&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Public Awareness (A-107)
Washington DC 20460
December 1980
OPA 138/0
Your Guide to the
Environmental Protection
Agency
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Contents
History and Organization of the
Environmental Protection Agency 2
EPA's Regional Offices: Windows to State
and Local Government 4
Public Participation and Consumer Affairs 4
Water Quality 5
Drinking Water 7
Waste 8
Pesticides 9
Toxic Substances 10
Air Quality 12
Noise 14
Radiation IS
Enforcement 16
Research and Development 17
Planning and Management 18
Appendix I: EPA Regional Offices and
Laboratories 20
Appendix II: Other Information Sources 21
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Preface
Our environment has been degraded, and
our health threatened, by a multitude of
human activities initiated without regard
to long-range effects upon the
lifesupporting properties, the economic
uses, and the recreational value of air,
land, and water. Recognizing this.
Congress has enacted a number of laws
to protect life and the environment. These
laws have led to significant improvements
in the environment in many parts of the
country. Nevertheless, the cleanup task
remaining is still great, as is the need for
constant vigilance against new
environmental assaults.
The United States Environmental Protec-
tion Agency (EPA) is responsible for execut-
ing Federal laws aimed at protecting the
environment. EPA was formed in 1970 to
consolidate in one agency much of the
Federal authority and expertise in control-
ling pollution and dealing with other threats
to life and the environment. Its activities
affect a wide range of human experience,
just as the water, air, and land it protects
enter into nearly every aspect of our lives.
The purpose of this booklet is to describe
the activities of EPA, and the laws it imple-
ments, in terms of the major environ-
mental problems that confront our country.
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History and Organization
EPA was created through an executive
reorganization plan designed to consoli-
date a number of Federal environmental
activities into a single agency. The plan
(Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970) was
sent by the President to Congress on July 9,
1970, and EPA was formally established as
an independent agency in the Executive
Branch on December 2,1970.
EPA was formed by putting together 15
components from five Executive depart-
ments and independent agencies. Air pol-
lution control, solid waste management,
radiation, and the drinking water program
were transferred from the Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare (now the
Department of Health and Human
Services). The Federal water pollution
control program was taken from the
Department of Interior. EPA acquired from
the Department of Agriculture authority to
register pesticides and to regulate their
use, and from the Food and Drug Admini-
stration responsibility to set tolerance
levels for pesticides in food. It also assumed
part of a pesticide research program in the
Department of Interior. EPA was assigned
some responsibility for setting environ-
mental radiation protection standards from
the old Atomic Energy Commission. It also
absorbed the duties of the Federal
Radiation Council.
The enactment of major new
environmental laws and important amend-
ments to older laws in the 1970's greatly
expanded the responsibilities of EPA. The
Agency now administers eight
comprehensive environmental protection
programs under the major environmental
laws now in force.
The chart on the facing page shows the
organizational structure of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. The operations
of EPA are under the overall direction of an
Administrator and Deputy Administrator,
shown at the top of the chart. They are
appointed to their posts by the President of
the United States, with the advice and
consent of the U.S. Senate.
Six major program offices implement and
enforce environmental laws, perform
environmental research and development,
and manage the Agency. Each of these
offices is directed by an Assistant
Administrator, appointed by the President,
with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Eleven staff offices undertake agency-
wide functions under the direction of the
Administrator and the Deputy Administra-
tor:
• Inspector General conducts and
supervises audits and acts to prevent and
detect fraud and abuse in Agency pro-
grams and operations.
• Small and Disadvantaged Business
promotes participation of small, minor-
ity—and woman-owned enterprises in
Agency contracting and grant activities.
• Environmental Review assesses the
compliance of other Federal departments
and agencies with the laws EPA
administers. The major assessment tool is
the Environmental Impact Statement,
which must be prepared for any Federal
activity significantly affecting environ-
mental quality;
• Legislation is responsible for helping the
Administrator keep Congress informed of
the Agency's activities, and for other
matters pertaining to the legislative
process;
• Public Awareness is responsible for
coordinating the public information, educa-
tion, consumer affairs, and public partici-
pation operations of the Agency;
• Press Relations is responsible for dis-
seminating news and responding to media
inquiries;
• International Activities is concerned
with international environmental issues
relating to the Agency's responsibilities;
• Administrative Law Judges conduct
hearings and make recommendations to
the Administrator on a variety of issues,
such as civil penalties for violations of
regulations, pesticide cancellations or
restrictions, and water pollution discharge
permits;
• Civil Rights reviews the activities of the
Agency and its contractors for compliance
with laws that protect equal opportunity and
equal rights;
• General Counsel is the chief legal
advisor to the Administrator;
• Regional and Intergovernmental
Relations handles liaison between the
Agency and regional. State, and local
officials.
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United States Environmental Protection Agency Organization
Administrator
Deputy Administrator
Asst. Administrator for Air, Noise,
and Radiation
Asst. Administrator for Planning
and Management
Asst. Administrator for Enforcement
Asst. Administrator for Research
and Development
Asst. Administrator for Pesticides
and Toxic Substances
Asst. Administrator for Water
and Waste Management
Office of Inspector General
Office of Administrative Judges
Off ice of Civil Rights
Office of Environmental Review
Office of General Counsel
Office of Intergovernmental
Relations
Office of International Activities
Off ice of Legislation
Office of Public Awareness
Office of Press Services
Office of Regional Liaison
Office of Small and
Disadvantaged Business
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Regional Offices
Most pollution affecting the health and
environment of our citizens is generated
near their homes, by local factories and
shops and nearby motor vehicles. Local
conditions, such as wind currents and river
volume, frequently determine the severity
of pollution. For decades, as some
environmental problems became acute.
State and local governments sporadically
took steps to deal with them. But many of
the more serious problems were regional in
nature requiring coordinated cooperative
effort on the part of two or more States and
dozens of local jurisdictions. Industries,
often fearful that their competitors in other
parts of the country would be given an
unfair advantage, resisted local and State
control efforts and sometimes threatened
to depart for more lenient regulatory
climes. Municipalities did not feel they
should have to finance proper sewage
treatment facilities to protect neighboring
jurisdictions downstream. Moreover, many
industries, for various technical and
economic reasons, could comply more
readily with uniform national standards
than with varying local and State
standards.
To deal with a number of pollution
problems, therefore, standards must be set
on a nationwide basis. Yet, only State and
local governments can deal with the
thousands of individual pollution sources
and with the special problems different
regions pose. Much of the authority and
responsibility for meeting national
standards has therefore been placed in the
hands of State and local governments, with
substantial technical and financial assis-
tance from the Federal government. More
than 70 percent of the funds appropriated
for EPA are expended through State and
local agencies.
A large proportion of EPA's staff is
located in regional offices, which are near
enough to the State and local governments
with which they deal to maintain close
contact and cooperation. Of EPA's
approximately 15,400 employees, more
than a third work in the 10 regional offices.
An important part of their job is to ensure
that Federal environmental laws are
properly implemented and funds properly
spent.
Appendix I lists the locations of the EPA
regional offices.
