United States Government Agencies Quiz

Answer: Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was the agency created. President Nixon submitted "Reorganization Plan No. 3" to Congress on 1970. The order stated that the national government was "not structured to make a coordinated attack on the pollutants which debase the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land that grows our food".

He proposed the EPA be created to bring "together into one agency a variety of research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities now scattered through several departments and agencies".

The EPA administers over two dozen statutes, including the "Clean Air Act", "Clean Water Act", "Endangered Species Act", and "Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act".

Answer: Health and Human Services

The Department of Health and Human Services also includes the National Institutes of Health, the Indian Health Service, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, and about a dozen other organizations.

Answer: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

The Minerals Management Service was responsible for administering the oil and gas leasing program, collecting revenue from bonus bids, royalties and rentals, and implementing safety and environmental laws until after the Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill in 2010.

The agency was reorganized after that, and eventually split into three agencies in October 2011. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is now responsible for managing development of the nation's offshore resources, including leasing areas for oil and gas development.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue now collects revenue from these activities, while the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement enforces safety and environmental regulations.

Answer: Agriculture

In 2012, the U.S. Forest Service managed 193 million acres of forest and grasslands. In addition to the Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also includes well over a dozen other organizations, including the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Economic Research Service.

Answer: Treasury

The Department of Treasury is a cabinet level department responsible for managing finances, collecting taxes, duties and monies paid to and due to the U.S. and paying all bills of the U.S., currency and coinage, managing government accounts and the public debt, supervising national banks, and investigating and prosecuting tax evaders, counterfeiters, and forgers.

Answer: Commerce

Both of these agencies are part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is part of the Department of Commerce. The mission of the National Ocean Service is to "provide science-based solutions through collaborative partnerships to address evolving economic, environmental, and social pressures on the country's oceans and coasts".

The National Marine Fisheries Service is responsible for the management, conservation and protection of living marine resources within the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone (water three to 200 mile offshore).

Answer: Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management manages more onshore lands than any other agency. The lands are managed and held in trust for the benefit of present and future generations. These lands are used by the American people for a whole host of activities, including: recreation, cattle grazing, both conventional and renewable energy development, mineral development, and resource protection.

This agency, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are all part of the Department of the Interior.

Answer: Occupational Safety and Health Administration

The Occupational Safety and Health Act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is part of the Department of Labor, a cabinet level department that also includes numerous other agencies, including the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Office of Disability Employment Policy, and the Employment and Training Administration.

Answer: Transportation

The Department of Transportation includes a dozen or so other agencies. In addition to the ones regulating railroads, aviation and pipelines, the Department also has several agencies that deal with vehicle and highway travel, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Surface Transportation Board, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Answer: Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security was created by the "Homeland Security Act of 2002." It also includes Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the U.S. Secret Service.