EPA – Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a U.S. federal agency that’s in charge of protecting the environment and human health.

More than 17,000 people work for the EPA, which is largely responsible for creating and enforcing environmental regulations, including those that govern:
•air pollution
•water pollution
•land / agriculture
•endangered species
•hazardous waste

The EPA was created in 1970, as a result of several smaller federal agencies combining into one.

Over the years, the EPA has tackled hundreds of environmental issues, including: oil pollution, pesticides, safer detergents, wilderness protection, scenic rivers preservation, nuclear waste, solid waste disposal, clean water, clean air, and toxic substances.

The current annual budget for the EPA is close to $9 billion.