Public Participation
and Consumer Affairs
The activities of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency affect an enormous range of
human activity—work and recreation,
health and productivity, economic develop-
ment and resource use. If EPA is to perform
its job effectively, the Agency must know
what the impact of its decisions will be
upon our society. In addition, citizens must
be given every opportunity to influence and
participate in decisions which may affect
their lives in important ways.
Laws governing some EPA programs, and
Executive Orders on Public and Consumer
Participation in Federal decison-making,
require EPA to conduct public participation
and consumer affairs programs. EPA's
policies to carry out the Congressional and
Presidential mandates for citizen involve-
ment are spelled out in Agency regulations.
EPA informs the public about the laws it
is implementing and any significant
decisions it is considering in connection
with the implementation of those laws. This
is accomplished though multiple channels,
including notices in the Federal Register,
use of mass media. Agency publications
and mailings to lists of individuals and
organizations that have indicated an
interest in various topics.
EPA involves the public through
numerous hearings, meetings, workshops,
and similar activities. Through these, the
Agency receives from the public comments,
objections, and recommendations concern-
ing its activities, policies and regulations.
This public response is an integral part of
the decision-making process. When regula-
tions are expected to have an unusually
heavy impact on some group or another,
such as farmers or workers, EPA will make
a special effort to inform members of that
group of its proposed regulations, and invite
comment from them.
The public information program of EPA is
under the guidance of the Office of Public
Awareness. The Administrator's Special
Assistant for Public Participation
coordinates activities to encourage citizen
involvement. The Consumer Affairs
program is coordinated by the Office of
Public Awareness under the direction of
the Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs.
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Water Quality
Water pollution is a serious threat to life,
health, and the Nation's productivity.
Oceans, rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries,
underground aquifers, and wetlands are
essential, in one way or another, to all
forms of life, and play a central role in much
of our economic activity and recreation.
Water forms more than 60 percent of the
human body and enters into virtually every
manufacturing and agricultural process.
These functions have been seriously
threatened by the long standing use of
natural bodies of water as dumping places
for human and industrial waste, by the
destruction of major parts of water
systems, such as wetlands, and by poor
land management practices that choke
waters with sediment and poison them
with toxic pollutants.
Water pollution comes from two major
origins, point sources and nonpoint
sources. Point sources are those which dis-
charge pollutants from a well-defined
place, such as the outfall pipes of sewage
treatment plants and factories. Nonpoint
sources on the other hand, cannot be
located with such precision. Runoff from
city streets, from construction sites, and
from farms and mines are examples of
nonpoint sources. Both sources contribute
heavily to the pollution of our nation's
waters.
Water is polluted by many different kinds
of substances. Some, such as sewage from
households, are introduced into the water
in very large amounts, overloading the
natural capacity of streams, rivers, and
lakes to absorb such pollutants and cleanse
themselves. Other pollutants, toxic
substances, can cause serious, long-term
damage to our waters in very small
amounts. Kepone, a toxic ingredient of
some pesticides, was dumped from a small
plant in Virginia, all but destroying the
water quality of the James River and
closing down commercial fisheries along
the river. Because this toxic substance has
become mixed with the bottom sediments
of the river, the damage may be permanent.
The first federal legislation to protect our
waters from pollution was the Rivers and
Harbors Act of 1899. Congress enacted
stronger water pollution control legislation
in 1948, 1956, 1965. 1966, and 1970.
However, EPA's current program of water
pollution control is built upon the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act Amendments
of 1972, also known as the Clean Water
Act. Amendments to this act passed in
1977 made some important changes, but
the basic objectives and processes of the
Clean Water Act were retained.
The objective of the federal water pol-
lution control programs, as defined in the
1972 Act, is to restore and maintain the
"chemical, physical, and biological integrity
of the Nation's waters." To this end, the Act
states that "it is the national goal that the
discharge of pollutants into the navigable
waters be eliminated by 1985." More
immediately, the Act attempts to secure
"water quality which provides for the pro-
tection and propagation of fish, shellfish,
and wildlife and provides for recreation in
and on the water." Achieving these objec-
tives will require the expenditure of
hundreds of billions of dollars, and the
control of hundreds of thousands of water
pollution sources.
The Act requires each State to set water
quality standards for every significant body
of surface water within its borders. Water
quality standards represent the goals which
pollution controls are meant to secure. To
set these standards the State specifies the
uses of each body of water (such as
drinking water or commercial fishing) and
determines what the maximum pollution
levels could be in that body of water which
would still permit those uses.
Achieving water quality standards
requires that controls be placed on sources,
or discharges, of water pollutants. A major
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source of pollution is the household and
commercial sewage normally treated in
municipal sewage systems. Because
municipalities had fallen behind in efforts
to build needed plants. Congress enacted
the largest public works program in
American history to aid State and local
governments in cleaning up their sewage.
Tens of billions of dollars of federal money
are being spent to provide up to 75 percent
(sometimes 85 percent) of the cost of new
and improved municipal sewage treatment
systems.
Industrial dischargers of pollution are
subject to a number of requirements, with
the ultimate goal being the elimination of
the discharge of pollutants into the Nation's
waters. Nationwide standards are
established by EPA for each type of industry
and for every pollutant based upon the
availability and economic feasibility of
technology. These standards will become
increasingly stringent through the 1980's,
particularly for discharges of toxic sub-
stances. To insure compliance with these
standards, every industrial point source
discharger must secure a permit under the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) program. Establishment of
strict nationwide standards on discharges
of pollutants helps insure that regions will
not be placed at a competitive disadvantage
in attracting industries simply because they
may insist on strict pollution controls.
Control of these point sources—
municipal and industrial discharges—will
frequently not suffice to secure water
quality standards. There are two major
reasons for this. First, many bodies of water
are heavily polluted by nonpoint sources.
Second, even with stringent controls, the
amount of pollution discharged may be too
large for the streams, rivers, or other bodies
of receiving water to accept. This may be
particularly true in urban regions.
To bridge this gap, State and local
governments must devise a plan detailing
the strategies they will undertake to bring
water quality up to acceptable levels. In
general, this will involve a mixture of
controls on nonpoint sources, and of more
stringent controls on point sources. EPA
provides funding for planning control
strategies under its water quality manage-
ment program.
Two special water pollution control
programs merit mention. These are the
dredge and fill permit program and the
ocean dumping regulation program. Under
Section 404 of the Federa I Water Pollution
Control Act, EPA and the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers are jointly responsible for pro-
tecting the waters of the United States
against degradation and destruction caused
by disposal of dredged spoils or fill. This
protection extends to the Nation's
wetfands—its marshes, swamps, bogs, and
similar areas. Wetlands are vital
components of natural bodies of water,
providing flood control benefits, fish and
wildlife habitat, and natural pollution
controls. Under this program, a permit must
be secured from the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
Under the Marine Protection, Research
and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, EPA is
required to protect the oceans from indis-
criminate dumping of wastes. EPA is
authorized to designate safe sites for ocean
dumping, to issue permits, and to assess
penalties for improper dumping. Studies
and plans looking to an ultimate phase-out
of ocean dumping are under way.
