ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY’S ROLE Sample Clauses

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY’S ROLE. Under most of the programs covered by this PPA, Congress gave EPA the initial responsibility for development and implementation. Many of these statutes also contain Congressional preference for delegation of the program to the states when states demonstrate capacity to carry them out. The federal resources allocated for program development and management are given to EPA annually by Congress. EPA has developed various mechanisms for implementation of the programs in partnership with the states. Given the evolving nature of this partnership, there will continue to be coordinated planning and priority setting between EPA and DEQ. These joint activities will occur as part of the development of future partnership agreements and on a more long-term, strategic basis, as needed. FEDERAL-ONLY ACTIVITY - In some cases, implementation of environmental programs is primarily a federal role, such as for non-delegated programs, Indian Country issues, and interstate problems. Even so, many of those activities require support and activity by the State. One example is the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) program, which is directly implemented by EPA, but relies heavily on state information and data. DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND STANDARDS - EPA is responsible, through its statutory management and rule-making authority, for determining the federal management structure for the program and minimum national standards. For many environmental programs, national standards have been set for the country. EPA's role is to assure that the efforts of all states are used to achieve baseline environmental quality throughout the country and, hence, to require that states adhere to a minimum set of national environmental standards. In addition, EPA facilitates resolution of interstate issues. Federal activity is geared to monitor consistency, national trends, and federal initiatives when standards are not met. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT - Often, the standards and guidance that are developed by EPA are the result of research and development that it has undertaken and funded. Development and testing of innovative technologies and similar initiatives are valuable components of many environmental programs. ASSISTANCE TO THE STATE - Due to its national experience, EPA is often able to provide technical assistance that may not be available to a particular state program. For example, EPA assists in building state capability to implement federal environment...