U.S. Government Resources: Environment

See more about this topic in the Dickinson Legal Research Resources:
DSL LegalLinks: Environmental Law
DSL LegalLinks: International & Foreign Law
International Environmental Research Guide and Bibliography
International Trade & the Environment Research Guide and Bibliography

Administrative Decisions and Other Actions
http://www.law.virginia.edu/govdocs/fed_decisions_agency.html

This website, a product of the University of Virginia Law School Library, contains links to Federal administrative decisions and other actions arranged in alphabetical order by
agency.

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC)
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/atsdrhome.html

The agency is the principle federal public health agency charged with the responsibility of evaluating human health effects from the exposure to hazardous substances. Access to journal articles, maps of hazardous waste sites, and other information.

AirData
http://www.epa.gov/air/data/index.html

Access to air pollution data for the United States.

Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative
http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/html-doc/econinit.htm

Information on the assessment, cleanup, and reuse of brownfields.

Building and Fire Research Information Service (BFRLRIS)
http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/bfrlris/

An on-line bibliographic database, accessible at no cost, which contains a vast collection of information on nearly any fire research related subject.

Bureau of Indian Affairs
http://www.doi.gov/bureau-indian-affairs.html

"The BIA website as well as the BIA mail servers have been made temporarily unavailable due to the Cobell Litigation," as of 8/5/03.

Bureau of Land Management
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/index.htm

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, administers 261 million surface acres of America's public lands, located primarily in 12 Western States. The Bureau sustains the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Candidate Conservation Program
http://endangered.fws.gov/candidates/index.html

Candidate species are plants and animals for which the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has sufficient information on to propose them as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, but for which a listing is precluded by other higher priority listings. The Candidate Conservation Program provides a means for conserving these species.

ChemSafety.gov
http://www.chemsafety.gov

U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is an independent, scientific investigatory agency whose mission is to prevent major chemical accidents at fixed facilities. The website offers a database of chemical incident reports.

Climate Information and Services
http://www.climateservices.gov

Provides information and data from various Federal Departments on climate programs, climate research, and climate prediction. Also includes links to international/global weather sites and information on weather-related degree programs.

Climate Prediction Center
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov

The CPC assesses and forecasts the impacts of short-term climate variability, emphasizing enhanced risks of weather-related extreme events, for use in mitigating losses and maximizing economic gains. The findings are issued as assessments, advisories, special outlook discussions, and bulletins, such as the Climate Diagnostics Bulletin.

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo

Congressional Research Service, part of the Library of Congress, prepares in-depth analytical reports on a wide variety of topics for the members of the U.S. Congress. CRS does not provide public access to the reports on its website and does not distribute these reports to the public. However, some reports are available online:

National Council for Science and the Environment
http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRS/index.cfm

The National Council for Science and the Environment, a non-profit corporation founded in 1990 to improve the scientific basis for environmental decision-making, posts full-text CRS reports on environmental and related topics.

Council for Regulatory Environmental Modeling (CREM)
http://cfpub.epa.gov/crem/index.cfm

CREM is a council of senior managers from the Environmental Protection Agency, which seeks to promote consistency and consensus among environmental model developers and users.

Council on Environmental Quality
http://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq

The Council coordinates federal environmental efforts and works with other agencies and White House offices in the development of environmental policies.

Department of Agriculture
http://www.usda.gov

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created by act of May 15, 1862. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life for the American people by supporting the production of agriculture, including areas of food supply, economic opportunities, and community and rural development.

Department of Commerce
http://www.commerce.gov

The Department of Commerce and Labor was created by the Act of February 14, 1903, and divided into separate departments in 1913. The Department of Commerce serves, promotes, and encourages the Nation's international trade, economic growth, and technological advancement.

Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/index.jsp

The U.S. Department of Education was established on May 4, 1980 by Congress in the Department of Education Organization Act. The Department establishes policy for, administers, and coordinates most Federal assistance to education. Its mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the Nation.

Department of Energy
http://www.doe.gov

The Department of Energy (DOE) was established by the Department of Energy Organization Act, effective October 1, 1977. The act consolidated the major Federal energy functions into one Cabinet-level Department. The Department of Energy's mission is to foster a secure and reliable energy system that is environmentally and economically sustainable; to be a responsible steward of the Nation's nuclear weapons; to clean up the Department's facilities; to lead in the physical sciences and advance the biological, environmental, and computational sciences; and to provide premier scientific instruments for the Nation's research enterprise.