Water quality is protected by nearly all of
the laws EPA administers. Controlling air
pollution, for example, keeps harmful
pollutants from entering water from the
atmosphere. Air pollution controls are a
central component of a strategy to reduce
acid rain. Laws governing radiation, toxic
substances, and pesticides all aim at
special pollution problems which may
affect water quality. In addition, a vital part
of proper waste disposal under the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is
prevention of water pollution by harmful
substances seeping into ground and
surface waters from improperly designed
disposal sites.
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act of 1972, as amended
in 1977, is the basic authority for water
pollution control programs. The goal of the
Act is to make national waters fishable and
swimmable. Major provisions require:
• Municipal Pollution Control through a
program of federal grants for construction
or modification of sewage treatment plants.
The Federal Government funds 75 percent
of a project's cost.
• Regional Planning to choose the best
waste treatment methods for a particular
area, and to estimate the effects of future
growth on waste treatment facilities. All
major metropolitan areas must establish
planning agencies, and each State is
required to prepare a water quality
management plan.
• Effluent Limitations defining the amount
and kinds of material that can be
discharged into the Nation's waters. The
limitations apply to both municipal and
industrial sources of water pollution.
• Water Quality Standards established by
EPA and applicable to all surface waters.
Standards are set according to the use of
the water—agricultural, industrial, recrea-
tional, or drinking—and include maximum
levels for temperature, oxygen supply,
microbiological content, toxic pollutants,
and so on.
• Wastewater Discharge Permits issued by
EPA or the States to conform to overall
effluent limitations.
• Dredge and Fill Permits to regulate
dredging, filling of wetlands, or dumping of
dredged material affecting navigable
waters of the United States. Permits are
granted by the Army Corps of Engineers,
subject to EPA approval. The Marine
Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
of 1972 authorizes EPA to regulate ocean
dumping of wastes by designating areas
where dumping is permitted, issuing
permits for dumping, and assessing
penalties for unauthorized dumping.
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Drinking Water
EPA conducts a special program to protect
the safety of drinking water. Twentieth
century methods of drinking water
treatment—particularly chlorination—have
been remarkably effective in eliminating in
the United States major epidemics of
water-borne bacterial diseases which were
such a serious problem in the past. But
even though major epidemics have been
eliminated, water-borne disease still occurs
with unnecessary frequency. Between
1971 and 1977, there were 192 reported
outbreaks of disease attributed to drinking
water, causing 36,800 acute illnesses.
In addition, public health professionals
have been increasingly concerned in recent
years with other contaminants in our
environment. These include inorganic
chemicals such as nitrate, fluoride, arsenic
and lead, as well as toxic organic chemicals
which have been produced in ever-growing
volume in recent decades. Certain
pesticides have also been added to the list
of contaminants requiring control. All of
these substances find their way into our
drinking water at times.
To deal with these problems, Congress
passed the Safe Drinking Water Act of
1974, and amended that Act in 1977.
Under the Act, EPA issues regulations that
set national standards to protect drinking
water. States are primarily responsible for
enforcing these regulations, assisted in
part with Federal funds. EPA has issued
rules to protect underground sources of
drinking water (aquifers) from
contamination by various injection
practices. Called the underground injection
control program, this effort is but part of a
broad Agency response to potential sources
of drinking water contamination.
Recent studies and events have demon-
strated dramatically that ground water
contamination by toxic pollutants will be a
major environmental health issue in the
coming decade. The Agency is developing a
comprehensive strategy for using its legal
authorities to respond. The strategy
involves state and local governments in a
concerted effort to preserve our vast
national treasure of high quality ground
water.
Safe Drinking Water Act
The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 grants
EPA the authority to regulate public
drinking water supplies. Major provisions
require:
• Drinking Water Regulations established
by EPA to protect public health and welfare.
• State Enforcement of drinking water
standards established by EPA. EPA can
assume that responsibility if a State fails to
enforce the standards.
• Protection of Underground Water
Supplies against contamination by
underground injection of wastes and other
materials.
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Waste
Industrial, commercial, and residential
sources generate tremendous quantities of
waste. In 1976, solid wastes from
residential and commercial sources were
estimated at 130 million metric tons (1
metric ton = 2,200 pounds), enough to fill
the New Orleans Superdome from floor to
ceiling twice a day, weekdays and holidays
included. In 1977, 344 million metric tons
of industrial wastes were generated.
Disposing of these wastes is costly, and
poses major environmental risks.
A particularly serious problem is proper
disposal of hazardous wastes, such as toxic
chemicals, caustics, pesticides, and other
flammable, corrosive, or explosive
materials. Hazardous wastes are generated
in the United States at a rate of
approximately 57 million metric tons a year.
The dangers such wastes can pose have
been illustrated by the tragedy at Love
Canal, at Niagara Falls, New York.
Hundreds of residents were forced to
abandon homes built over or near an
abandoned chemical dump site. Some of
the chemicals identified at Love Canal are
known to cause cancer, birth defects, and
other serious health problems. There are
thousands of improper disposal sites—both
active and abandoned—scattered
throughout the United States.
Improper waste disposal degrades
surface and groundwaters when biological
contaminants, hazardous chemicals and
heavy metals are washed into them or
leach into them through the soil. Burning
dumps pollute the air. Open dumps breed
vermin and are eyesores. Finding suitable
waste disposal sites can be a serious land
use issue in urban areas.
Federal support and encouragement to
States to develop environmentally sound
methods for solid waste disposal began
with the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965,
which was amended in 1970. In 1976
Congress passed the Resource Conserva-
tion and Recovery Act (RCRA). This was
major new legislation to deal with both
municipal and hazardous waste problems
and to encourage resource recovery and
recycling. To improve solid waste manage-
ment, EPA under RCRA encourages States
to develop plans under which open dumps
are eventually to be closed down. The
Agency provides both technical and
financial assistance for these efforts. EPA
also assists projects to recover and reuse
valuable materials from waste, such as
glass, plastic, silver and aluminum, and to
utilize the energy potential of waste. The
Act also provides for a national research,
development, and demonstration program
for improved solid waste management and
resource recovery techniques.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act requires States to develop and imple-
ment waste disposal plans. To set the stage
for establishment of environmentally sound
disposal practices, States are to inventory
all existing waste disposal sites and
determine whether the sites are in sound
condition. Federal financial and technical
assistance is provided to the States through
EPA for these planning and implementation
efforts.
To carry out RCRA's provisions for
dealing with hazardous wastes, EPA has
developed a national hazardous waste
management system to monitor the
movement of significant quantities of
hazardous wastes from cradle-to-grave.
Under the system, hazardous waste
generating facilities must identify the
wastes they create and report the means of
disposal. Transport of wastes will be
regulated and tracked. Treatment and
disposal sites must have permits to operate,
and their design must be adequate to
prevent the waste from moving through the
soil and reaching water sources. Active
sites will"be monitored constantly. Closed
sites are to be capped but monitoring must
continue as well. The owner will be
required to assume limited financial
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responsibility for damage during active
operations and to set aside funds for
monitoring after the site is closed.
