EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA has a vast web presence but offers various means of navigating it. For basic information check out their "Learn the Issues" tab. More detailed scientific information on a variety of subjects is under "Science and Technology." There's also an interactive map for finding information by geographic area.
Here is their major page dealing with the topic of Sustainability.
Some other major subsidiary sites of EPA are:
- Learn about AirData on air pollution for the U.S.
- AirNow (EPA)Provides search access to the Air Quality Index to assess the quality of outdoor air by zip code, state, or current location.
- EnvirofactsProvides a sampling of environmental information for specific areas, which can be designated by zip code, city, county, or place name.Topics include toxic releases, air emission estimates, water discharge permits, etc.
- Environmental Education (EE)Resources for teachers and students.
- Exposure ResearchReports on research into the extent and nature of exposure of humans and ecosystems to environmental pollutants and other stressors. Includes links to databases of research publications as well as data on exposure itself.
- FuelEconomy.govInformation on automobile fuel efficiency, including EPA's fuel economy guide; you can also compare different cars' fuel efficiency, and there are links to more information.
- Green Vehicle GuideSearch for vehicle efficiency information on specific makes, models, and years.
- SuperfundInformation on individual hazardous waste sites as well as the problem of hazardous waste in general.
- Toxic Release InventoryReporting system for information on hazardous substances; data can be searched by various geographical areas or by substance.
- WetlandsEducational website for the general public dealing with wetlands and their protection
- Wastescovers conservation and management of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes
Science.gov
Search for sustainability topics using science.gov.
- Science.govOfficial US federal government portal to science-related information covering dozens of scientific fields.
More resources
- Climate Program Officeoutreach and educational resources, including curriculum and data, aiming to develop a "climate-smart" public
- Coastal Flood Risks (FEMA)information, maps, and documentation regarding coastal flood-prone areas of the US
- Data Snapshots: Reusable Climate Mapsdatasets and visualizations of climate information, from NOAA
- Fuel Economy.govDept. of Energy portal to information of all kinds on vehicle efficiency
- SciTech ConnectFree, publicly-available Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored research & development results including technical reports, bibliographic citations, journal articles, conference papers, books, multimedia, software, and data information, developed by the US DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI).
Some important reports in the Library's government documents stacks:
- President's Council on Sustainable Development (President Clinton). PR 42.8:SU 8/ . Reports on energy, transportation, natural resources, etc.
- Climate Action Report. S 1.2:C 61/2/ . 1994, 1997, 2002. Submissions of the U.S. under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Some years are available online
Environment/Weather
- Coastal Flood Risks (FEMA)information, maps, and documentation regarding coastal flood-prone areas of the US
- State Water Plan
information used by the Texas Water Development Board in water planning; includes projections of needs, supplies, and possible strategies - Texas Commission on Environmental QualityInformation on a variety of environmental topics for the public, businesses, and government. Their Publications Catalog offers extensive online content.
- Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.Information on state parks, historical sites, hunting and fishing regulations
- Texas Railroad Commissionoversees energy regulation and development, including oil and gas
- Texas Water Development BoardStatistics and other information on topics such as drought, groundwater, conservation, and desalination research (along with other innovative technologies)
- Texas Water Development Board: Water Resources Planningthis site is rich with historical, current, and projections data concerning water use and demand
- Virtual Landscapes of TexasCollection of digitized documents reflecting early writing on the geology and environment of Texas
- Weather.gov Watches/Warnings/Advisories for TexasFor specific city information and forecasts go to their home page (weather.gov) and enter the city name or zip code for the area you need
Water Agencies & Issues
- Bexar Regional Watershed Managementfloods & floodplain information
- Texas Reservoir LevelsInteractive map built from the Texas Water Development Board's Water Data for Texas that visualizes the current state of Texas' reservoirs.
- Texas Water Development Board: Population and Water Demand Projectionslarge amount of data concerned with projections of water use and demands
San Antonio & Bexar County
- Municipal Archives & Recordssearch historical records, maps, vital stats, and more; some collections go back to the city's founding
Environmental Information from the Government
Major tools for finding government information:
- Government Information Sources in Science & Technologygeneral guide to major government websites in science; there are separate tabs for Earth Science and Environment/Energy
- Government Databasescompilation of government-provided, freely available databases; in particular, see the Science/Technology tab
- Science.govOfficial US federal government portal to science-related information covering dozens of scientific fields.