The EPA stands for Environmental Protection Agency which is an agency that has the authority to investigate and inspect for pollution on premises of a corporation. What the EPA does is if any company is in violation of the law, the EPA has authority to notify the state where the company is located, to give heavy fines and to notify the party being offended. The EPA has the right to sue, shut down or levy fine and even impose criminal penalties against the stakeholders involved.
Furthermore, the EPA has to enforce the laws and procedures that are supposed to be done by each company. The ethical analysis here is rights and justice as the ethical concept, of the people working for the company and the people living and working outside of the company in the environment. Again, as I put in our debate posting, the environment is also a stakeholder.
Finally, the main ethical concept to be concerned with here is moral rights. The people and the environment have the moral right to life and safety. People have the right to live and work in a safe environment. The EPA helps to enforce the laws, by giving fines, shutting down some businesses, as they are authorized to fine violators without having to go to court since 1990. In addition. Lawsuits can be given to private individuals. Therefore, the CEO and key personnel could be held liable. To this end, the EPA is important to our studies because they regulate so many different areas and it is a common factor in business having chemicals, and that is why it’s important to change the way business is run from the very beginning before it’s too late. Otherwise, the end result would be failure for any company here or abroad. With and without EPA involvement the environment and the people’s right will be violated (eGuide, 2009).
Original writing by Marlene Mendoza
Reference:
The Kaplan eGuide to ethics and the legal environment. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from Kaplan University on-line web site.