Congress also has enacted legislation
to deal with the Nation's legacy of
hazardous waste dump sites abandoned in
past years. The Federal Government and
industry will join in establishing a
"superfund" to pay for the cleanup of sites
that become public health threats.
Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act of 1976 grants EPA Jhe authority to
establish regulations and programs to
ensure safe waste disposal. Major
provisions cover:
• Hazardous Waste Management,
including identification of hazardous
wastes and issuance of standards and
regulations governing the generation,
storage, transport, treatment, and disposal
of hazardous waste. States may establish
and supervise hazardous waste disposal
programs, subject to EPA approval.
• Solid Waste Disposal Planning, including
Federal funding to encourage States to
develop environmentally sound plans for
solid waste disposal. States are required to
inventory all waste disposal sites.
• Research, Development, and
Demonstration funds to stimulate new
methods of waste disposal, resource and
energy recovery, and innovative
technology.
Pesticides
Pesticides are chemical substances used to
control unwanted funguses, weeds,
bacteria, insects, rodents and other pests.
Over a billion pounds of pesticides, employ-
ing more than 1,400 chemical compounds,
are used annually in the United States.
While use of pesticides has been an
important part of modern farming methods
and public health vector control, some
pesticides have the potential to cause
severe health problems and environmental
damage. Acute poisoning, cancer, sterility,
and other toxic effects have been traced to
pesticide use. Farmworkers, pesticide
applicators, pesticide production
employees, home users, and residents of
communities near sprayed areas can be
exposed to pesticides and suffer adverse
effects from improper handling and applica-
tion. Pesticides have also done serious
damage to the natural environment.
Congress passed the original Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA) in 1947. This bill was subsequently
strengthened and amended in 1972, 1975,
and 1978. Regulation of pesticides under
FIFRA is handled by EPA's Office of
Pesticides and Toxic Substances.
The pesticide control program has three
major components—registration of
pesticides, training of pesticide applica-
tors, and monitoring and research.
All pesticides must be registered with
EPA before being marketed. Based on
available scientific data concerning their
safety and effectiveness, the Agency
reviews and approves labeling stating
directions for use, precautions, and
warnings. EPA also sets maximum safe
levels for pesticide residues in human and
animal food. Some pesticides have been
discovered to be so toxic that their use must
be banned altogether. Others may be
restricted to use on a limited number of
crops, or at certain times in the growing
season, or only by certified applicators.
To make sure that pesticides are properly
used, FIFRA requires EPA to develop an
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Toxic Substances
applicator training program, leading to the
certification of persons permitted to apply
restricted-use pesticides. Of the nearly two
million persons certified under this
program, most are individual farmers. In
general, applicator training and certifica-
tion are conducted as EPA-approved State
programs.
The Agency sponsors extensive research
on pesticides and monitors pesticide levels
in the environment. Researchers consider
both acute and long term effects in their
epidemiological studies of pesticide effects.
In addition, EPA, the National Science
Foundation and the Department of Agri-
culture are sponsoring research into
environmentally safe, integrated pest
management technqiues that minimize the
use of chemical pesticides.
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended in
1972,1975, and 1978, authorizes EPA to
regulate the manufacture and distribution
of pesticides, and to conduct research into
their health and environmental effects. This
comprehensive program includes:
• Registration of Pesticides and review
and approval of labeling stating directions
for use, precautions, and warnings.
Pesticides are classified for "general" or
"restricted" use. Those in the restricted
category may be used only by certified
applicators.
• Certification of Applicators who are
trained in EPA-approved State programs,
or by EPA where there is no State program.
• Research into the use and effects of
pesticides and pesticide alternatives,
issuance of experimental use permits, and
monitoring of pesticide use and of pesticide
levels in the environment.
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act grants EPA authority to establish
tolerance levels for pesticide levels in food
and animal feed.
Toxic substances can cause death, disease,
birth defects, and miscarriages in human
beings, and create severe problems in the
natural environment even in extremely
small quantities. Levels of some
substances measured in parts per billion
can make water unfit for drinking. Other
substances are so toxic that the environ-
ment may not be able to absorb even such
small quantities without serious damage.
Toxic substances include a number of
manufactured chemicals, as well as
naturally-occurring heavy metals, such as
mercury, cadmium, and lead, which are
mined and released into the environment.
The damage done to human beings and
their environment through uncontrolled
releases of toxic substances has already
been vast. Major bodies of water, such as
the Great Lakes, the Hudson River in New
York, and the Housatonic River in
Massachusetts and Connecticut, have been
severely damaged and perhaps
permanently lost as commercial fisheries
as a result of pollution from polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCB's). Hundreds of thousands
of people are expected to die of lung
diseases from inhaling asbestos. Kepone
poisoning disabled a number of
workers and closed down a thriving
commercial fishery along the James River
in Virginia.
Protection of human beings and the
environment from the hazards of toxic sub-
stances requires extraordinary efforts,
given the great danger some of them pose.
It is sometimes necessary to ban or
severely restrict manufacture and use of
substances. Detecting dangers can itself be
a major problem because health effects are
sometimes not seen for as long as 30 years
after exposure.
In light of the serious problems caused by
toxic substances in the environment,
Congress passed the Toxic Substances
Control Act in 1976. This bill was meant to
supplement and reinforce the authorities
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EPA already had in its air, water, pesticides,
and waste disposal laws for dealing with
toxic substances. The Toxic Substances
Control Act deals with two major kinds of
problems. First, newly created chemicals,
or chemicals entering into commerce for
the first time, may do serious damage to
human beings and their environment
before their possible dangers are even
known. EPA estimates that several hundred
new chemicals or chemical compounds are
introduced into commerce each year.
Second, many chemicals and substances
already in commerce may require more
stringent control. EPA estimates that
70,000 chemicals and substances are now
in commercial use. Chemicals used
exclusively in pesticides, food, food
additives, drugs, and cosmetics are
exempted from the Act. Also exempted are
nuclear materials, tobacco, and firearms
and ammunition. All of these are regulated
under other laws.
To deal with the problem of new,
potentially toxic substances, the Act
imposes a system of premarket notification
to EPA if 8 company wishes to market a
new chemical, or significantly expand
existing uses of a chemical already on the
market. EPA may then require testing of the
chemical for toxic effects, and may ban
production unless the manufacturer shows
that the chemical does not present "an
unreasonable risk of injury to health or the
environment."
EPA also requires testing of some
chemicals already in commerce. The
results of that testing may lead to restric-
tions on use, or even to an outright ban on
the manufacture of chemicals found to be
extremely dangerous.
When regulatory actions are proposed
under the Act, there must be an opportunity
for comments by interested parties. In some
cases, this could include an oral hearing
and cross examination of witnesses. How-
ever for imminent hazards, the Administra-
tor of EPA may ask a court to require what-
ever action may be necessary to protect
public health and the environment against
risk.
