Since its establishment in 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and our federal, state, tribal, and local government partners have made great progress toward making our air and water cleaner and safer and protecting and restoring our land. Our mission statement is clear: to protect human health and the environment. Today, however, we are dealing with some environmental issues far more complex than those of 20 or 30 years ago. The environmental problems we face in 2003 are more difficult to define, and possible solutions are more difficult to identify. Population growth, and the way resources are consumed to sustain this growth, are altering the Earth in unprecedented ways. Scientific advances and technological developments pose new issues for human health and environmental protection. Today more than ever, we recognize the need to look toward the future to anticipate potential threats to human health and the environment, establish clear priorities, and prepare ourselves for addressing them.

"September 30, 2003." "EPA-190-R-03-003"--Page 4 of cover. Includes bibliographical references.