Environmental Protection Agency

 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is a very important actor involved in managing the Great Lake’s water. The EPA focuses on human health and also the environment. President Richard Nixon first introduced the agency and on December 2^nd, 1970 it began distributing regulations. Washington D.C is the location of the EPA’s headquarters. Regina McCarthy, a specialist on air quality and environmental health, is the present day administrator.

Overall, the EPA contributes to many environmental problems and contains many purposes. Some of these purposes consist of the protection of human health and their environment, the enforcement of effective and fair federal laws, and the management of accurate and helpful information on human health and environmental risks. The agency accomplishes these tasks by developing and administering regulations. For example, when Congress composes an environmental law, the EPA implements it by writing regulations. The agency usually sets national standards that the states can administer through regulations that they come up with on their own. If the states do not meet the standards the EPA sets, the agency comes into play and helps them get to where they need to be.

The EPA can follow through with their intentions by providing grants to educational institutions, state environmental programs, and non-profit organizations. That is where just about half of their budget winds up going. These groups can then put that money to use by conducting scientific studies. Also, they share information with other countries and organizations in hope to work on a vast majority of environmental problems together.

The Environmental Protection Agency plays a large role in the protection of our Great Lake’s water supply. They have put fourth a great effort into not only ensuring the safety of the water, but also improving it. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) is how the agency manages the United State’s activity. An example of a problem the EPA monitors is the levels of PCB’s in the air and precipitation of the Great Lakes. These substances have many harmful effects and can be dangerous to local wildlife. A large amount of fish in the Great Lakes contain such high levels of these materials which makes it highly dangerous for other wildlife and us to consume. The EPA also works with Environment Canada to monitor the levels of toxic substances in the air around the Great Lakes region. The Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network was formed under the GLWQA where samples of the air and precipitation have been collected since the 90’s.   Below is a map of the sampling stations. The red squares are rural areas that demonstrate background conditions that are affected by pollution from urban areas. The blue represents the stations that monitor the levels of toxics in the air surrounding the lakes. One of the objectives that the EPA is working on is constantly monitoring and studying the changes in concentration.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is an extremely important actor when it comes to the pollution of our Great Lakes. This large agency sets standards and regulations the states need to follow in order to help keep our Great Lakes safe. The EPA has many focuses, but is putting a lot of effort into the Great Lakes water quality and pollution. Since the Great Lakes hold a large percentage of our freshwater, it is considered an extremely essential resource that needs protection. The EPA is a large actor working to fix the pollution in our Great Lakes.

Source:

http://www3.epa.gov/greatlakes/glindicators/air/airb.html

http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/our-mission-and-what-we-do