Terminology Services

Vocabulary Catalog

Select a Vocabulary below to view associated terms and definitions. Select

under Link to Program Site to visit the program website associated with a vocabulary.

Indicates the vocabulary is included in the EPA's terminology repository.

Vocabulary Name	Publishing Organization	Topics
Underground Storage Tank Sites Guide Glossary	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Underground Storage Tanks	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: This glossary is from an EPA report titled "Expedited Site Assessment Tools for Underground Storage Tank Sites: A Guide For Regulators" (EPA 510-B-97-001) March 1997. The expedited site assessment (ESA) process is a framework for rapidly characterizing underground storage tank (UST) site conditions for corrective action decisions. This concept has been described with other names including: accelerated site characterization, rapid site characterization, and expedited site investigation.
Measuring Recycling Guidance Glossary	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Solid Waste	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Policy & Guidance, Sustainability & Green Living	Description: Standard definitions for terms used in recycling management. These terms and definitions are from the EPA report titled "Measuring Recycling: A Guide for State and Local Governments" (EPA530-R-97-011).
Federal Enterprise Architecture Glossary	Office of Management and Budget	Information Management/Systems, Policy & Guidance	Description: Defines concepts in the Federal Enterprise Architecture practice guidelines. This is not an EPA specific glossary.
Modeling Glossary	Office of Research and Development/Office of the Science Advisor, Policy, and Engagement	Policy & Guidance, Science & Research	Description: Terms established to promote consistency and consensus among environmental model developers and users.
Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Glossary	Office of Air and Radiation/Office of Atmospheric Protection/Stratospheric Protection Division	Air, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms to support the SNAP web site
Ag 101 Glossary of American Agriculture	Region 7	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Policy & Guidance, Sustainability & Green Living	Description: This glossary is associated with a training developed by EPA's Ag Center which is intended to provide a brief overview of American Agriculture. The training covers the primary commodities and the methods for producing them.
Greening EPA Glossary	Office of Mission Support/Office of Administration	Policy & Guidance, Sustainability & Green Living	Description: Terms supporting EPA's mission to protect human health and the natural environment by providing environmental sustainable and energy efficient buildings
Sediment Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of terms from the Protocol for Developing Sediment TMDLs technical guidance document (First Edition) (EPA 841-B-99-004).
RCRA Glossary of Terms	Region 8/Solid and Hazardous Waste Program	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance	Description: Common terms used to describe the EPA Region 8 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Program
Biocriteria Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology	Policy & Guidance, Science & Research, Water	Description: Glossary for biological assessment and biological criteria
Drinking Water Technical & Legal Terms	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water	Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: A dictionary of technical and legal terms related to drinking water.
Program Evaluation Glossary	Office of the Chief Financial Officer	Policy & Guidance	Description: The Program Evaluation Glossary contains words that reflect the contextual meaning of the language from both the social scientist and practioners point of view.
Pesticides Reregistration Glossary	Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention/Office of Pesticide Programs	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of abbreviations used in the pesticide reregistration process.
PRIA Fee Determination Glossary	Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention/Office of Pesticide Programs	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Policy & Guidance	Description: Pesticide registration improvement extension act (PRIA 3) definition of terms glossary.
Childrens Health Protection Glossary	Office of the Administrator/Office of Children's Health Protection; Office of Policy/National Center for Environmental Economics	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Health & Safety, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary to support efforts to protect children's health from environmental threats.
Total Maximum Daily Loads (303d) Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water	Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Terms that support the 303(d) list of impaired and threatened waters from the Clean Water Act
Docket-Related Terms	Office of Mission Support/Office of Enterprise Information Programs/Regulatory Support Division	Information Management/Systems, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance	Description: This glossary is associated with the EPA Dockets Center. EPA dockets provide the public with access to agency information in a wide variety of rulemaking and non-rulemaking areas. Dockets serve as a source of current and historical information on agency activities, including comments received from to public to inform agency decisions.
Records Glossary	Office of Mission Support/Office of Enterprise Information Programs/National Records Management Program	Policy & Guidance	Description: Common records management terms adapted from A Federal Records Management Glossary. National Archives and Records Administration, 1993.
Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans	Office of Mission Support	Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms used in the Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans Document (EPA/240/R-02/009).
Comprehensive Procurement Guideline Program Glossary	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance	Description: Defines terms common to the Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG) program.
Section 508: Accessibility Glossary	Office of Mission Support/Office of Information Management/Information Access and Analysis Services Division	Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms for the Section 508 Accessibility site with some definitions from the 508 standards.
