Government's role in protecting the environment - Essay Example

GOVERNMENTS ROLE IN PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT Governments Role in Protecting the Environment Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a department known as Airport Environmental Program, which helps the government protect the environment. This program is done by implementing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal environmental regulations and laws. The government has instigated laws and regulations that ensures air at airports is of quality.

One of the way that the government protects the environment can be exemplified by the manner in which EPA has put forth mitigation measure in regards to emissions of lead by aircrafts. Aviation gasoline (avgas), which is used to power aircraft have a high content of lead. This prompted the agency in 2008 to change concentration of lead emitted in the airports from 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter to 0.15 microgram per cubic meter. This is a regulation that EPA has been monitoring to make sure that airports are complying through FAA.

FAA has also designed another program known as Voluntary Airport Low Emissions Program (VALE) that is supposed to make sure that all sources of airport ground emissions are reduced. The quality of the air is enhanced by this program as well as complying with Clean Air Act. VALE advocates for airport sponsors to use funds from Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs) and Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which can be used to finance electrifications of gate, purchasing vehicles with low emission and recharging and refueling stations.

These are some of the relentless efforts that the government through agencies such as EPA and FAA use to make sure that the environment is protected.ReferencesFAA, Airport Environmental Program. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/airports/environmental/