Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Definition
The EPA is a U.S. governmental agency established in 1970 tasked with enforcing laws designed to protect the environment and public health.
Analogy
Consider the EPA as the school principal for America's environment. Just like how your principal sets rules for behavior at school and ensures everyone follows them for safety and orderliness, the EPA sets regulations for businesses and industries to ensure they don't harm our environment or public health.
Related terms
Clean Air Act: A federal law passed by Congress designed to control air pollution on a national level from both stationary sources (like factories) and mobile sources (like cars).
Superfund Program: A program managed by the EPA responsible for cleaning up some of the nation’s most contaminated land.
Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act): A law that regulates the discharge of pollutants into the nation's surface waters, including lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and coastal areas.
"Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)" appears in:
Subjects (2)
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (2)
- Which of the following environmental disasters led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?
- What caused the US government to establish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1972?
Resources
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