Department of Health and Human Service
http://www.dhhs.gov

The Cabinet-level Department of Health, Education and Welfare, was created under President Eisenhower, officially coming into existence April 11, 1953. In 1979, the Department of Education Organization Act was signed into law, providing for a separate Department of Education. HEW became the Department of Health and Human Services, officially arriving on May 4, 1980. It is the principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, including programs focused on income security, financial assistance, mental and substance abuse, domestic violence, and aging.

Department of the Interior
http://www.doi.gov

The Department of the Interior was created by act of March 3, 1849, which transferred to it the General Land Office, the Office of Indian Affairs, the Pension Office, and the Patent Office, and reorganized in 1950. Its mission is to manage the Nation's public lands and minerals, national parks, national wildlife refuges, and western water resources and uphold Federal trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and our commitments to island communities. It is responsible for migratory wildlife conservation; historic preservation; endangered species; surface-mined lands protection and restoration; mapping; geological, hydrological, and biological science; and financial and technical assistance for the insular areas.

Department of Justice - Environment and Natural Resources Division
http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd

This division has primary responsibility for litigation on behalf of the United States regarding prevention and cleanup of pollution, environmental challenges to federal programs, stewardship of public lands and natural resources, acquisition of property for public needs, wildlife protection, and Indian rights and claims.

Department of Labor
http://www.dol.gov

The Department of Labor was created by act of March 4, 1913. The Department fosters and promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. In carrying out this mission, the Department administers a variety of Federal labor laws including those that guarantee workers’ rights to safe and healthful working conditions; a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay; freedom from employment discrimination; unemployment insurance; and other income support.

Department of State - Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
http://www.state.gov/g/oes

The Bureau manages bilateral and multilateral science and technology agreements and works to ensure effective international management of natural resources.

Department of Transportation
http://www.dot.gov

The U.S. Department of Transportation, created by act of October 15, 1966, establishes the nation's overall transportation policy. Under its umbrella there are 11 administrations whose jurisdictions include highway planning, development, and construction; motor carrier safety; urban mass transit; railroads; aviation; and the safety of waterways, ports, highways, and oil and gas pipelines. Decisions made by the Department in conjunction with the appropriate state and local officials strongly affect other programs such as land planning, energy conservation, scarce resource utilization, and technological change.

Disaster Finder
http://disasterfinder.gsfc.nasa.gov

Disaster Finder is a service developed and maintained by the NASA Earth Sciences Directorate. The web site offers a subject index to disaster related resources.

DOE Environmental Policy and Guidance
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oepa

Provides regulatory information effecting the Department of Energy including policies and strategies aimed at protecting the public and the environment.

Earthquake Search
http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/epic

This database provides information on earthquakes from 2100 B.C. to the present. It contains earthquakes with known magnitude values between 0.1 and 9.9.

EcoTox Database
http://www.epa.gov/ecotox

This database provides single chemical toxicity information for aquatic and terrestrial life. Peer-review literature is the primary source of the data which includes information on the species, chemical, test method, and results presented by the author. There are also data files prepared by various U.S. and international government agencies.

ehp Online
http://www.ehponline.org/

Formerly Environmental Health Information Service (EHIS), ehp Online offers access to Environmental Health Perspectives and other publications of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Depository libraries must use their external password in order to access the portions of this service that are fee-based; please ask the Gov. Docs. Librarian for the password. This service is restricted to one user at a time.

Energy Citations Database
http://www.osti.gov/energycitations

The Energy Citations Database, designed and developed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, provides bibliographic records for energy and energy-related scientific and technical information from1948 to the present. Citations include report literature, conference papers, journal articles, books, dissertations, and patents.

Environmental Appeals Board - published decisions since 1992
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oa/EAB_Web_Docket.nsf/statutes?OpenPage

Provides full-text access to all decisions published since 1992 by the Environmental Appeals Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The decisions are categorized by acts under which each appeal was pursued.

Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov

A well-organized website which features access to thousands of documents. Search by keyword or select from an alphabetical list of topics. EPA Dockets contains Federal Register notices, support documents, and public comments for regulations the agency publishes.

Environmental Protection Agency: Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center (ECDIC)
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/policies/index.html

The ECDIC is a central facility that provides public access to regulatory, case settlement, and other policy related information supporting the Agency's enforcement and compliance activities. As the central archive facility for all documents related to enforcement and compliance activities, ECDIC provides access to both internet accessible documentation and older hard copy documents that have been archived. Rulemaking documents may be searched in the EPA E-Dockets system. This system is a publicly available repository of federal register notices, support documents, and public comments for regulations the Agency publishes and various non-regulatory activities.

