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(continued) serves as the principal science adviser to the Administrator, and is responsible for the development, direction, and conduct of a national research, development and demonstration program in: Pollution sources, fate, and health and welfare effects; pollution prevention and control, and waste management and utilization technology; environmental sciences; and monitoring systems. The Office participates in the development of Agency policy, standards, and regulations and provides for dissemination of scientific and technical knowledge, including analytical methods, monitoring techniques, and modeling methodologies. The Office serves as coordinator for the Agency's policies and programs concerning carcinogenesis and related problems and assures appropriate quality control and standardization of analytical measurement and monitoring techniques utilized by the Agency. The Office exercises review and concurrence responsibilities on an Agencywide basis in all budgeting and planning actions involving monitoring which require Heardquarters approval.

(a) Office of Acid Deposition, Environmental Monitoring and Quality Assurance. The Office of Acid Deposition, Environmental Monitoring and Quality Assurance (OADEMQA), under the supervision of an Office Director, is responsible for planning, managing and evaluating a comprehensive program for:

(1) Monitoring the cause and effects of acid deposition;

(2) Research and development on the causes, effects and corrective steps for the acid deposition phenomenon;

(3) Research with respect to the transport and fate of pollutants which are released into the atmosphere;

(4) Development and demonstration of techniques and methods to measure exposure and to relate ambient concentrations to exposure by critical receptors;

(5) Research, development and demonstration of new monitoring methods, systems, techniques and equipment for detection, identification and characterization of pollutants at the source and in the ambient environment and for use as reference or standard monitoring methods;

(6) Establishment, direction and coordination of Agencywide Quality Assurance Program; and

(7) Development and provision of quality assurance methods, techniques and material including validation and standardization of analytical methods, sampling techniques, quality control methods, standard reference materials, and techniques for data collection, evaluation and interpretation. The Office identifies specific research, development, demonstration and service needs and priorities; establishes program policies and guidelines; develops program plans including objectives and estimates of resources required to accomplish objectives; administers the approved program and activities; assigns program responsibility and resources to the laboratories assigned by the Assistant Administrator; directs and supervises assigned laboratories in program administration; and conducts reviews of program progress and takes action as necessary to assure timeliness, quality and responsiveness of outputs.

(b) Office of Environmental Engineering and Technology Demonstration. The Office of Environmental Engineering and Technology Demonstration (OEETD) under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for planning, managing, and evaluating a comprehensive program of research, development, and demonstration of cost effective methods and technologies to:

(1) Control Environmental impacts associated with the extraction, processing, conversion, and transportation of energy, minerals, and other resources, and with industrial processing and manufacturing facilities;

(2) Control environmental impacts of public sector activities including publicly-owned waste water and solid waste facilities;

(3) Control and manage hazardous waste generation, storage, treatment, and disposal;

(4) Provide innovative technologies for response actions under Superfund and technologies for control of emergency spills of oils and hazardous waste;

(5) Improve drinking water supply and system operations, including improved understanding of water supply technology and water supply criteria;

(6) Characterize, reduce, and mitigate indoor air pollutants including radon; and

(7) Characterize, reduce, and mitigate acid rain precursors from stationary sources. Development of engineering data needed by the Agency in reviewing premanufacturing notices relative to assessing potential release and exposure to chemicals, treatability by waste treatment systems, containment and control of genetically engineered organisms, and development of alternatives to mitigate the likelihood of release and exposure to existing chemicals. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Office develops program plans and manages the resources assigned to it; implements the approved programs and activities; assigns objectives and resources to the OEETD laboratories; conducts appropriate reviews to assure the quality, timeliness, and responsiveness of outputs; and conducts analyses of the relative environmental and socioeconomic impacts of engineering methods and control technologies and strategies. The Office of Environmental Engineering and Technology Demonstration is the focal point within the Office of Research and Development for providing liaison with the rest of the Agency and with the Department of Energy on issues associated with energy development. The Office is also the focal point within the Office of Research and Development for liaison with the rest of the Agency on issues related to engineering reseach and development and the control of pollution discharges.

