Environmental Protection Agency Region 2

Environmental Protection Agency Region 2
Name	Environmental Protection Agency Region 2
Formed	1970
Jurisdiction	New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Federal facilities
Headquarters	New York City
Chief1 name	Region 2 Administrator
Parent agency	United States Environmental Protection Agency

Contents

Overview

Region 2 implements national United States Environmental Protection Agency policies in a densely populated and geographically diverse area that includes the New York metropolitan area, the Hudson River Valley, the Long Island Sound, the Puerto Rico Trench, and the Caribbean Sea. The office interfaces with stakeholders such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the United States Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, and municipal authorities in Philadelphia, Boston, Staten Island, and San Juan. Coordination extends to multilateral and bilateral actors including the Organization of American States, the Pan American Health Organization, and regional public authorities like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Region 2’s jurisdiction covers federal responsibilities in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands, plus oversight of federal facilities such as Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst and Naval Station Roosevelt Roads. Organizationally, the region aligns program offices for Air, Water, Superfund, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Emergency Response. Leadership interacts with the United States Congress committees like the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce, while legal actions coordinate with the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and the United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

Region 2 administers programs such as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, State Implementation Plan, Total Maximum Daily Load, and the Safe Drinking Water Act compliance efforts for systems in Newark, Brooklyn, San Juan. It leads remediation under the Superfund program at sites including the Hudson River PCB Superfund site, the Passaic River, and industrial properties in Kearny and Newark Bay. Climate and resilience initiatives tie to Obama-era plans, Biden initiatives, and multistate collaborations like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Renewable energy and clean transportation collaborations involve agencies such as the Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, New York Power Authority, and private actors like ExxonMobil, ConEdison, and PSEG.

Enforcement actions in Region 2 range from civil settlements to referrals to the United States Department of Justice under statutes like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Notable enforcement cases have involved companies such as General Motors, International Paper, and Walt Disney World (as a franchised corporate example), with coordination with state attorneys general including New Jersey Attorney General], New York Attorney General and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice. Compliance assistance teams work with entities including the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Port of New York and New Jersey, Palo Seco Power Plant, and utilities regulated by the New York Independent System Operator.

Key environmental issues include legacy contamination in the Hudson River, air pollution in the New York metropolitan area, coastal erosion on Long Island, hurricane impacts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and hazardous waste management at industrial corridors like the Chemical Coast. Public health overlaps involve institutions such as Columbia University, Mount Sinai Health System, New York University, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies. Cross-border and transboundary concerns address marine pollution in the Caribbean Sea, oil spill response with the United States Coast Guard, and migratory species protection linking to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration programs.

Region 2 engages communities through environmental justice outreach with groups such as WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Ironbound Community Corporation, El Puente, Casa Pueblo, and faith-based partners including Archdiocese of New York networks. Partnerships extend to academic institutions like Rutgers University, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Stony Brook University, Yale School of the Environment, and non-governmental organizations such as Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, and Environmental Defense Fund. Workforce and brownfield redevelopment programs involve the Economic Development Administration, Small Business Administration, and regional planning bodies like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Since establishment alongside the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, Region 2 has overseen major milestones including Superfund cleanups at the Hudson River PCBs Superfund site, designation of New York Harbor restoration initiatives, emergency responses to events like Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and implementation of air quality improvements tied to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Leadership transitions have included administrators who coordinated with presidents such as Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden on regional environmental policy. The region’s legacy includes litigation, collaborative restorations, and resilience planning with institutions like the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust.

Category:United States Environmental Protection Agency regional offices