Finally, the Act essentially bans all
further manufacture of PCB's and places
restrictions on disposal of equipment
containing that unusually toxic substance.
EPA is primarily concerned with controll-
ing toxic pollutants in the air, land and
water. But problems from toxic substances
are much more widespread. Toxic
substances can occur in food, drink, drugs,
and cosmetics. Consumer products, such
as paint removers, sometimes contain
hazardous chemical substances. And few
have suffered more from toxic chemicals
than workers, who are frequently exposed
to very high levels of dangerous substances
in the workplace environment.
Toxic substances are a concern of a
number of different government agencies,
each of which has been assigned by law a
somewhat different jurisdiction. Yet, many
of the problems the different agencies face
are similar. Five government agencies
concerned with toxic substances have
formed the Interagency Regulatory Liaison
Group (IRLG). In addition to EPA, the IRLG
is composed of the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, the Food and
Drug Administration, the Consumer
Product Safety Commission, and the Food
Safety and Quality Service of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture. Its purposes are to
achieve more efficient health protection
through sharing information, avoiding
duplication of effort, and developing
consistent regulatory policies.
Toxic Substances Control Act
The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976
authorizes regulation of the development,
distribution, and marketing of chemical
substances. Major provisions cover:
• Regulation of Chemical Substances
allowing EPA to prohibit the manufacture,
sale, use, or disposal of any new or existing
chemical substance found to present an
unreasonable risk to health or the environ-
ment. EPA can also limit the amount of the
chemical that may be manufactured and
used, stipulate methods of use, or require
labels providing safe use and disposal
information.
• Testing by manufacturers may be
ordered by EPA if a chemical substance
presents an unreasonable risk to health or
the environment and there are insufficient
data to evaluate itstoxicily, cancer-causing
potential, potential for birth defects, or
other characteristics.
• Identification and Priority Listing of up to
fifty chemicals an interagency committee
determines should be tested for health and
environmental effects. Within one year of a
chemical's listing, EPA must initiate testing
requirements or publish reasons for not
requiring testing.
• Pre-market Notification to EPA at least
90 days prior to commercial manufacture of
a new chemical. EPA determines whether
there is sufficient information about the
chemical to predict the health and
environmental effects, and can require
additional testing before the chemical is
manufactured or sold. Any significant
change in the use or purpose of an existing
chemical also requires pre-market notifica-
tion.
• Research and Monitoring into the effects
of toxic chemicals, in cooperation with the
Department of Health and Human Services.
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Air Quality
Air pollution is a serious threat to human
health, affecting millions of Americans,
particularly in urban areas. In some parts of
the country, children must be warned
during pollution alerts not to play outdoors,
as the air is unfit for breathing during
strenuous exercise. Property is also
affected by air pollution. Paint and building
stone are corroded by air pollutants, and
vegetation is stunted.
The increasing burning of fossil fuels for
energy—producing massive amounts of
sulfur oxides and nitric oxides—has
increased the acidity of rain, killing fish in
remote lakes, dissolving the limestone and
marble of buildings, and threatening forests
and crops. Acid rain often falls hundreds of
miles from pollution sources, and across
international boundaries.
Direct sources of air pollution divide into
two categories: stationary sources, such as
factories, power plants, and smelters; and
mobile sources, such as automobiles,
buses, trucks, locomotives, and airplanes.
Some facilities, such as major highways
and shopping centers, are called indirect
sources because traffic concentrates at
those places and increases local pollution
levels.
These sources produce a number of
pollutants. These includeparticulates,
released largely by industrial processes and
combustion, which can clog air sacs in the
lungs or cause other health problems through
chemical reactions with the body or with
other pollutants that reach the respiratory
system. Sulfur oxides are corrosive and
poisonous gases which, together with
particulates, were the primary cause of
death in past "killer smogs." they can
cause severe respiratory problems. Carbon
monoxide comes primarily from gasoline
and diesel engines, and is a particular
danger in traffic-congested urban locations.
Hydrocarbons result from the incomplete
burning of gasoline and other fuels, and
evaporation from petrochemical plants,
industrial solvents, paint and dry cleaning
operations.
Hydrocarbons react with sunlight and
nitrogen dioxide from industry and motor
vehicles to form ozone, a poisonous form of
oxygen which irritate the respiratory system
and impairs breathing. Ozone is the
principal constituent of photochemical
smog. Finally, lead, an ingredient of some
gasoline, is a poisonous element that
affects bloodforming organs, kidneys, and
the nervous system. EPA is concerned with
controlling these major pollutants, and
other particularly hazardous pollutants
which occur in smaller quantities.
Federal legislation to control air pollution
was first enacted in 1955, and
strengthened in 1963,1965, and 1967.
However, EPA's present program of air
pollution control was given its major
formulation in the Clean Air Act of 1970.
Congress reviewed and amended this law
in 1975 and 1977, but retained the basic
principles of the 1970 law.
The fundamental objective of the Federal
air pollution program is the protection of
the public health and welfare from harmful
effects of air pollution. To achieve this goal,
EPA issues two kinds of ambient air quality
standards—that is, maximum acceptable
levels of pollution for the outdoor air
surrounding the general population (but
not, for example, air within factories).
Primary ambient air quality standards for
particulates, sulfur oxides, carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and lead
set limits above which human health may
be endangered. Secondary standards
protect plants, animals, and materials from
harmful pollution. So far, secondary
standards have been set for particulates
and sulfur oxides.
In addition to meeting primary and
secondary air pollution standards, some
regions of the Nation are required to meet
standards established under the "preven-
tion of significant deterioration" section of
the Clean Air Act. The function of this
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section is to prevent degradation of the air
in such places as national parks and wilder-
ness areas where air quality is
exceptionally good. Strict as they are,
primary and secondary ambient air quality
standards do not suffice to protect the clean
air and open vistas we value in these areas.
Under the Clean Air Act, it is the
responsibility of State and local govern-
ments to control pollution sources so that
air pollution is reduced to comply with
primary and, eventually, secondary
standards. EPA plays an important role in
this process by setting nationwide
emissions standards for a variety of air
pollution sources. Of these, emissions
standards for new automobiles are
probably most familiar, although in this
area EPA essentially enforces the limits set
by Congress in the Clean Air Act.
EPA also sets source performance
standards, establishing emissions limita-
tions that must be met by new plants, and
by existing facilities that are substantially
modified. Standards now exist for most
major industries, such as electric utilities,
iron and steel mills, copper, zinc, and lead
smelters, and cement plants. These
standards are established on a nationwide
basis. By requiring EPA to place the same
strict emissions levels on new sources, no
matter where they are located. Congress
has kept air pollution controls from
becoming a source of regional rivalry. No
area can seek to attact industry by offering
weak emissions standards. Congress has
determined that all new sources must
install the "best pollution control technol-
ogy available," as defined by EPA after a
hearing process.
Finally, EPA establishes nationwide
emissions standards for so-called
hazardous air pollutants. These are toxic
pollutants which endanger human health
even in relatively small amounts. To date,
emissions limits are in effect for asbestos,
beryllium, mercury, and vinyl chloride.
