The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the U.S. federal agency responsible for protecting human health and the environment. Established in 1970, it develops and enforces environmental regulations under laws including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA/Superfund), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
For the chemical industry, the EPA oversees the lifecycle of industrial chemicals—manufacture, import, processing, use, and disposal—maintains the TSCA Inventory, reviews new chemicals via Premanufacture Notices, and conducts risk evaluations that can lead to risk management requirements. It sets air emissions standards, including hazardous air pollutant controls for chemical facilities; regulates wastewater discharges through permitting; establishes hazardous waste rules for generators and treatment, storage, and disposal facilities; and oversees cleanups at contaminated and legacy industrial sites. The Agency also administers programs for fuels and fuel-additive registration and compliance, greenhouse gas and toxics reporting, and conducts inspections, compliance monitoring, and enforcement actions affecting chemical manufacturers, distributors, and downstream users.
