As an environmental studies major (social sciences track—got to keep my sanity as the prototypical Wash. U. pre-med), it was always my dream to intern or work for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I had no idea I would get the opportunity right after freshman year. Interning at the EPA this summer, I learned the nuts and bolts of how our government handles broad issues such as pollution and globalization. In my environmental studies classes, we had discussed the impacts of these issues but never specifically how the issues themselves are addressed.

One topic that really interested me in my Intro to Environmental Studies: Social Sciences class last semester was how environmentalism in the United States can cause problems in Third World countries. When environmental laws are passed in the United States that tighten regulations or outlaw harmful processes, manufacturing companies often outsource production to poor countries instead of cleaning up their manufacturing processes. As a result, poor people bear a disproportionate burden of landfills, radioactive material and untreated wastewater, among other environmental hazards. The people who are most disenfranchised and least able to protect themselves are most likely to be exploited. This is why it is so crucial to strengthen and enforce the environmental laws in developing countries, especially.

That’s where the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance comes in. A large part of what my supervisor Cheryl Wasserman’s job entailed was providing training in other countries to strengthen the enforcement of environmental laws, and to make sure corporations complied with them. Under the Central America Free Trade Agreement-Dominican Republic, several environmental provisions took effect in Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. For every mine, dam, hotel or any major project that is proposed, there is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that assesses the impacts and alternatives to a project. During the training sessions, people who work at the EPA equivalents in these countries are trained to perform EIA reviews.

Ideally, when countries around the world have environmental laws that are enforced and complied with, corporations won’t be able to outsource production to poorer areas, and socioeconomic status won’t affect access to basic resources. I find it ironic that the United States trains a large number of environmental enforcement programs in other countries, yet at the same time the United States was a major holdback to international climate negotiation in Kyoto. Globalization and outsourcing of production make environmentalism about so much more than just the environment. It’s about the infrastructure of governments, human rights, health, the economy and the way people around the world live.