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Environmental protection is a part of all levels of government. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the federal agency responsible for drafting and enforcing environmental regulations as requested by the US Congress.
The EPA is subdivided into regions, and Texas is part of Region 6.
The state agency's responsibilities vary from state to state; but overall this is the body, which represents the state to the EPA.
On a local level there are both county and municipal levels of involvement. Houston is part of the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) a local council of governments representing thirteen counties in East Texas.
The City coordinates with HGAC and Harris County on environmental initiatives.
Houston is the largest city in East Texas and strives to be a leader in environmentally preferable best practices.
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Environmental activities within the City's own operations and in the community are coordinated by the Mayor's Office. Elena Marks, an attorney who also holds a master's degree in public health, serves as Director of Health and Environmental Policy, and leads this effort on behalf of Mayor Bill White.
The Office of Environmental Programming - directed by Karl Pepple - is part of the Mayor's Office. The Health and Human Services Department contains an environmental division that is responsible for ensuring community-wide environmental quality in the areas of air and water quality, food safety, occupational health, children's health, and animal protection. Public Works, Solid Waste, Planning, Police, Fire, Legal, Building Services, Parks and Recreation departments, and Houston Airport System also include environmental staffs, which manage issues relating to each department's work.
The Mayor's Office works with all of these environmental specialists on a regular basis. Once a month, we convene a citywide meeting of the senior environmental staff to ensure full and open communication among all city personnel charged with responsibility for our environment.
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