About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (October 3, 2003)

handle is hein.crs/crsahrj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS20982 Updated October 3, 2003 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Elevating the Environmental Protection Agency to a Department: Analysis of Major Issues Martin R. Lee Specialist in Environmental Protection Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary There is a history of bipartisan support for proposals that would elevate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from an independent regulatory agency to a federal department. The 101t, 102 n and 103r Congresses took action on the issue but reached no final agreement. The 107th Congress held three hearings on two bills. In the 108th Congress, H.R. 37 and H.R. 2138 propose such an elevation. The Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs of the House Committee on Government Reform held hearings on these bills on June 6 and September 9, 2003. The Administration supports a simple elevation of EPA. Among the current issues are whether access to the President would be enhanced and whether EPA would have heightened effectiveness in dealing with other federal departments and the states. Whether such an elevation would improve EPA's status in environmental negotiations with other nations, most of which place environmental officials at the ministerial level, is another issue. Some Members argue for keeping the bills focused on provisions directly relating to elevation and oppose addressing perceived problems with EPA in this legislative vehicle. Other Members contend that this is an opportunity to consider issues such as the quality of science used in the agency's regulatory decisions, the management of information, the use of risk estimates/analysis, as well as EPA' s mission. Background There is bipartisan support to elevate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), currently an independent agency in the executive branch, to a federal department. Executive Reorganization Plan Number 3 of 1970 created EPA by consolidating several programs, chiefly air, water and radiation, carried out by other departments at the time. The Agency began operating December 2, 1970, and the first Administrator was sworn in December 4, 1970. While independent of any other federal department, EPA is subject to the same general management laws as other federal agencies. Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most