Laws, Regulations, Guidance and Dockets

We want you to find the answer you're looking for. In order to do that, you'll need to answer a few questions first:

1) Are you sure the federal government is the right level of government to contact?

Many environmental issues in your day-to-day life concern your state, local, or tribal government rather than U.S. EPA. For example, most people's local government manages trash collection. Your sewer system is generally managed by your local government, too. State and tribal governments carry out a lot of environmental monitoring programs, such as water quality monitoring. Even if we set guidelines or provide grants for monitoring, state or tribal governments often carry out the programs.

You can read more about which level of government handles specific environmental issues in EPA's Frequent Questions database. This database is also a good place to search for answers to your particular question. You can search by topic or by keyword.

If you've decided that your question should be directed to your state, local, or tribal government, you can find their contact information here:

• State governments (provided by USA.gov)
• State environmental agencies
• Local governments (provided by USA.gov)
• Tribal governments (provided by USA.gov)

2) Are you sure EPA is the right federal agency to contact?

If your answer to question #1 is "yes," then you need to decide whether or not EPA is the right federal agency to help you. Many environmental issues are addressed by other federal agencies. For example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service addresses most wildlife issues, including many issues pertaining to the Endangered Species Act. Environmental problems at your workplace are generally handled by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Read more about the distinctions between federal agencies in our Frequent Questions database.

It's always a good idea to search for your topic using a search engine (e.g., Google or Yahoo) to see which agencies provide information on your topic. If your question should be directed to another federal agency, you can find their contact information on USA.gov.

3) What part of EPA do you want to contact?

If your answer to question #2 is "yes," then you need to direct your question to the right part of EPA. Think about the issue(s) that your question pertains to. Does it pertain to air, water, waste, or another environmental topic? Is it a question about a particular law? If so, is it about the text of the law, EPA rules related to the law, or complying with the law?

Choose from the resources below to direct your question to the correct part of EPA:

• Report an environmental violation

• Comply with the law
  • Businesses
  • Citizens
  • Governments

• Learn about a law

• Learn about EPA's process for writing regulations

• Comment on a regulation

• Ask a question about specific regulations
  • Air
  • Emergency Response
  • Pesticides
  • Pollution Prevention
  • Radiation
  • Toxic Substances
  • Waste
  • Water

• Find an EPA office in your region

If you'd like to add information to or correct information on the Laws, Regulations, Guidance, and Dockets site, please submit your ideas to the Web manager at opei@epa.gov.