(c) Office of Environmental Processes and Effects Research. The Office of Environmental Processes and Effects Research, under the supervision of the Director, is responsible for planning, managing, and evaluating a comprehensive research program to develop the scientific and technological methods and data necessary to understand ecological processes, and predict broad ecosystems impacts, and to manage the entry, movement, and fate of pollutants upon nonhuman organisms and ecosystems. The comprehensive program includes:

(1) The development of organism and ecosystem level effect data needed for the establishment of standards, criteria or guidelines for the protection of nonhuman components of the environment and ecosystems integrity and the prevention of harmful human exposure to pollutants;

(2) The development of methods to determine and predict the fate, transport, and environmental levels which may result in human exposure and exposure of nonhuman components of the environment, resulting from the discharge of pollutants, singly or in combination into the environment, including development of source criteria for protection of environmental quality;

(3) The development and demonstration of methods for the control or management of adverse environmental impacts from agriculture and other rural nonprofit sources;

(4) The development and demonstration of integrated pest management strategies for the management of agriculture and urban pests which utilize alternative biological, cultural and chemical controls;

(5) The development of a laboratory and fieldscale screening tests to provide data that can be used to predict the behavior of pollutants in terms of movement in the environmental, accumulation in the food chain, effects on organisms, and broad escosystem impacts;

(6) Coordination of interagency research activities associated with the health and environmental impacts of energy production and use; and

(7) development and demonstration of methods for restoring degraded ecosystem by means other than source control.

(d) Office of Health Research. The Office of Health Research under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for the management of planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive, integrated human health research program which documents acute and chronic adverse effects to man from environmental exposure to pollutants and determines those exposures which have a potentially adverse effect on humans. This documentation is utilized by ORD for criteria development and scientific assessments in support of the Agency's regulating and standard-setting activities. To attain this objective, the program develops tests systems and associated methods and protocols, such as predictive models to determine similarities and differences among test organisms and man; develops methodology and conducts laboratory and field research studies; and develops interagency programs which effectively use pollutants. The Office of Health Research is the Agency's focal point within the Office of Research and Development for providing liaison relative to human health effects and related human exposure issues (excluding issues related to the planning and implementation of research on the human health effects of energy pollutants that is conducted under the Interagency Energy/Environment Program). It responds with recognized authority to changing requirements of the Regions, program offices and other offices for priority technical assistance. In close coordination with Agency research and advisory committees, other agencies and offices, and interaction with academic and other independent scientific bodies, the Office develops health science policy for the Agency. Through these relationships and the scientific capabilities of its laboratories and Headquarters staffs, the Office provides a focal point for matters pertaining to the effects of human exposure to environmental pollutants.

(e) Office of Health and Environmental Assessment (OHEA). The Office of Health and Environmental Assessment, under the supervision of a Director, is the principal adviser on matters relating to the development of health criteria, health affects assessment and risk estimation, to the Assistant Administrator for Research and Development. The Director's Office: Develops recommendations on OHEA programs including the identification and development of alternative program goals, priorities, objectives and work plans; develops recommendations on overall office policies and means for their implementation; performs the critical path planning necessary to assure a timely production of OHEA information in response to program office needs; serves as an Agency health assessment advocate for issue resolution and regulatory review in the Agency Steering Committee, Science Advisory Board, and in cooperation with other Federal agencies and the scientific and technical community; and provides administrative support services to the components of OHEA. The Director's Office provides Headquarters coordination for the Environmental Criteria and Assessment Offices.

(f) Office of Exploratory Research. The Office of Exploratory Research (OER), under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for overall planning, administering, managing, and evaluating EPA's anticipatory and extramural grant research in response to Agency priorities, as articulated by Agency planning mechanisms and ORD's Research Committees. The Director advises the Assistance Administrator on the direction, scientific quality and effectiveness of ORD's long-term scientific review and evaluation; and research funding assistance efforts. The responsibilities of this office include: Administering ORD's scientific review of extramural requests for research funding assistance; developing research proposal solicitations; managing grant projects; and ensuring project quality and optimum dissemination of results. The OER is responsible for analyzing EPA's long-range environmental research concerns; forecasting emerging and potential environmental problems and manpower needs; identifying Federal workforce training programs to be used by State and local governments; assuring the participation of minority institutions in environmental research and development activities; and conducting special studies in response to high priority national environmental needs and problems. This office serves as an ORD focal point for university relations and other Federal research and development agencies related to EPA's extramural research program.

[50 FR 26721, June 28, 1985, as amended at 52 FR 30360, Aug. 14, 1987]

§ 1.47 Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
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The Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), under the supervision of the Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response, provides Agencywide policy, guidance, and direction for the Agency's solid and hazardous wastes and emergency response programs. This Office has primary responsibility for implementing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA—“Superfund”). In addition to managing those programs, the Assistant Administrator serves as principal adviser to the Administrator in matters pertaining to them. The Assistant Administrator's responsibilities include: Program policy development and evaluation; development of appropriate hazardous waste standards and regulations; ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations; program policy guidance and overview, technical support, and evaluation of Regional solid and hazardous wastes and emergency response activities; development of programs for technical, programmatic, and compliance assistance to States and local governments; development of guidelines and standards for the land disposal of hazardous wastes; analyses of the recovery of useful energy from solid waste; development and implementation of a program to respond to uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and spills (including oil spills); long-term strategic planning and special studies; economic and long-term environmental analyses; economic impact assessment of RCRA and CERCLA regulations; analyses of alternative technologies and trends; and cost-benefit analyses and development of OSWER environmental criteria.

