The Environmental Protection Agency and crisis response – many are unaware that these two actually go hand-in-hand. What exactly does the Environmental Protection Agency have to do with crisis management in the US? Read on as we cover this particular facet of this federal agency’s “protection” abilities and goals.
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Agency Primary Function
To understand where and when this agency gets involved with domestic crises, one must first understand the core role of the agency. This agency was formed specifically with environmental protection and sustainability in mind. This is with an additional concern for where these factors specifically affect human health and wellness. Per the agency and quite simply put, the core driving mission is “to protect human health and the environment.”
In Crisis Control and Remediation
In matters of crises, the agency thus uses all of its pull and power delegated to it for its core missions in order to affect the particular crisis at hand. The Environmental Protection Agency is not specifically intended to be an emergency management type of agency, but in its abilities and resources, it is able to act in such a capacity in environmentally related situations. This is all administered by separate offices and departments within the actual agency itself.
Specific Roles at Crisis
For those wanting to know more about the specifics of this agency’s capabilities and involvement in domestic crises, plenty can be learned from taking a look to the agency’s Office of Land and Emergency Management, or OLEM, and the Office of Em. Management, or OEM. These are the primary administrative arms that are designated to handle crises of concern to the agency.
OLEM is a division of the agency that is primarily concerned with crises that involve radioactive, biological, and chemical crises and dangers. If there were a mass exposure of dangerous biological contaminants, for example, this particular office would be highly involved in the situation. It may then head efforts or even work in conjunction with other crisis management agencies to handle the event.
On the other hand, OEM is the more broad arm of crisis management wielded by the agency. Within this department, agency specialists of all kinds are poised to handle any number of events related to environmental and human health. This is also the arm most likely to work in a broad array of conjunction with other, crisis-handling agencies. Such incidents of concern for the department could include mass fires, mass animal or crop deaths, natural disaster events, matters of environmental pestilence and disease, and many others.
As stated by the office, “OEM works with other federal partners to prevent accidents and maintain incident response capabilities. We provide information about response efforts, regulations, tools, and research that help the regulated community, government entities, and concerned citizens prevent, prepare for, and respond to impending crises. OEM administers several environmental statutes, including the Oil Pollution Act.”
It certainly can be comforting that there are several government agencies that are tasked with handling domestic crises of all types. The Environmental Protection Agency is one of these important assets and leads the crisis-managing charge when it comes to issues of human-environmental health. For additional resources and information on the subject of the Environmental Protection Agency and its involvement in emergency management and response, the agency can be contacted directly by visiting its website and following the contact links found therein.