The Environmental Protection Agency Quiz

Answer: Richard Nixon

Surprising? Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring", published in 1962, set off a chain of events leading to public outrage over local air pollution problems such as pesticides working up the food chain, dirty air in urban areas, and polluted water. This eventually led to Richard Nixon founding the EPA in 1970 (REORGANIZATION PLAN NO. 3 OF July 9, 1970, pursuant to the provisions of chapter 9 of title 5 of the United States Code)

Answer: A sun and water wave inside the head of a flower

Hopefully no one picked the panda bear - the symbol of the World Wildlife Foundation! (And especially since there are no pandas in the US) :)

Answer: Clean Air Act

It was amended in 1977 and 1990. EPA demonstrated in 1999 that CAA benefits far outweigh its costs.

Answer: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Both EPA and NOAA were signed into being by Richard Nixon on July 9, 1970 on the same document. Both the Peace Corps and USAID were created by JFK in 1961. HUD became a department in 1965 under Lyndon B. Johnson (although the Federal Housing Administration was established in 1934.)

Answer: New Jersey

Christie Todd Whitman, 9th administrator of the EPA, was appointed by George W. Bush in 2001.

Answer: 18,000

About 5,000 folks work in headquarters in Washington, DC.

Answer: Office of Land

A funny fact- there used to be an Office of Noise Pollution! (This actually might be a good idea in some college dorms...) The 13 offices are the Office of the Administrator, Office of Administration and Resources Management, Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance,
Office of Environmental Information, Office of the Chief Financial Officer,
Office of General Counsel, Office of Inspector General, Office of International Affairs, Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances,
Office of Research and Development, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, and finally the Office of Water.

Answer: False

False! Any person, company, or group may comment on any proposed rule released in the federal register. The procedure for creating a new rule is: The EPA researches and proposes the rule, which is then submitted to the public for comments. The public has 30 days to submit their comments to the government.

Afterwards, staff read all the comments and submit suggestions to their management on why to keep or change the proposal based on the comments received. All comments have to be responded to in the final rule.

The rule is finally released to the public and begins to be implemented. This can take anywhere from 6 months to 15 years.

Answer: 10

Regional offices act as a go between headquarters in DC and the state environmental agencies/departments. The headquarters of the 10 regional offices are:
Region I - Boston, MA
Region II - New York, NY
Region III - Philadelphia, PA
Region IV - Atlanta, GA
Region V - Chicago, IL
Region VI - Dallas, TX
Region VII - Kansas City, KS
Region VIII - Denver, CO
Region IX - San Francisco, CA
Region X - Seattle, WA

Answer: A department has a cabinet level position, an agency does not.

Yes, its true. Although the EPA has been trying to become a department for years, it still hasn't happened. (Slight bitterness here...)

Answer: Superfund

Superfund came about from the 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), in part from sites such as Love Canal. A "dirty" site gets put on the National Priorities List when determined to be harmful to nearby surroundings.

The EPA can then require companies previously connected with that site to pay for the site's clean-up. There are currently 757 completed Superfund projects from private party settlements at 18 billion dollars (plus governmental support). Famous Superfund sites include the Exxon Valdez spill and the GE Hudson Falls Plant.

The Brownfields program focuses on urban and industrial sites for redevelopment and urban renewal rather than on spill or dump sites. Hazmat is the name of training that all people dealing with hazardous waste are required to take. I made up Clean Pastures.

Answer: To protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment--air, water, and land--upon which life depends.

Nifty slogan.

Answer: 1972

DDT use was banned except for use in public health, quarantine, and a few minor crops and for export because it does not degrade quickly and so moves up the food chain. DDT began being used for agricultural and commercial purposes in the US in the late 1940s. From the 1940s to 1970, approximately 675,000 tons were applied domestically.

Answer: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Clean Water Act, Food Quality Protection Act

The major EPA acts, taken from the EPA official timeline:
Clean Air Act passed in 1970 (ammended 1977, 1990).
Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act passed in 1972.
Ocean Dumping Act passed in 1972.
Safe Drinking Water Act passed in 1974 (ammended in 1986, 1996).
Toxic Substances Control Act passed in 1976.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act passed in 1976 (ammended in 1984).
Clean Water Act passed in 1977.
Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund) passed in 1980 (ammended in 1986).
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act passed in 1986.
Indoor Radon Abatement Act passed in 1988.
Ocean Dumping Ban Act passed in 1988.
Pollution Prevention Act passed in 1990.
Food Quality Protection Act passed in 1996.

Answer: Year of Water

Sounds like Chinese Astrology, doesn't it? One of Bush's policies is the Clear Skies Initiative in the Office of Air, however for some reason 2003 is the "Year of Water." Strange though as Bush cut the budget of parts of the Office of Water by 20%...