crops, cautioning that it could be harmful if ingested in excessive amounts by humans. Some credit Carson’s book with inspiring the modern environmental movement and with encouraging the US to establish the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and ban the domestic sale of DDT in 1972. (Some readers may experience a paywall.) The New York TimesThe Clean Water Act became the national standard for protecting American watersEnacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act grants the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate pollutant discharges, establish water quality standards, and oversee water pollution controls. Its scope has narrowed due to recent Supreme Court rulings. RiverNetworkClimate change skepticism and business interests politicized environmental protectionThe EPA was created under a Republican administration with bipartisan support in response to overwhelming public demand during a time of visible pollution and environmental crises. Beginning with President Reagan, the agency was recast as burdensome, and environmental regulations have been gradually rolled back. On The MediaThe environmental crises of the late 1960s led to the founding of the EPADisasters such as the Cuyahoga River fire and the Santa Barbara oil spill prompted Congress and President Nixon to establish the Environmental Protection Agency in December 1970, with the goal of unifying federal efforts to control pollution. ABC News (Australia)The EPA budget was 0.2% of total federal spending in 2024The EPA spent $13.7B in 2024, making it 23rd among federal agencies in total expenditures. Of that money, more than half was distributed to state environmental agencies for sustainability and environmental protection programs. USAFactsThe 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill galvanized the modern environmental movementIn January 1969, an oil platform off the coast of Santa Barbara ruptured, releasing roughly 3 million gallons of crude into the Pacific. The spill killed over 10,000 seabirds, dolphins, and seals, coating 35 miles of coastline. NPRCritical mineral production may lift impoverished regions out of povertyMineral wealth can provide public revenue and economic livelihoods to those in mining regions. However, poor management and lack of oversight can cause human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and significant greenhouse gas emissions. International Energy AgencyLearn how humans can protect coral reefsWhen diving and snorkeling in environments containing reefs, avoid touching reefs, anchoring on them, or using sunscreen with active ingredients harmful to marine life. Properly recycling and disposing of trash in bins helps reduce microplastics and chemicals that can run off into wastewater and into the oceans. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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