Standards for other hazardous substances
have been proposed. All pollution sources,
new and old, are required to meet
hazardous air pollution standards.
Because EPA-required controls relate
primarily to new pollution sources, they do
not generally suffice to bring air quality up
to the primary and secondary standards.
State governments are therefore required
to draw up and enforce State Implementa-
tion Plans, which prescribe additional
control measures necessary to achieve the
standards. Such measures typically include
controls on older sources of pollution and
measures designed to reduce the volume of
vehicular traffic. State Implementation
Plans are subject to EPA approval. If a State
fails to develop an acceptable plan, EPA is
required to assume this function.
While some rural areas do have air pol-
lution problems, air pollution is primarily an
urban concern. In the great industrial cities
of our Nation, air pollution poses some
cruel dilemmas. Many such cities have
suffered from years of decay, as popula-
tions declined and industries moved else-
where. For a city to regain its vitality,
industry must return to restore the
economic base. But these industries, and
the energy they need, may create new pol-
lution sources, threatening the gains which
have gradually been made in controlling
urban air pollution.
Maintaining economic growth and air
quality improvements in urban areas
requires careful planning, advanced
technology, and close cooperation among
municipalities. States, and the Federal
Government. While the task has not been
easy, these elements are coming together,
so that in the 1980's the ambient air quality
of most American cities should be within
national standards. Improvement in the
quality of life is resulting in a renaissance
in many of the American cities once
considered hopelessly decayed.
Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act, as amended in 1970 and
1977, provides the basic legal authority for
the Nation's air pollution control programs.
Major provisions require:
• National Ambient Air Quality Standards
for specific air pollutants to protect public
health and welfare. Standards have been
set for sulfur dioxide, particulates, oxides of
nitrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons,
ozone, and lead.
• State Clean Air Plans stipulating steps
that will be taken to achieve satisfactory air
quality. EPA must review the plans and, if
necessary, require revisions or substitute
its own plan.
• New Source Performance Standards for
new, or modified, stationary sources of air
pollution. Emission limitations are
established for specific types of sources
such as power plants and cement plants.
• Hazardous Air Pollutants national
standards limiting emissions of such
substances as asbestos, beryllium,
mercury, vinyl chloride, and benzene from
both new and old stationary sources.
• Prevention of Significant Deterioration of
Air Quality in areas which have pristine or
good to moderate air quality. Subject to EPA
approval, States identify areas of good,
moderate, and poor air quality (Class I,
Class II, and Class III). Class I, which
includes all national parks and wilderness
areas, permits no additional air pollution.
The Class II designation allows additional
pollution up to prescribed limits, and Class
III areas must conform to general national
standards.
• Automobile Emission Controls to achieve
a 90 percent reduction in carbon monoxide
and hydrocarbon emissions (based on 1970
emission levels). Nitrogen oxide emissions
are to be reduced by 75 percent by 1985.
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Noise
Noise is a serious environmental problem
in many urban areas, where it degrades the
quality of life and can seriously threaten
health and well-being. It can permanently
impair hearing and cause a number of other
physical and psychological problems. It is
estimated that nearly 15 million workers
are exposed to an 8 hour average sound
level of greater than 75 decibels, a level at
which there is risk of hearing damage.
Millions of other Americans are exposed to
levels above 75 decibels as operators or
passengers of transportation or recreation
vehicles. In surveys conducted by the
Department of Housing and Urban
Development, noise is mentioned three
times as frequently as crime by residents
listing undesirable conditions of
neighborhoods. EPA has identified 55
decibels as the day-night average sound
level which should not be exceeded in order
to protect the general population against
activity interference. More than 100 million
Americans live in areas where the decibel
level exceeds this amount.
The EPA Noise Abatement and Control
Program is administered under the Noise
Control Act of 1972, as amended by the
Quiet Communities Act of 1978.
The primary functions of EPA under the
legislation are 1) establishment of
standards and promulgation of regulations
concerning major sources of noise; 2)
research into the causes, effects, and
control of noise; and 3) State and local
assistance programs designed to help
States and localities deal with their own
noise problems. EPA submits regulatory
proposals to the Federal Aviation Admini-
stration on the problem of aviation noise,
and provides technical assistance to
airports and other entities with regard to
airport noise abatement and control.
EPA has established a goal of stimulating
40 State and 400 local noise control
programs in communities with populations
of 25,000 or greater by 1985. The State and
local programs concentrate on the develop-
ment of noise control capabilities within
units of State and local government.
Effective noise control programs are an
important part of making cities more
livable; they can improve suburban and
rural environments as well.
Noise Control Act
The Noise Control Act of 1972, as amended
by the Quiet Communities Act of 1978,
grants EPA the authority for noise
abatement and control. Major provisions
include:
• Noise Emission Standards for products
identified by EPA as major sources of noise
(lawnmowers, air drills, garbage trucks,
motorcycles, etc.)
• Aircraft and Airport Noise Standards are
proposed by EPA to the Federal Aviation
Administration, which may adopt, modify,
or reject the regulations.
• Labeling Regulations for consumer
products which produce noise capable of
affecting the public health and welfare, and
for products sold on the basis of their
effectiveness in reducing noise.
• Noise Emission Standards for railroads,
trucks, and buses.
• Research into the psychological and
physiological effects of noise on people,
with special attention to effects other than
hearing loss.
• State and Local Grants under the Quiet
Communities Act to help reduce
community noise. EPA can provide local
officials with monitoring assistance and
train local officials in setting up and
carrying out local noise control programs.
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Radiation
Inonizing radiation can be a serious
environmental contaminant. High levels of
exposure cause acute radiation poisoning
and death. Lower levels of exposure may
lead to cancer and genetic problems years
later. Ionizing radiation comes from such
sources as uranium mining and milling,
nuclear power wastes, and radioactive
materials used in medicine. The health
effects of non-ionizing radiation, such as
microwaves and radiation from high voltage
power lines, are not as well understood, but
it also may be hazardous.
A number of Federal agencies, among
them EPA, are responsible for protecting
the public from dangerous radiation. EPA's
authority in this area arises partly through
Executive Order, and partly through Federal
legislation, such as the Atomic Energy Act
of 1954, the Public Health Service Act of
1962, the Clean Air Act Amendments of
1977, and the Uranium Mill Tailings Radia-
tion Control Act of 1978. The Agency's
major responsibilities are to set radiation
guidelines, to assess new technology, and
to monitor radiation in the environment.
In general, EPA is responsible for setting
standards to protect the general environ-
ment from radiation, including that
released from nuclear power plants and
from the processing of uranium and
phosphate. Occupational guides apply to
the interior of nuclear power plants and
other nuclear facilities. EPA, in cooperation
with the Food and Drug Administration,
provides guidance to other Federal
agencies on the use of x-rays in medicine.
The Agency is developing standards for
disposal of high-level nuclear wastes, for
the control of hazards at active and inactive
uranium mill tailing sites, nuclear accident
protective action guidelines, cleanup
guidelines for areas contaminated by
plutonium, and guidance for occupational
exposure to radiation. It is evaluating the
need to set standards for non-ionizing
radiation sources.