Environmental Protection Agency: Environmental Information Management System
http://www.epa.gov/eims

An environmental information management system (EIMS) developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD). Stores, manages, and delivers information about both current and past projects. Also provides a repository for scientific documentation. The site has three levels of access depending on the type of EIMS user.

Environmental Protection Agency: Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
http://www.epa.gov/owow/

Includes information about wetlands, protecting wetlands, and guides to protecting these natural resources. Memorandums and guidance documents are available for a variety of wetland topics.

Enviro$en$e
http://es.epa.gov

Provides a single repository for pollution prevention, compliance assurance, and enforcement information and databases.

Enviro-Science e-Print Service
http://www.epa.gov/eims/

The e-Print Service is no longer available. However, the listed site provides access to the EPA's EIMS database.

EPA Climate Change
http://epa.gov/climatechange/index.html

This site, provided as a public service by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, presents information on the issue of climate change and global warming.

EPA Envirofacts Data Warehouse
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/index_java.html

This website provides access to select environmental data.

EPA Newsroom
http://www.epa.gov/newsroom

Access to press releases, speeches, testimony, and headlines from news around the nation.

EPA Online Library Service (OLS)
http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/ols.htm

The Online Library Service consists of several databases that can be used to locate books, reports, and audiovisual materials on a variety of topics.

EPA Publications Source
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/publications.htm

This gateway site provides access to technical and public information from the Environmental Protection Agency. Source links include the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP), National Environmental Publications Internet Site (NEPIS), publications on the EPA site, and the Information Products Bulletin.

Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fema.gov

The Federal Emergency Management Agency - a former independent agency that became part of the new Department of Homeland Security in March 2003 - is tasked with responding to, planning for, recovering from and mitigating against disasters.

FedStats
http://www.fedstats.gov

Gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies. Search by subject or agency.

FOIA - Freedom of Information Office
http://www.epa.gov/foia

The EPA’s Freedom of Information Office studies the agency’s application of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The “Reading Room” provides access to final opinions, EPA statements of policy and interpretation, administrative staff manuals and instructions, and frequently requested records. Additionally, one may submit a request to the EPA for information not available through the site.

Forest Service
http://www.fs.fed.us

Manages the public lands in national forests and grasslands and is the "largest" forestry research organization in the world.

GeoCommunicator
http://www.geocommunicator.gov/GeoComm/index.shtm

The GeoCommunicator provides information on land management and land records for anyone involved in or interested in the management of lands within the United States.

Global Change Data and Information System
http://globalchange.gov

Gateway to global change information and data.

GLOBE Program
http://www.globe.gov/globe_flash.html

This site provides environmental education resources for students and educators including maps, statistics, and country information, on subjects such as hydrology, biology, atmosphere/climate, and others. The GLOBE program is supported by NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of State.

Guide to Federal Environmental Information and Statistics
http://yosemite.epa.gov/Guide/guide.nsf/AboutTheGuide/AboutTheGuide?opendocument

Directory of national-level information which is collected, analyzed, and disseminated by the U.S. government.

Hanford Site
http://www.hanford.gov

The 586-square-mile Hanford Site, located along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington State, is a plutonium production complex with nine nuclear reactors and associated processing facilities. Hanford played a pivotal role in the nation's defense for more than 40 years, beginning in the 1940s with the Manhattan Project. Today, under the direction of the U.S. Department of Energy, Hanford is engaged in the world's largest environmental cleanup project, with a number of overlapping technical, political, regulatory, financial and cultural issues.

Hazardous Substances Data Bank
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?HSDB

This database, which is part of TOXNET, focuses on the toxicology of potentially hazardous chemicals.

HazDat
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hazdat.html

A database, developed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, to provide access to information on the release of hazardous substances and on the effects of hazardous substances on humans.

House Committee on Energy and Commerce
http://energycommerce.house.gov

Since December 14, 1795, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the oldest legislative standing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, has served as the principal guide for the House in matters relating to the promotion of commerce and to the public’s health and marketplace interests.

House Committee on Resources
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov

The Committee's jurisdiction includes protecting public land and water resources; fish, wildlife, forest and national park conservation; mineral resources and mining interests, The U.S. Geological Survey, and much more.

HUD E-Maps
http://egis.hud.gov/egis

Healthy Communities Environmental Mapping - HUD E-Maps - is a free Internet service that combines information on HUD's community development and housing programs with EPA's environmental data.