Alternative Dispute Resolution Terms	Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights	Enforcement & Compliance, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance	Description: Terms encompassing various techniques for resolving conflict outside of court using a neutral third party. Of the different ADR approaches available, EPA New England relies primarily on mediation and facilitation.
Public Involvement Terms & Definitions	Office of International and Tribal Affairs	Policy & Guidance	Description: Definitions of the most commonly used Public Stakeholder Involvement Terms
State and Regional Policy Tracking Definitions	Office of Air and Radiation/Office of Atmospheric Protection/Climate Change Division/State and Local Climate and Energy Program	Climate Change, Policy & Guidance	Description: Definitions for states and regional climate and energy policies.
State and Local Climate and Energy Program Glossary of Terms	Office of Air and Radiation/Office of Atmospheric Protection/Climate Change Division/State and Local Climate and Energy Program	Climate Change, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms related to climate change and clean energy policies.
Land Disposal Restrictions Glossary	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Land Disposal Restrictions Program	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Policy & Guidance	Description: Terms applied in the Land Disposal Restrictions program
Environmental Management System Glossary	Region 4	Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms for the EMS which is in conformance with Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management.
Environmental Insurance and Risk Management Tools Glossary	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Policy & Guidance	Description: Terms used by the environmental insurance industry, transactional specialists, and other parties involved in using environmental insurance or risk management tools.
Lifecycle Assessment Principles and Practices Glossary	Office of Research and Development/Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response	Policy & Guidance, Science & Research	Description: Glossary of terms from the Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and Practices report (EPA/600/R-06/060).
Great Lakes: Quality Management Training - Data Review Glossary	Region 5/Great Lakes National Program Office	Ecosystems, Policy & Guidance, Science & Research, Water	Description: Glossary of data review and related terms used for the Great Lakes Quality Management Training Modules.
Great Lakes: Quality Management Training - Quality Glossary	Region 5/Great Lakes National Program Office	Ecosystems, General Environmental, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of quality-related terms used for the Great Lakes Quality Management Training Modules.
Superfund and RCRA Corrective Action Institutional Controls Glossary	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms to provide guidance for corrective action for Superfund and RCRA Institutional Controls. This glossary can be found in the fact sheet "Institutional Controls: A Site Manager's Guide to Identifying, Evaluating and Selecting Institutional Controls at Superfund and RCRA Corrective Action Cleanups" (EPA 540-F-00-005)
Great Lakes Quality Mgmt Plan Glossary	Region 5/Great Lakes National Program Office	Ecosystems, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary from the revised Great Lakes National Program Office Quality Management Plan Revision:03 (May 2008).
Grants and Debarment Glossary	Office of Mission Support/Office of Grants and Debarment	Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms to support the Grants and Debarment Training for Non-profit Recipient Organizations who are awarded EPA assistance agreements.
CADDIS Glossary	Office of Research and Development/Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment	Information Management/Systems, Policy & Guidance, Science & Research	Description: This glossary contains the terms and acronyms used in CADDIS. Some terms that are complex or controversial are discussed at length in Causal Concepts.
CADDIS: Causal Concepts	Office of Research and Development/Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment	Information Management/Systems, Policy & Guidance, Science & Research	Description: Explains how these concepts are addressed within the CADDIS methodology.
RCRA Corrective Action Terms and Acronyms	Region 3/Land and Chemicals Division	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Policy & Guidance	Description: Terms and acronyms that support the RCRA Corrective Action Program which focuses on investigation and cleanup of facilities that manage hazardous waste.
Environmental Review Training for Special Appropriations Grants Glossary	Office of the Administrator/Office of Policy/Office of Federal Activities/National Environmental Policy Act	Enforcement & Compliance, Policy & Guidance	Description: A list of key terms used in the Environmental Review Training for Special Appropriation Grants
Ag 101 Beef Glossary	Region 7	Policy & Guidance, Sustainability & Green Living	Description: Glossary of terms for beef production provided by Ag 101
Ag 101 Crop Glossary	Region 7	Policy & Guidance, Sustainability & Green Living	Description: Glossary for crop production terms provided by Ag 101
Ag 101 Dairy Glossary	Region 7	Policy & Guidance, Sustainability & Green Living	Description: Glossary for dairy production terms provided by Ag 101.
Ag 101 Pork Glossary	Region 7	Policy & Guidance, Sustainability & Green Living	Description: Glossary for the pork production chapter provided by Ag 101.
Ag 101 Poultry Glossary	Region 7	Policy & Guidance, Sustainability & Green Living	Description: Glossary for the poultry production chapter provided by Ag 101.
Communications Stylebook Glossary	Office of Inspector General/Office of Congressional and Public Affairs	Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms for the Stylebook for EPA Communication Product Standards
Compliance Guide for the Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production Point Source Category Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology/Engineering and Analysis Division	Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of terms from the document appendix of the Compliance Guide for the Concentarated Aquatic Animal Production Point Source Category (EPA 821-B-05-001)
Contracting-Related Terms	Office of Mission Support/Office of Acquisition Solutions	Policy & Guidance	Description: A list of acronyms and abbreviations for terms related to contracts.
Public Participation Terms	Office of International and Tribal Affairs	General Environmental, Policy & Guidance	Description: A glossary of terms used in the Public Participation Toolkit.
