Environmental Protection Agency

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government established in Dec. 1970 to centralize government programs related to control of environmental pollution. The EPA employs more than 12,000 people, and through its Washington, D.C., headquarters and regional offices offers incentives to encourage cleanup efforts and enforces laws to curb pollution. The agency conducts research, provides technical assistance to states and cities, determines legal limits to pollution, and establishes timetables to bring polluters into line with standards.