Integrated Risk Information System
http://www.epa.gov/iriswebp/iris/index.html

Database of human health effects that may result from exposure to various substances found in the environment.

Local Climatological Data
http://www5.ncdc.noaa.gov/pubs/publications.html#LCD

This National Climate Data Center publication summarizes temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, wind speed and direction observations for several hundred cities in the U.S. and its territories. Data is in PDF format.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. Formed as a result of the Sputnik crisis of confidence, NASA inherited the earlier National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and other government organizations, and almost immediately began working on options for human space flight.

National Climate Data Center
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html

The center monitors the nation’s climate and records the trends and anomalies of weather and climate.

National Climate Data Center Publications
http://www5.ncdc.noaa.gov/pubs/publications.html

The National Climatic Data Center is providing no charge access for the Federal depository libraries to access their Online Document Library. Libraries may access the Monthly Climatic Data for the World, Storm Data, and Local Climatological Data via this controlled access site. The user must be in the library to access the database and libraries must protect the user id and password; please ask the Gov. Docs. Ask a librarian for the password. At this time there is no limitation on the number of concurrent users able to access the database.

National Earthquake Information Center
http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov

The National Earthquake Information Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey, is located in Golden, Colorado. It is the national data center and archive for earthquake information. The website includes a current worldwide earthquake list, earthquake posters, and an earthquake search database.

National Environmental Data Index
http://www.nedi.gov

Provides full text search of environmental information compiled by several agencies of the U.S. government.

National Environmental Publications Information System
http://nepis.epa.gov/

Over 9,500 full-text, on-line EPA documents.

National Estuary Program
http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries

Access to maps, program profiles, and newsletters.

National Geophysical Data Center
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov

The National Geophysical Data Center is part of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The website is divided into three main areas: data & information, educational resources, and news & features. Data can be found by searching by discipline, keyword or phrase, or by using one of the Online Data Access Systems.

National Image Library
http://images.fws.gov

The National Image Library contains public domain photographs of wildlife, plants, National Wildlife Refuges and wildlife work. All images are available for download and each comes with technical and bibliographic information.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
http://www.niehs.nih.gov

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, works to reduce human illness and disease resulting from environmental causes through biomedical research programs, prevention and intervention efforts, and communication strategies.

National Institute of Standards and Technology
http://www.nist.gov

The National Institute of Standards and Technology develops measurements, standards, and technology to promote productivity and enhance the quality of life.

National Institutes of Health
http://www.nih.gov

The National Institutes of Health is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the nation. It is an agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

National Marine Fisheries Service
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov

The Service rebuilds and maintains sustainable fisheries, promotes the recovery of protected species, and protects and maintains coastal marine habitats.

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
http://www.noaa.gov

As part of the Department of Commerce, NOAA’s mission is to describe and predict changes in the Earth's environment, and conserve and manage wisely the Nation's coastal and marine resources to ensure sustainable economic opportunities.

National Ocean Service
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/

This service develops the national foundation for coastal and ocean science, management, navigation, and restoration.

National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov

The National Park Service was established as part of the Department of the Interior on August 25, 1916. It is dedicated to conserving unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of all generations. There are 385 units in the National Park System, including national parks and monuments; scenic parkways, preserves, trails, river ways, seashores, lakeshores, and recreation areas; and historic sites associated with important movements, events, and personalities of the American past.

National Service Center for Environmental Publications
http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom

Over 7,000 titles available in hardcopy.

National Wetlands Inventory
http://www.nwi.fws.gov

Produces information on the characteristics, extent, and status of the Nation’s wetlands and deep water habitats.

Natural Disaster Reference Database
http://ndrd.gsfc.nasa.gov

The Natural Disaster Reference Database (NDRD) is a bibliographic database on research that relates to the use of satellite remote sensing for disaster mitigation. Although the database is no longer updated, it remains on-line as a resource for disaster research.

Natural Resources Conservation Service
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov

This service was established to assist private land owners in conserving water, soil, and other natural resources. The site features links to publications and special reports.

Natural Resources Conservation Service: Program Summaries
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs

This web page provides summaries of all programs offered through NCRS, as well as additional information links.

Natural Resource Conservation Service: Watersheds
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/watershed/index.html

The Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act authorizes the NRCS to cooperate with States and local agencies to carry out works of improvement for soil conservation and other purposes including flood prevention; conservation, development, utilization and disposal of water; and conservation and proper utilization of land.

