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The EPA and Its Regulations

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The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability

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Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees the regulation of air pollution, water pollution, toxic substances, and hazardous and nonhazardous solid waste. In many ways, the agency’s founding on July 9, 1970, marks the beginning of the federal government’s centralized role in the environment. Prior to this, its role was primarily limited to providing financial support to states in their efforts to combat pollution. Since 1970, Congress has passed several federal environmental policies, granting EPA significant authority and setting high expectations for the agency. Though EPA relies on states to monitor their polluting sources and enforce compliance, the agency is responsible, under each policy, for setting goals and determining the best methods for achieving these goals. This chapter provides an overview of these federal environmental policies, with a critical eye toward EPA’s role and performance in executing them.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA

    Aaron A. Elrod

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  1. Aaron A. Elrod
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Correspondence to Aaron A. Elrod .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Robert Brinkmann

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Elrod, A.A. (2023). The EPA and Its Regulations. In: Brinkmann, R. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-01949-4_119

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