EPA assesses radiation technologies
developed by Federal agencies. Of
particular concern are the various
proposals for handling radioactive waste.
EPA is responsible for reviewing environ-
mental impact statements required by the
National Environmental Policy Act and
determining whether proposed
technologies are environmentally
acceptable. These reviews include major
facilities licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
Finally, EPA monitors radiation in the
environment, such as that resulting from
above-ground nuclear weapons tests. An
air monitoring network of 22 continuously
operating samplers measures ambient
radioactivity. EPA also monitors drinking
water supplies, and computes radiation
exposure to the public from both ionizing
and nonionizing radiation.
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Enforcement
The Office of Enforcement is responsible
for insuring compliance with EPA's
regulations. This enforcement process can
be complex for the private sector, the
Congress, EPA, and State and local
governments all have roles in recognizing
environmental problems and carrying out
the laws enacted to deal with them.
EPA's enforcement philosophy has been
to encourage voluntary compliance by
communities and private industry and, as
mandated by Federal environmental laws,
to encourage State and local governments
to perform direct enforcement activities
needed to meet environmental standards.
If State or local agencies fail to produce
effective plans for pollution abatement, or if
they do not enforce the programs they do
develop, EPA generally is authorized to do
so under provisions of major environmental
laws.
In addition, enforcement functions of a
national character are carried out by EPA
because delegation to the States is not
practical. EPA, for example, inspects and
tests automobiles before, during, and after
production to insure compliance with air
pollution control standards. The Agency
also can require the recall of automobile or
truck models that fail to meet these
standards.
EPA also maintains a staff of inspectors
who spot check compliance with unleaded
gasoline regulations, monitor air and water
quality, check radiation levels, and collect
other data to use in enforcing
environmental laws.
The combination of enforcement
techniques employed by EPA and State
and local agencies has achieved significant
gains in environmental quality. Compliance
by major industrial sources with basic air
and water quality requirements is about 90
percent.
This generally high level of compliance is
achieving concrete environmental improve-
ments. Only a handful of areas, for
example, have failed to attain standards for
sulfur oxides in the air. Paniculate levels in
the air also have dropped greatly. Many
river segments polluted mainly by industrial
sources are cleaner now. In some Maine
rivers, Atlantic salmon have returned for
the first time in 30 to 40 years.
Individual enforcement actions also can
result in dramatic local improvements. The
settlement of an EPA suit against a major
steel producer, for example, is expected to
reduce particulates in the air over one
urban area by about 50 percent.
In addition to utilizing traditional legal
procedures, EPA has introduced new and
innovative approaches to get enforcement
results. The environmental trust fund
concept, used in a case against a large
chemical company, is one example. The
Agency also initiated the use of "receivers"
or "special masters" in judicial actions
against violaters who have demonstrated
an inability to carry out remedial action. At
Love Canal and other abandoned hazardous
waste sites, EPA has used emergency and
common law authorities as the basis for
corrective action pending the enactment of
legislation dealing specifically with such
situations. The Agency also has created a
special enforcement task force to clean up
existing hazardous waste sites.
EPA's enforcement responsibilities have
expanded as the result of major new laws
such as the Toxic Substances Control Act,
intended to keep hazardous chemicals from
reaching the environment, and the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act,
enacted to cope with hazardous and other
wastes which must be treated, recycled or
disposed of in an environmentally safe
manner.
All of these issues challenge EPA to
devise new and more efficient ways to
achieve compliance and to establish strict
priorities to best utilize the Agency's
enforcement capabilities.
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Research and Development
Science provides much of the base for
environmental protection. It is through
scientific investigation that we often learn
how pollution is generated, transported,
and dissipated. We also learn about the
effects of pollution on our health and on
natural life support systems. Recently,
scientists have made remarkable gains in
discovering methods of controlling
pollution.
Environmental science has gone through
a period of explosive growth. Much of the
work done in the last decade took place in
EPA's 15 laboratories, or in private,
university, and industrial laboratories
under EPA grants.
EPA's Office of Research and
Development directs EPA environmental
research efforts, many of which have been
explicitly called for by Congress. A
substantial amount of this research is
directed toward determining the health
effects of various pollutants on human
beings. These determinations are crucial in
the development of EPA regulations.
Because environmental laws frequently
stipulate use of the "best available"
technology for controlling pollutants, EPA
scientists evaluate proposed pollution
control technology. EPA also provides
research and development funding to
private inventors of improved pollution
control devices.
Each of the Agency's research and
development laboratory facilities generally
specialize in one of four broad areas: air,
land and water use; health and ecological
effects; energy, minerals and industry; and
monitoring and technical support. EPA's
major research centers are in Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina, where
scientists study air pollution causes and
effects and in Cincinnati, Ohio where
municipal pollution problems have top
priority. EPA also maintains environmental
labs in Narragansett, Rhode Island;
Corvallis, Oregon; and Gulf Breeze, Florida;
and a laboratory in Duluth, Minnesota, that
studies the biological effects of pollution on
freshwater rivers and lakes. (Appendix I
lists all 15 EPA laboratory facilities.)
A major focus of EPA's current research
is energy. EPA's research efforts support
the national energy policy of increasing
domestic production without sacrifice of
environmental quality. There is particular
emphasis upon finding cleaner and safer
methods of burning coal.
The serious environmental problems
created by hazardous waste disposal sites,
such as Love Canal, have spurred EPA to
conduct a research program which will
assist in the identification of hazardous
wastes and will aid the selection of safer
disposal sites. The Agency has found more
than 100 hazardous waste dumps that
threaten health and the environment, and
these may simply be the tip of the iceberg.
EPA researchers will gather the informa-
tion needed to assess the potential adverse
effects of these dumps upon health and the
environment.
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Planning and Management
The Office of Planning and Management
supervises the internal operations of EPA,
which has an annual operating budget of
about a billion dollars and employs 15,400
people. It is responsible for ensuring that
EPA operates efficiently, with the least cost
to taxpayers for the services it provides, and
that the Agency's programs function in the
most cost-effective manner.
EPA has been a leader among govern-
ment agencies in simplifying regulations so
that compliance does not require needless
paperwork, and environmental goals can be
met at the least possible cost. The Office of
Planning and Management helps other
offices of EPA develop cost-effectiveness
analyses and guidelines for regulations.
Frequently, this requires detailed studies of
the social and economic impact of EPA
programs.
The Office of Planning and Mangement
also has a major role in bringing EPA into
compliance with the President's 1978
Executive Order in regard to Federal
regulations. Under the Executive Order,
EPA and other regulatory agencies are
required to assess the effect of their
regulations on costs, employment,
economic growth, and energy demand.
They must review all regulations every five
years to determine whether they are still
needed, and to simplify reporting require-
ments. To assure compliance with the
Executive Order, EPA has established a
Regulatory Steering Committee. Composed
of top level Agency officials, this committee
reviews proposed regulations for clarity and
completeness.