Natural Resource Conservation Service: Wetlands
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp/

The Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. The NRCS goal is to achieve the greatest wetland functions and values, along with optimum wildlife habitat, on every acre enrolled in the program.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration
http://www.osha.gov

OSHA establishes protective standards and enforces those standards to promote a healthy, safe workplace.

Office of Administrative Law Judges - decisions and orders since 1996
http://www.epa.gov/aljhomep/orders.htm

Decisions and Orders, dating back to October 1996, originating from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of the Administrative Law Judge. Proceedings are brought before the ALJ under various environmental statutes, such as the Clean Air Act, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Office of Compliance and Enforcement
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/index.html

Working in partnership with state governments, tribal governments and other federal agencies, this EPA office ensures compliance with the nation’s environmental laws. The OCE seeks to maximize compliance and reduce threats to public health and the environment by employing an integrated approach of compliance assistance, compliance incentives and innovative civil and criminal enforcement.

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EERE)
http://www.eere.energy.gov/

The website provides information about the technologies the EERE is developing and serves as a portal to worldwide information about energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Office of Environmental Management
http://www.em.doe.gov/pages/emhome.aspx

Created to mitigate the risks and hazards posed by the legacy of nuclear weapons production and research.

Office of Fossil Energy
http://fossil.energy.gov

The Office of Fossil Energy is responsible for several Presidential initiatives aimed at developing environmentally sound energy technologies.

Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (Hazmat)
http://hazmat.dot.gov/hazhome.htm

The Office of Hazardous Materials Safety is responsible for coordinating a national safety program for the transportation of hazardous material by air, rail, highway, and water. The website provides information on rules and regulations, spills, and hazardous material enforcement.

Office of Naval Research: Oceanography
http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/default.htm

Contains various links to ocean facts and information, including Ocean in Motion, Habitats, Ocean Life, Ocean Water, Ocean Regions, Research Vessels, and Resources.

Office of Pesticide Programs
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides

The Office of Pesticide Programs produces science reviews of various pesticide studies, including toxicology, environmental fate and groundwater, ecological effects, and product chemistry. This web site provides access to over 22,000 cleared science reviews (confidential business information has been removed).

Office of Policy Analysis Virtual Reading Room
http://www.doi.gov/foia/readroom.html

Provides access to maps, scientific and technical information, and over 700 scholarly journals.

Office of Surface Mining
http://www.osmre.gov

This office, in cooperation with the states and Indian Tribes, works to protect the environment during mining and reclamation.

Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
http://www.epa.gov/owow

The Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW) promotes a watershed approach to manage, protect, and restore the water resources and aquatic ecosystems of our marine and fresh waters. Through its many programs, OWOW provides technical and financial assistance and develops regulations and guidance to support the watershed approach.

OpenTheGovernment.org
http://www.openthegovernment.org/

OpenTheGovernment.org is a non-governmental coalition of librarians, journalists, good government and environmental groups, and labor that fights to keep government information open to the public through alerts, reports and analyses from dozens of groups.

Recalls.gov
http://www.recalls.gov

Recalls.gov was created by six government agencies such as the FDA, USDA, EPA, and several others. The site is a "one stop shop" for information on U.S. Government recalls of unsafe, hazardous, or defective products. Information is arranged by categories such as consumer products, motor vehicles, boats, food, medicine, cosmetics, and environmental products. Features include the ability to receive newsletters from the various agencies.

Safe Drinking Water Information System
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/data/getdata.html

Water system information regarding violation, contaminants, and enforcement actions.

Sector Facility Indexing Project
http://www.epa.gov/sfipmtn1/

This database brings together information relating to compliance and inspection history, chemical releases and spills, and demographics of the surrounding population.

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
http://energy.senate.gov

Since its creation, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and its predecessors have considered, reported, and overseen some of the most important legislation ever enacted by the United States Congress. This far-reaching legislative activity includes: energy resources and development, nuclear energy, Indian affairs, surface mining, and water resources.

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
http://epw.senate.gov

The Committee is assigned the jurisdiction over endangered species, fish and wildlife refuges and programs, regulation of nonmilitary nuclear power, restoration and protection of land and water resources, and the Superfund program. Its public works jurisdiction has grown from oversight of new Federal building construction, additions to the U.S. Capitol building and grounds, and the White House and its grounds, to legislative responsibility for the development of the Nation's interstate highway system, flood control and navigation
projects.

