EPA: The important steps taken on Climate Change?
By Dinesh Adhikari, Senior Student at NYCCT
The Environmental Protection Agency is one of the youngest governmental agency in the country. It operates from 10 different regions within the USA. Its main duties are to collect various types of data relating to water purity to soil contamination testing.
EPA is also focusing on one of the important issue that is going on right now, Climate Change. EPA is taking a number of steps to address the challenge of climate change. EPA is collecting various types of greenhouse gas emissions data which helps business and policy makers to track gas emissions trends and identify opportunities for reducing emissions and increasing efficiency. EPA is developing regulatory initiatives which help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as collaborating with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which enable the production of a new generation clean vehicles, improving fuel use, increasing efficiency and reducing GHG.
EPA has also issued final updates on July 14, 2016 to its new source performance standards to reduce emissions of methane-rich landfill gas from new, modified and reconstructed municipal solid waste landfills. According to a guideline, EPA hopes to reduce an estimated of 8.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Besides that, the EPA issued rules on the Clean Air Act for industries on May 12, 2016, updating the August 03, 2015 Clean Power Plan Act, and a series of rules relating Carbon Dioxide emissions that will help control greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles and engines, volatile organic compounds and toxic air pollutants coming from industries.
One Response
The EPA plays an important role in trying to sensitize and protect humanity from the dangers of unhealthy human habits that contribute to Global Warming etc. Although EPA obtains data on water quality and test of contaminated soils, I am of the opinion that this important body can play a much greater role in society by actively developing strategic plans to ensure ALL humans are involved in protecting Earth. Though it can be seen as being ideal, it is possible. Humans destroy themselves and topology due to lack of knowledge.