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How You Can Get Involved
Your participation can lead to better regulations. Learn how to:
- Comment on Our Regulations
- Comply with a Rule
- Get Updates on Regulations
- Search State-Specific Laws and Rules
- Read Our Agendas and Plans
- Access Our Docket Centers
- Visit Our Public Involvement Web Site
Comment on Our Regulations
- Regulations.gov - The multi-agency Web site Regulations.gov serves as a clearinghouse for materials related to EPA rulemakings and is EPA's official on-line comment system. See our instruction page for information on how to search for EPA documents on Regulations.gov.
- Federal Register Environmental Documents - Visit EPA's Federal Register Environmental Documents site to browse or search for Federal Register (FR) publications related to environmental protection. Proposed environmental regulations that have been published in the FR typically contain instructions about how to submit comments to EPA. Look for a section called "ADDRESSES" in a rule's preamble.
Comply with a Rule
Compliance simply means conformity with environmental laws and regulations. EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) explains how businesses, federal facilities, local governments, and tribes comply with EPA rules; how EPA monitors compliance; and EPA's incentives to encourage compliance.
Get Updates on Regulatory Information
You can get updates on EPA's rules and related activities in a variety of ways, depending on what you want to know. For example, you can subscribe to topic-specific listservs (e.g., air, water). You can also receive email notifications when we add documents to a rule's docket.
Search State-Specific Laws and Rules
Use State Resource Locators to access state-by-state environmental regulations, compliance assistance, and where applicable, permits and forms for a variety of topics. In addition, learn about the plans and programs your state has put in place under federal laws such as the Clean Air Act.
Read Our Agendas and Plans
EPA contributes an annual Regulatory Plan and Semiannual Regulatory Agenda to the U.S. government's Unified Agenda, which is published in the Federal Register. Our Regulatory Plans and Agendas broadly describe the regulatory activities that EPA will be undertaking over the next year; the Plan describes EPA's core priorities for the next fiscal year.
Access Our Docket Centers
A number of EPA docket centers collect information related to our regulations, such as background documentation and public comments about rulemakings. They are managed by the various offices (e.g., Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Water) that write the rules. Both hard copy and electronic materials are available in the docket centers' public reading room. You may also submit comments to the docket centers, in addition to submitting them via Regulations.gov.
Visit Our Public Involvement Web Site
This site provides an overview of the many ways EPA has and continues to engage the public in our decision-making processes.