(a) Office of Waste Programs Enforcement. The Office of Waste Programs Enforcement (OWPE), under the supervision of a Director, manages a national program of technical compliance and enforcement under CERCLA and RCRA. The Office provides guidance and support for the implementation of the CERCLA and RCRA compliance and enforcement programs. This includes the development of program strategies, long-term and yearly goals, and the formulation of budgets and plans to support implementation of strategies and goals. The Office provides program guidance through the development and issuance of policies, guidance and other documents and through training and technical assistance. The Office oversees and supports Regions and States in the implementation of the CERCLA and RCRA enforcement programs. The Office may assume responsibility for direct management of a limited number of CERCLA and RCRA enforcement actions which are multi-regional in nature or are cases of national significance. The Office serves as the national technical expert for all matters relating to CERCLA and RCRA compliance and enforcement. It represents the interest of the CERCLA and RCRA enforcement programs to other offices of the Agency. In coordination with the Office of External Affairs (OEA) and IO-OSWER, represents the program to external organizations, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Congress, U.S. Department of Justice and other Federal agencies, the media, public interest and industry groups, State and local governments and their associations and the public.

(b) Office of Solid Waste. The Office of Solid Waste, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for the solid and hazardous waste activities of the Agency. In particular, this Office is responsible for implementing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The Office provides program policy direction to and evaluation of such activities throughout the Agency and establishes solid and hazardous wastes research requirements for EPA.

(c) Office of Emergency and Remedial Response. The Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for the emergency and remedial response functions of the Agency (i.e., CERCLA). The Office is specifically responsible for:

(1) Developing national strategy, programs, technical policies, regulations, and guidelines for the control of abandoned hazardous waste sites, and response to and prevention of oil and hazardous substance spills;

(2) Providing direction, guidance, and support to the Environmental Response Teams and overseeing their activities;

(3) Providing direction, guidance, and support to the Agency's non-enforcement emergency and remedial response programs, including emergency and remedial responses to hazardous waste sites;

(4) Developing national accomplishment plans and resources;

(5) Scheduling the guidelines for program plans;

(6) Assisting in the training of personnel;

(7) Monitoring and evaluating the performance, progress, and fiscal status of the Regions in implementing emergency and remedial response program plans;

(8) Maintaining liaison with concerned public and private national organizations for emergency response;

(9) Supporting State emergency response programs; and

(10) Coordinating Office activities with other EPA programs.

(d) Office of Underground Storage Tanks. The Office of Underground Storage Tanks, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for defining, planning, and implementing regulation of underground storage tanks containing petroleum, petroleum products, and chemical products. In particular, this Office is responsible for overseeing implementation of Subtitle I of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as amended. The Office develops and promulgates regulations and policies including notification, tank design and installation, corrective action, and State program approvals. It also plans for an oversees utilization of the Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund established by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA).

[50 FR 26721, June 28, 1985, as amended at 52 FR 30360, Aug. 14, 1987]

§ 1.49 Office of Water.
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The Office of Water, under the supervision of the Assistant Administrator for Water who serves as the principal adviser to the Administrator in matters pertaining to water programs, is responsible for management of EPA's water programs. Functions of the Office include program policy development and evaluation; environmental and pollution source standards development; program policy guidance and overview; technical support; and evaluation of Regional water activities; the conduct of compliance and permitting activities as they relate to drinking water and water programs; development of programs for technical assistance and technology transfer; development of selected demonstration programs; economic and long-term environmental analysis; and marine and estuarine protection.

(a) Office of Water Enforcement and Permits. The Office of Water Enforcement and Permits, under the supervision of a Director, develops policies, strategies, procedures and guidance for EPA and State compliance monitoring, evaluation, and enforcement programs for the Clean Water Act and the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act. The Office also provides national program direction to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program. The office has overview responsibilities and provides technical assistance to the regional activities in both enforcement and permitting programs.

