Environmental Protection Agency

Overview

What is your agency’s mission and how does supporting research in the Arctic advance that mission?

The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.

EPA works to ensure that:

• Americans have clean air, land, and water;
• National efforts to reduce environmental risks are based on the best available scientific information;
• Federal laws protecting human health and the environment are administered and enforced fairly, effectively and as Congress intended;
• Environmental stewardship is integral to U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy;
• All parts of society – communities, individuals, businesses, and state, local, and Tribal governments – have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks;
• Contaminated lands and toxic sites are cleaned up by potentially responsible parties and revitalized; and
• Chemicals in the marketplace are reviewed for safety.

To accomplish this mission, we:

• Develop and enforce regulations
• Give grants (nearly half of EPA’s budget goes into grants which support a wide variety of projects, from scientific studies that help inform decisions to community cleanups)
• Study environmental issues at laboratories throughout the nation
• Sponsor partnerships
• Teach people about the environment
• Publish information

Where would one go to find out what research is being funded by your agency in the Arctic?

Information can be obtained through the EPA in Alaska website. There is currently no consolidated funding list of funding opportunities for Arctic research, however EPA research in Alaska can be found at the following: https://www.epa.gov/research/epa-research-alaska.

Where would one go to read about scientific research results from your agency?

EPA's research website provides descriptions and results of research projects and events. Research products are available through the agency’s Science Inventory, which is a searchable database that provides product descriptions, contact information, and links to available printed material or websites. In addition, the Science Matters Newsletter highlights the latest research and results.

In terms of budget, approximately how big is your agency’s investment in Arctic research?

In fiscal year 2026, EPA received $8.82 billion in total enacted appropriations, with specific research activities largely funded through its Science and Technology Account (approx. $744M). In addition, Congress may also direct specific research projects. For example, through congressionally directed spending projects to entities like universities (i.e., studies on PFAS, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste Facility Feasibility in Alaska, etc.). Congress does not specifically appropriate Arctic research for EPA. Since research is delineated by topic instead of geographic region, EPA’s investment in the Arctic is not tracked.

What are your agency’s science priorities over the next two years?

EPA’s Region 10 identifies science priorities on an annual basis; the following priorities were identified for 2026:

1. Adaptation and Resilience – Rural Alaska Communities
   a. Improved waste management techniques to adapt to permafrost dynamics
   b. Refined geophysical mapping
   c. Health risks from Class III landfills
2.  Stormwater Toxins – R10 State Waters
   a. Addressing stormwater toxics, including tire wear particles 
   b. New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for endangered salmon and Orca (in the Pacific Northwest)
3. Persistent air quality challenges
   a. Wintertime PM2.5
   b. Exposure and health risk from prescribed versus wildland fires

How does your agency coordinate and collaborate with other agencies and organizations to advance your mission in the Arctic?

EPA collaborations with other agencies are formed on a topic-by-topic basis, and sometimes project-by-project. For example, EPA has partnered with Canada, as well as the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and U.S. Coast Guard, to evaluate oil spills in cold water.

EPA also has partnerships with Arctic and Alaska-based agencies, such as the state of Alaska, Denali Commission, and non-profit organizations, such as the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. These partnerships provide expertise and funding for activities, such as sanitation projects, research projects, and environmental program capacity building and development.

Activities in Alaska

Does your agency have office(s) in Alaska?

EPA has an Alaska Operations Office in Anchorage. Alaska is served by EPA's Region 10 Office located in Seattle. 

Does that office support research?

Several environmental programs are administered out of the Alaska Operations and Region 10 offices, including Contaminated Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Lands Assistance Program and the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) grants to Tribal governments and Tribal consortia in Alaska. Some of the activities funded through these programs include monitoring transboundary contaminants, compilation of observational science, monitoring of emerging contaminants, addressing contaminated lands, and baseline environmental monitoring.

Where can one go to learn more about your agency’s presence in Alaska?

Information is provided on the EPA in Alaska webpage.