Regulatory reform efforts also include
innovations to give private industry added
flexibility in meeting environmental protec-
tion goals. One of these is the "bubble"
concept, which can help companies meet
air pollution control standards in the most
cost effective way. In this approach, an
entire plant is treated as though it were
covered by an imaginary bubble with only
one opening through which pollutants can
reach the surrounding air. Instead of having
to meet pollution emission limits at each
individual stack or other source within the
plant, managers can devise an overall
control plan that may save millions of
dollars without compromising progress
toward improved air quality.
The Office of Planning and Management
also carries out the housekeeping functions
of EPA, including operation of Agency
libraries at its headquarters in Washington
and in each of its ten regional offices. All
are open to the public during business
hours. To handle requests under the
Freedom of Information Act, EPA has a
Reference Unit at its headquarters where
the public can inspect and obtain copies of
documents and reports related to the
Agency's actions.
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Appendix I Regional Offices and Laboratory Facilities of EPA
EPA Region 1
JFK Federal Bldg.
Boston MA 02203
Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, Vermont
617-223-7210
EPA Region 2
26 Federal Plaza
New York NY 10007
New Jersey, New York. Puerto
Rico, Virgin Islands
212-264-2525
EPA Region 3
6th and Walnut Streets
Philadelphia PA 19106
Delaware, Maryland,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, West
Virginia, District of Columbia
215-597-9814
EPA Region 4
345 Courtland Street NE
Atlanta GA 30308
Alabama, Georgia, Florida,
Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee,
Kentucky
404-881-4727
EPA Region 5
230 S. Dearborn
Chicago IL 60604
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan,
Wisconsin, Minnesota
312-353-2000
EPA Region 6
1201 Elm Street
Dallas TX 75270
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma,
Texas, New Mexico
214-767-2600
EPA Region 7
324 East 11th Street
Kansas City MO 64106
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri,
Nebraska
816-374-5493
EPA Region 8
1860 Lincoln Street
Denver CO 80295
Colorado, Utah, Wyoming,
Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota
303-837-3895
EPA Region 9
215 Fremont Street
San Francisco CA 94105
Arizona, California, Nevada,
Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa,
Trust Territories of the Pacific
415-556-2320
EPA Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue
Seattle WA 98101
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon,
Washington
206-442-1220
Environmental Monitoring
and Support Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
(513)684-7301
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory
P.O. Box 15027
Las Vegas, NV 89114
(702) 736-2969
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC
27711
(919)541-2106
Environmental Research
Laboratory
College Station Road
Athens, GA 30605
(404)546-3134
Environmental Research
Laboratory
200 SW 35th Street
Corvallis, OR 97330
(503) 757-4601
Environmental Research
Laboratory
6201 Congdon Boulevard
Duluth, MN 55804
(218)727-6692
Environmental Research
Laboratory
Sabine Island
Gulf Breeze, FL 32561
(904) 932-5311
Environmental Research
Laboratory
South Ferry Road
Narragansett. Rl 02882
(401)789-1071
Environmental Sciences
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC
27711
(919)541-2191
Health Effects Research
Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
(513)684-7401
Health Effects Research
Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC
27711
(919)541-2281
Industrial Environmental
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
(513)684-4402
Industrial Environmental
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC
27711
(919)541-2821
Municipal Environmental
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
(513)684-7951
Robert S. Kerr Environmental
Research Laboratory
P.O. Box1198
(S. Craddock & Kerr Lab. Road)
Ada, OK 74820
(405) 332-8800
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Appendix II Other Information Sources
EPA produces and distributes a variety of
non-technical publications on environ-
mental topics to promote public awareness
and understanding of the laws the Agency
administers and the programs established
to carry out those laws.
The pamphlets listed here, unless noted
otherwise, are available from the
Publications Office, EPA (A-107),
Washington, D.C., 20460
Consider the Connections
A series of essays describing the relation-
ship between the environment and various
groups of people, areas, and issues. 20
pages
Finding Your Way Through EPA
Directory to help citizens find the names,
addresses, and telephone numbers of
offices or individuals in EPA able to provide
program information. 28 pages
Films from EPA
A descriptive listing of free-loan and rental
films EPA makes available to the public to
increase citizen awareness of environ-
mental issues. 8 pages
Guide to General Publications on the
Environment
A descriptive listing of more than 100
pamphlets, leaflets, fact sheets and other
print material on environmental topics
available from EPA. 22 pages
Topical Directory
An alphabetical listing of environmental
and related subjects together with names
and telephone numbers of EPA personnel
who can answer questions on those subjects.
30 pages
Air Pollution and Your Health
The air you breathe can sometimes make
you sick, even kill you. Find out how air
pollution affects your health and what is
being done about it. 12 pages
Cleaning the Air
Information about EPA's program for
controlling air pollution and how you can
take part in making decisions to improve
the quality of the air you breathe. 16 pages
Trends in the Quality of the Nation's Air
A survey of the progress which has been
made in reducing air pollution levels over
the last decade. 24 pages
A Citizen's Guide to Clean Air and
Transportation Planning
A comprehensive description of transporta-
tion planning under the Clean Air Act and
how citizens can play an active role in the
process. 60 pages
Is Your Drinking Water Safe?
Outlines the national approach for ensuring
safe drinking water for all Americans and
the rights of consumers to be notified when
their drinking water fails to meet national
health standards. 18 pages
Echo
Information about the noise control
program, "Each Community Helps Others"
(ECHO), which enables communities to
obtain assistance from other communities
that are already dealing effectively with
noise pollution. 8 pages
Noise: A Health Problem
Describes how noise contributes to hearing
loss, heart disease, stress, and sleep disrup-
tion and the special effects noise has on
children. 24 pages
Safe Storage and Disposal of Pesticides
Pesticides are used to combat a variety of
problems, but beneficial as they are, they
can be harmful when stored and handled
improperly. 8 pages
Everybody's Problem: Hazardous Waste
Presents dramatic evidence of damage to
life and the environment from the
mismanagement of these wastes, the
national program to control them, and the
important roles citizens and States play in
controlling them. 34 pages (Available from
Solid Waste Publications, EPA, 26 West St.
Clair, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268.)
Waste Alertl
Designed to help citizens understand the
issues and problems of waste manage-
ment, how we as consumers are
responsible for these problems, and what
we do to help solve them. 32 pages
(Available from Solid Waste Publications,
EPA, 26 West St. Clair, Cincinnati, Ohio
45268.)
Publications on Toxic Substances
A descriptive listing of nearly 100 different
booklets on toxic substances published by
four Federal agencies: the Food and Drug
Administration, the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration, EPA, and the
Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Ordering information is included. 96 pages
The Toxic Substances Control Act:
Protecting People and the Environment
from Dangerous Chemicals
An explanation of the Act and the steps
being taken to control those chemicals that
may threaten our health or the environ-
ment. 12 pages
It's Time. Speak Upl
Tells why citizens should take a critical look
at water pollution problems in their areas
and how they can help decide what should
be done about them. 8 pages
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Library, Room 2404 PM-211-A
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20460
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