Environmental Protection Agency - Essay Example

With the wide scope and scale of EPA’s thrusts and issues spanning practically all facets of the environment, evaluation of specific policies to determine whether some identified programs promote business investment or discourages it need to focus on a specific focus. To achieve the aim of the essay, the cleanup activities promoted by the Superfund, would be used to evaluate policies that either promote or undermine business investment. Superfund Background The Superfund is specifically designed to address the cleanup activities needed for hazardous wastes.

The scope of the policies and guiding procedures to govern operations and activities under the Superfund are likewise vast encompassing areas such as the cleanup process and the site activities. Under the cleanup process, there are 10 major classifications with 44 indicated enforcement policies and guidance for implementation and direction. The site activities include 10 areas such as contacts and agreements, enforcements, worker health and safety, institutional controls, among others, that each have respective regulations and policies for due evaluation and implementation.

Assessment of Policies As revealed by Gale Encyclopedia of Espionage and Intelligence, “EPA provides outreach and educational activities for communities surrounding the toxic waste sites to raise awareness of risks, prevention and avoidance strategies, and to promote direct involvement in cleanup activities” (The Gale Group, Inc., 2004). The EPA, through the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), as one of the policy enforcement agencies, “aggressively goes after pollution problems that make a difference in communities through vigorous civil and criminal enforcement that targets the most serious water, air and chemical hazards.

OECA also advances environmental justice by protecting vulnerable communities” (EPA: OECA 2011, par. 1). The agency’s success in policy design and in enforcement relies on the joint collaboration and participation of other agencies, particularly with the Office of Administration and Policy (OAP) that “recommends national policy on issues pertaining to enforcement and compliance. OAP provides a wide range of administrative support services which includes: human resources, labor relations, budget, finances, contracts, grants, records management and management of the compliance and enforcement information on the Agency’s Web site” (EPA: OECA 2011, par. 13). The govening office in charge of policy design works in coordination with other offices to ensure that their policies are appropriately implemented and other appointed agencies monitor compliance to these regulations.

The other crucial agencies that participate in enforcement of policies include the Office of Civil Enforcement, Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training (OCEFT), Office of Compliance (OC), Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ), Office of Federal Activities (OFA), Federal Facilities Enforcement Office (FFEO), and Office of Site Remediation Enforcement (OSRE). With the clarity of explicitly stated policies, regulations and governing compendium, as well as the specific regulating offices tasked with enforcement and monitoring of compliance to