Which organization designs and enforces programs to ensure environmental safety and purity?

• A. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• B. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• C. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• D. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Answer: (C)

Protecting the environment and ensuring its safety and purity is the job of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA develops nationwide standards and regulations to limit pollution and safeguard air, water, land, and ecosystems, then enforces those rules through inspections, permits, and penalties. It also administers key programs tied to major environmental laws like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act, coordinating with states to implement them. Other agencies focus on related areas—workplace safety, food and drug safety, or disease prevention—but not the broad, overarching environment. So, the organization tasked with designing and enforcing environmental safety programs is the EPA.