Established in 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the agency responsible for coordinating and executing federal policy on the environment. The EPA administrator’s primary responsibilities as head of this agency include creating and enforcing standards and regulations on matters such as pollution and air and water safety. Since September 11, 2001, the EPA has also worked on issues of homeland security relevant to the environment, such as decontamination in the event of a terrorist attack.

The EPA administrator’s goals are to

-advise the president on environmental policy and related issues of human health; and
-foster a leadership role for the United States in international debates over environmental issues.