Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Environmental Protection Agency officially began operations on the 2nd of December 1970 after President Richard Nixon signed an executive order ratifying the proposal. This action followed committee hearings in both the House and Senate that approved the reorganization plan.
William Ruckelshaus took the oath of office as the first administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency on the 4th of December 1970. He served from December 1970 until his resignation in 1973 before returning for a second term in 1983.
Congress passed major laws expanding EPA powers starting in 1970 including the Clean Air Amendments of 1970 which received approval on the 31st of December 1970. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments became law on the 18th of October 1972 establishing mandatory pollution control standards for water quality.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency maintains ten regional offices covering specific states and territories across the United States. Region 1 handles Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island and Vermont while Region 10 manages Alaska Idaho Oregon and Washington.
The Biden administration launched the Justice40 Initiative on the 21st of April 2023 aiming to direct 40% of benefits from major federal investments to ignored communities. These investments include climate programs clean energy projects and pollution reduction efforts guided by how agencies identified disadvantaged communities.