I work with people from the EPA, and people trying to comply with EPA regulations. I didn’t understand the complexity of the organizational structure and the lack of technical expertise until I got this job.
There is a Federal EPA, and there are state EPAs as well, this is often true with the DEP as well. The point is, they are basically just big organizations that force people to comply with a bunch of paperwork, make sure they buy permits, and once in a while these government workers come out and do audits on laboratories. Most of the methods they prescribe are outdated, much more efficient methods that are also more accurate have been developed, but the EPA hasn’t added them to the “approved” booklet yet.
I could go on forever, but believe me, they are so far from being experts, that it’s not even funny.