ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ISSUES

• Jurisdiction: United States

Cleaning up the Public Domain: The Next Frontier
(Mar 1996)
CHAPTER 2B
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ISSUES
Nancy Mangone
Legal Enforcement Program Environmental Protection Agency—Region VIII
Denver, Colorado

MASTER MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

USDA-FOREST SERVICE

I. Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is to continue policies and administrative procedures for a working relationship between the Environmental Protection Agency and USDA-Forest Service in support of common objectives, interests, and statutory requirements and to avoid duplication of effort. This memorandum of understanding (MOU) builds on the general principles of cooperation, coordination, and communication established between the Forest Service and the Environmental Protection Agency under the original five-year MOU signed November 23, 1982.

Additional agency agreements may be developed to outline activities by and between individual work units as needed for specific tasks. Such agreements will provide for the use of facilities, personnel, reimbursement for personnel expenses, cooperative projects, transfer of funds, and other activities as appropriate and be subject to the laws and regulations pertaining to the respective agencies.

II. STATEMENT OF MUTUAL INTERESTS AND BENEFITS

This agreement is intended to facilitate the accomplishment of respective agency responsibilities and cooperative efforts, including consultation on policy matters and the mutual provision of research and technical assistance of both agencies in the conduct of programs affecting the quality of the environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency's responsibilities include reducing environmental risk through the prevention, control, and abatement of pollution in areas of air, water, solid waste, pesticides, noise, radiation and toxic substances. This entails setting and enforcing environmental standards, assessing and managing environmental risk, conducting environmental research, and assisting state and local cooperators.

The Forest Service has a responsibility for the stewardship of natural resources to ensure that multiple-use objectives can be met in the Nation's forests and grasslands. This is accomplished through an ecosystem approach to the management of the National Forest system, cooperation with state and private landowners through State Foresters, and research in the natural resource and environmental fields.

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The Agencies share a mutual interest in encouraging the...