Watershed Planning Glossary of Terms	Office of Water/Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds	Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Key terms used in the Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters (EPA 841-B-08-002, March 2008).
Importing Vehicles and Engines Glossary	Office of Air and Radiation/Office of Transportation and Air Quality/Compliance Division	Air, Policy & Guidance	Description: The definitions of the terms and acronyms used in the process of importing vehicles and engines into the U.S..
EPA Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Glossary	Office of Mission Support/Office of Information Management/Data Management Services Division	Information Management/Systems, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary supporting the description of EPA CUI categories used in READ.
Discharges from Vessels of the Armed Forces Glossary	Office of Water	Enforcement & Compliance, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary contains terms used to describe discharges from vessels of the Armed Forces, which are regulated under the Uniform National Discharge Standards (UNDS).
RCRA Orientation Manual 2014 Glossary	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms used in the RCRA Orientation Manual 2014
Safety, Health, and Environmental Management System Terms and Definitions	Region 7	Health & Safety, Policy & Guidance	Description: Terms and definitions that apply to the US EPA Region 7 Environmental Management System (EMS) and/or Safety & Health Management System (SHMS).
NAAQS Glossary	Office of Air and Radiation/Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards	Air, Health & Safety, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms to support the NAAQS and Criteria Air Pollutant websites.
Forum on Environmental Measurements (FEM) Glossary	Office of Research and Development/Office of Science Advisor, Policy and Engagement	Policy & Guidance, Science & Research	Description: Terms that are commonly used in association with detection, quantitation, and calibration in environmental laboratories.
Health Effects Notebook Glossary	Office of Air and Radiation/Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards/Health and Environmental Impacts Division	Air, Health & Safety, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of Health, Exposure, and Risk Assessment Terms and Definitions of Acronyms
Office of Underground Storage Tanks Technical Terms	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Underground Storage Tanks	Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of technical terms derived from the evaluation of alternative cleanup technologies
Information Directives Glossary	Office of Mission Support/Office of Customer Advocacy, Policy and Portfolio Management/Policy Planning and Evaluation Division	Information Management/Systems, Information Policy, Policy & Guidance	Description: A glossary of key terms related to EPA information directives that provides a common understanding among customers and promotes appropriate and standardized usage.
RCRA Corrective Action Event Codes	Office of Land and Emergency Management/Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery	Emergencies, Enforcement & Compliance, Information Management/Systems, Land, Waste, & Cleanup, Policy & Guidance
America's Children and the Environment Terms	Office of the Administrator/Office of Policy/National Center for Environmental Economics	Chemicals/Toxics/Pesticides, Health & Safety, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms to support the America's Children and the Environment: Measures of Contaminants, Body Burdens, and Illness (Second Edition) (EPA 240-R-03-001)
Water Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers Glossary	Office of Water/Office of Wastewater Management/Water Permits Division	Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary of terms for the Water Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers manual
Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer Glossary	Office of Water	Laws, Regs, & Executive Orders, Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: The Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer (REUSExplorer) presents state laws and policies governing water reuse across the United States. The web search tool allows users to filter between sources of water, reuse specifications, and specific states to identify those regulations and guidelines meeting their search criteria. The terms contained in this glossary are used to standardize language for use in the REUSExplorer only. Though the list below indicates a “definition” for each term, the explanations for each term are simply broad descriptions and do not reflect any legal, regulatory, or other binding “definition.”
AgSTAR Handbook Glossary	Office of Air and Radiation/Office of Atmospheric Protection/Climate Change Division	Policy & Guidance, Sustainability & Green Living	Description: Definitions of technical terms used to support AgSTAR.
Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) Glossary	Office of Water	Policy & Guidance, Water	Description: Glossary for the Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) and Standards web application.
Environmental Information Quality Procedure Glossary	Office of Mission Support/Office of Enterprise Information Programs/Enterprise Quality Management Division	Information Management/Systems, Policy & Guidance	Description: Glossary of terms used in the EPA Directive No: CIO 2105-P-01.3, ASQ/ANSI E4 (2014) and CIO 2105.1 serve as the primary reference for the terms defined.
Web Taxonomy-Functions	Office of Mission Support/Office of Information Management/Information Access and Analytic Services Division	Information Management/Systems, Policy & Guidance	Description: Function or service that is covered by or related to the content.
Web Taxonomy-Coop & Assistance Topics	Office of Mission Support/Office of Information Management/Information Access and Analytic Services Division	Enforcement & Compliance, Information Management/Systems, Policy & Guidance	Description: Extensible list of topics related to environmental economics and policy referred to or associated with content.
Web Taxonomy-EPA Operations Topics	Office of Mission Support/Office of Information Management/Information Access and Analytic Services Division	Information Management/Systems, Policy & Guidance	Description: Topical terms that describe internal business operations of EPA
Thesaurus of Terms Used in Microbial Risk Assessment	Office of Water/Office of Science and Technology	Health & Safety, Policy & Guidance, Science & Research, Water	Description: This Thesaurus is a compendium of risk assessment terms found in frameworks, methodologies, and assessments.

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