Substance Registry System
http://www.epa.gov/srs

EPA's Chemical Registry System and Biology Registry System have been merged into this environmental substance reporting system. It provides information on substances and how they are represented in the EPA regulations and data systems.

Superfund
http://www.epa.gov/superfund

Superfund is the U.S. government’s plan to clean up the nation’s uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. The website offers information on waste site identification and cleanup.

Superfund Information Archived Sites
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/cursites/index.htm

This database contains information on sites that have been removed from the active Superfund list.

Superfund: 20 Years of Protecting Human Health and the Environment
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/20years/index.htm

This report recognizes the achievements of the Superfund program in addressing the dangers posed by toxic waste sites. The report highlights the evolution of this program from the first discoveries of toxic waste dangers through to the present day. Now entering its third decade, Superfund is continuing to meet the challenges of protecting human health and the environment from the hazards of chemical waste.

Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) National Database
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/topics.html

Browse topics on which information is available on the EPA’s website. Topics are arranged by alphabetically and by category.

Terms of Environment
http://www.epa.gov/OCEPAterms

Database featuring environmental terms, arranged alphabetically, and environmental abbreviations and acronyms.

Toxic Release Inventory
http://www.epa.gov/tri

Database containing information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities.

TOXNET (Toxicology Data Network)
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov

A collection of databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
http://www.usace.army.mil

The Army Corps of Engineers plans, builds, and operates water resources and other civil works projects. It also manages the construction of military facilities. The website provides access USACE regulations, circulars, manuals, and other documents.

U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB);
http://www.chemsafety.gov

The CSB is an independant federal agency that investigates chemical incidents and hazards, determines causes, and issues safety recomendations.

U.S. Climate Change Science Program
http://www.climatescience.gov

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program, which is sponsored by thirteen federal agencies, integrates federal research on global climate changes.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov

Although a relative newcomer to the Department of the Interior (1939), the Fish and Wildlife Service's programs are among the oldest in the world dedicated to the conservation of natural resources.

U.S. Geological Survey
http://www.usgs.gov

Independent fact-finding agency that collects, monitors, analyzes natural resource conditions, and issues.

U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program
http://earthquake.usgs.gov

Provides information on earthquake activity and earthquake science worldwide.

U.S. Geological Survey Environmental Affairs Program
http://water.usgs.gov/eap/

Through the USGS Environmental Affairs Program, the USGS has established policies to implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

U.S. Geological Survey Magnitude of Significant Earthquakes
http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/

The USGS Earthquake Magnitude Working Group compiled this list of significant earthquakes from around the world.

U.S. Geological Survey Mapping Information
http://mapping.usgs.gov

Geography, one of the four science disciplines in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), is responsible for building, maintaining, and applying The National Map. USGS Geography (formerly Mapping) provides scientific information to describe and interpret America's landscape by mapping the terrain, monitoring changes over time, and analyzing how and why these changes have occurred. The knowledge gained through these activities is used to model the processes of change and to predict future changes.

U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources of Pennsylvania
http://pa.water.usgs.gov

Water data, maps, publications and other information on Pennsylvania water resources.

U.S. Global Change Research Program
http://www.usgcrp.gov

The USGCRP was created as a research program on global environmental change. It coordinates the research of ten federal departments with active global change programs.

Water Quality Information Center
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic

The Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library (NAL) is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service. The center was established in 1990 to support USDA's coordinated plan to address water quality concerns. As the focal point of NAL's water quality efforts, the center collects, organizes, and communicates the scientific findings, educational methodologies, and public policy issues related to water quality and agriculture.

Where You Live
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/whereyoulive.htm

Users can find out more information about the environmental conditions in their community by entering their zip code, county or state. Topics include air, land, radiation, toxins, water, and waste.

Window to my Environment
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/wme

A website that provides a wide range of federal, state, and local information about environmental conditions and features in an area of your choice.

World Data Center System
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/wdc/wdcmain.html

The World Data Center System, originally established in 1957 to assist the scientists involved in the International Geophysical Year, provides access to solar, geophysical and related environmental data to scientists worldwide. The system is comprised of more than 40 centers located worldwide with each center devoted to a specific discipline. This website has links to all of the data centers, the World Data Center System Guide and conference presentations.

Yucca Mountain Standards
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/yucca/index.html

The U.S. Department of Energy has been studying the Yucca mountains in Nevada since 1978 to determine if the site would be suitable for a long-term repository for spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. This website provides information pertaining to the project.