Project- Administrative Agencies - Research Paper Example

The paper will also present a personal critique of the agency and make recommendations for the agency’s future. Purpose for creation of Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency was created with the aim of merging related roles that were formerly administrated by different agencies and organizations. Its overall purpose was however the protection of “human health and the environment” from activities whose unregulated operations pollutes the environment (National Research Council, p. 8). The agency’s specific purposes are however diverse and includes ensuring measures for good quality of the atmosphere, ensuring that water and water bodies are free from pollutants, promoting hygiene among the society and implementing laws for safeguarding the environment.

Its purpose therefore majorly concerns environmental safety for healthy lives (National Research Council, p. 8). The agency’s parent act The Environmental Protection Agency was a creation of the “National Environmental policy Act”1 that was legislated in the year 1969 and signed in the year 1970 (National Research Council, p. 7). Under the acts provisions, the government declared intentions to ensure favorable living conditions that would forester human social, economic, and political developments.

The agency was then formed to implement the legislation with Congress’ approval under the name of ‘Environmental Protection Agency’ (National Research Council, p. 7) Historical background leading to the agency’s formation Environmental Protection Agency was a culmination of an already developed concern over the environment. Trends into its formation can be traced back to the industrial revolution error. Before the revolution, there existed few pollutants and the environment was considerably safe.

However, invention of motor vehicles and further additive to the locomotives’ fuels identified grounds for regulatory measures. As a result, the “Clean Air Act”2 was approved to regulate environmental concerns that had been created by smog. This was followed by another environmental legislation in the year 1965, “Motor Vehicle Pollution Act”3 that aimed at regulating motor vehicles emissions and the ‘Air Quality Act’4 was then formulated in the year 1967 to further control emissions.

Consequently, the Environmental Protection Agency, under the National Environmental Policy Act was created in the year 1970 to further the objectives of regulating environmental pollution. The agency was therefore created with the idea of facilitating a healthy environment through regulating pollution agents (Biggs, p. 377). Functions of the agency Functions of the agency majorly entail implementation of its objectives and extend to roles of implementing the objectives. One of the agency’s functions is therefore to ensure that air pollutants are eliminated for a quality environment.

Other functions include controlling chemical pollution and other forms of pollution as well as implementing rules that are set under its jurisdiction. The agency, through its statutory powers also formulates regulations to govern mass sources of pollutants such as agricultural and industrial sectors. It also issues license for operations and revokes licenses of operators who defy regulatory measures. The agency’s functions also include promoting awareness of its programs to the public and other stakeholders and