Policy and Procedures for Using Social Media at EPA

Social media is an effective way for the agency to reach people and fulfill its mission to educate and inform the public about protecting human health and the environment.

When creating content for social media, employees must follow the social media procedures and policies listed below. These procedures and policies include external linking guidance for social media posts, information about Section 508 requirements, EPA logo and seal use, and how to employ "plain language."

Only EPA employees and EPA contractors (under the direct supervision of EPA employees) are permitted to post to agency social media accounts. Student interns, fellows, and SEE enrollees are not authorized to post to agency social media accounts.

EPA’s Social Media Policy establishes principles for the use of social media at EPA. The related social media procedures establish the required steps for using social media to communicate with the public and provide information about what to consider when representing EPA online in an official capacity.

• Social Media Policy (pdf) (450.2 KB)
• Using Social Media to Communicate with the Public Procedure (pdf) (285.9 KB)
• Representing EPA Online Using Social Media Procedure (pdf) (303.26 KB)
• See also: Managing Social Media Records (Procedure to support CIO 2155.5: Records Management Policy)