EPA's Goals

[from 2003-2008 EPA Strategic Plan: Direction for the Future]

Goal 1: Clean Air and Global Climate Change
Protect and improve the air so it is healthy to breathe and risks to human health and the environment are reduced. Reduce greenhouse gas intensity by enhancing partnerships with businesses and other sectors.

Goal 2: Clean and Safe Water
Ensure drinking water is safe. Restore and maintain oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitat for fish, plants, and wildlife.

Goal 3: Land Preservation and Restoration
Preserve and restore the land by using innovative waste management practices and cleaning up contaminated properties to reduce risks posed by releases of harmful substances.

Goal 4: Healthy Communities and Ecosystems
Protect, sustain, or restore the health of people, communities, and ecosystems using integrated and comprehensive approaches and partnerships.

Goal 5: Compliance and Environmental Stewardship
Improve environmental performance through compliance with environmental requirements, preventing pollution, and promoting environmental stewardship. Protect human health and the environment by encouraging innovation and providing incentives for governments, businesses, and the public that promote environmental stewardship.

EPA's goals were previously stated as follows:

CLEAN AIR: The air in every American community will be safe and healthy to breathe. In particular, children, the elderly, and people with respiratory ailments will be protected from health risks of breathing polluted air. Reducing air pollution will also protect the environment, resulting in many benefits, such as restoring life in damaged ecosystems and reducing health risks to those whose subsistence depends directly on those ecosystems.

CLEAN AND SAFE WATER: All Americans will have drinking water that is clean and safe to drink. Effective protection of America's rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, and coastal and ocean waters will sustain fish, plants, and wildlife, as well as recreational, subsistence, and economic activities. Watersheds and their aquatic ecosystems will be restored and protected to improve public health, enhance water quality, reduce flooding, and provide habitat for wildlife.

SAFE FOOD: The foods Americans eat will be free from unsafe pesticide residues. Children especially will be protected from the health threats posed by pesticide residues, because they are among the most vulnerable groups in our society.

PREVENTING POLLUTION AND REDUCING RISK IN COMMUNITIES, HOMES, WORKPLACES AND ECOSYSTEMS: Pollution prevention and risk management strategies aimed at cost-effectively eliminating, reducing, or minimizing emissions and contamination will result in cleaner and safer environments in which all Americans can reside, work, and enjoy life. EPA will safeguard ecosystems and promote the health of natural communities that are integral to the quality of life in this nation.

BETTER WASTE MANAGEMENT, RESTORATION OF CONTAMINATED WASTE SITES, AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE: America's wastes will be stored, treated, and disposed of in ways that prevent harm to people and to the natural environment. EPA will work to clean up previously polluted sites, restoring them to uses appropriate for surrounding communities, and respond to and prevent waste-related or industrial accidents.

REDUCTION OF GLOBAL AND CROSS-BORDER ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS: The United States will lead other nations in successful, multilateral efforts to reduce significant risks to human health and ecosystems from climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, and other hazards of international concern.

EXPANSION OF AMERICANS' RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR ENVIRONMENT: Easy access to a wealth of information about the state of their local environment will expand citizen involvement and give people tools to protect their families and their communities as they see fit. Increased information exchange between scientists, public health officials, businesses, citizens, and all levels of government will foster greater knowledge about the environment and what can be done to protect it.

SOUND SCIENCE, IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL RISK, AND GREATER INNOVATION TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: EPA will develop and apply the best available science for addressing current and future environmental hazards, as well as new approaches toward improving environmental protection.

A CREDIBLE DETERRENT TO POLLUTION AND GREATER COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW: EPA will ensure full compliance with laws intended to protect human health and the environment.

EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT: EPA will establish a management infrastructure that will set and implement the highest quality standards for effective internal management and fiscal responsibility.

For more information about EPA's strategic goals, see the Agency's Strategic Plan.

EPA's Goals

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