(b) Office of Water Regulations and Standards. The Office of Water Regulations and Standards, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for the Agency's water regulations and standards functions. The Office is responsible for developing an overall program strategy for the achievement of water pollution abatement in cooperation with other appropriate program offices. The Office assures the coordination of all national water-related activities within this water program strategy, and monitors national progress toward the achievement of water quality goals and is responsible for the development of effluent guidelines and water quality standards, and other pollutant standards, regulations, and guidelines within the program responsibilities of the Office. It exercises overall responsibility for the development of effective State and Regional water quality regulatory control programs. The Office is responsible for the development and maintenance of a centralized water programs data system including compatible water quality, discharger, and program data files utilizing, but not displacing, files developed and maintained by other program offices. It is responsible for developing national accomplishment plans and resource and schedule guidelines for monitoring and evaluating the performance, progress, and fiscal status of the organization in implementing program plans. The Office represents EPA in activities with other Federal agencies concerned with water quality regulations and standards.

(c) Office of Municipal Pollution Control. The Office of Municipal Pollution Control, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for the Agency's water program operations functions. The Office is responsible for developing national strategies, program and policy recommendations, regulations and guidelines for municipal water pollution control; for providing technical direction and support to Regional Offices and other organizations; and for evaluating Regional and State programs with respect to municipal point source abatement and control, and manpower development for water-related activities. The Office assures that priority Headquarters and regional activities are planned and carried out in a coordinated and integrated fashion, including developing and implementing data submission systems.

(d) Office of Drinking Water. The Office of Drinking Water, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for water supply activities of the Agency, including the development of an implementation strategy which provides the national policy direction and coordination for the program. This Office develops regulations and guidelines to protect drinking water quality and existing and future underground sources of drinking water, develops program policy and guidance for enforcement and compliance activities, and recommends policy for water supply protection activities. The office provides guidance and technical information to State agencies, local utilities, and Federal facilities through the Regional Offices on program planning and phasing; evaluates the national level of compliance with the regulations; plans and develops policy guidance for response to national, Regional, and local emergencies; reviews and evaluates, with Regional Offices, technical data for the designation of sole-source aquifers; designs a national program of public information; provides program policy direction for technical assistance and manpower training activities in the water supply area; identifies research needs and develops monitoring requirements for the national water supply program; develops national accomplishments' plans and resource schedule guidelines for monitoring and evaluating the program plans, and program performance, and fiscal status; develops program plans, and budget and program status reports for the water supply program; coordinates water supply activities with other Federal agencies as necessary; and serves as liaison with the National Drinking Water Advisory Council.

(e) Office of Ground-Water Protection. The Office of Ground-Water Protection, under the supervision of a Director, oversees implementation of the Agency's Ground-water Protection Strategy. This Office coordinates support of Headquarters and regional activities to develop stronger State government organizations and programs which foster ground-water protection. The Office directs and coordinates Agency analysis and approaches to unaddressed problems of ground-water contamination; is principally responsible for establishing and implementing a framework for decision-making at EPA on ground-water protection issues; and serves as the focus of internal EPA policy coordination for ground-water.

(f) Office of Marine and Estuarine Protection. The Office of Marine and Estuarine Protection, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for the development of policies and strategies and implementation of a program to protect the marine/estuarine environment, including ocean dumping. The Office provides national direction for the Chesapeake Bay and other estuarine programs, and policy oversight of the Great Lakes Program.

(g) Office of Wetlands Protection. The Office of Wetlands Protection, under the supervision of a Director, administers the 404/Wetlands Program and develops policies, procedures, regulations, and strategies addressing the maintenance, enhancement, and protection of the Nations Wetlands. The Office coordinates Agency issues related to wetlands.

[50 FR 26721, June 28, 1985, as amended at 52 FR 30360, Aug. 14, 1987]

Subpart C—Field Installations
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§ 1.61 Regional Offices.
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Regional Administrators are responsible to the Administrator, within the boundaries of their Regions, for the execution of the Regional Programs of the Agency and such other responsibilities as may be assigned. They serve as the Administrator's prinicipal representatives in their Regions in contacts and relationships with Federal, State, interstate and local agencies, industry, academic institutions, and other public and private groups. Regional Administrators are responsible for:

(a) Accomplishing national program objectives within the Regions as established by the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, Assistant Administrators, Associate Administrators, and Heads of Headquarters Staff Offices;

(b) Developing, proposing, and implementing approved Regional programs for comprehensive and integrated environmental protection activities;

(c) Total resource management in their Regions within guidelines provided by Headquarters;

(d) Conducting effective Regional enforcement and compliance programs;

(e) Translating technical program direction and evaluation provided by the various Assistant Administrators, Associate Administrators and Heads of Headquarters Staff Offices, into effective operating programs at the Regional level, and assuring that such programs are executed efficiently;

(f) Exercising approval authority for proposed State standards and implementation plans; and

(g) Providing for overall and specific evaluations of Regional programs, both internal Agency and State activities.