Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) Welcomed Back by Many
In a move welcomed by many, the use of Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) is back as part of settlement agreements in federal environmental enforcement cases.
Tag: environmental enforcement
An EPA Enforcement Roundup for Q2 2020
In the second quarter (Q2), the EPA finalized 165 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a decrease in enforcement actions—down from 188 penalties issued in Q1 for 2020. The actions taken resulted in $3,482,842 in fines. Here are some of the highlights.
UPDATED: EPA’s Civil Enforcement Policy During COVID-19 Pandemic
UPDATE: The EPA has added an addendum to this policy which states that it will terminate on August 31, 2020. The EPA reserves the right to terminate the policy sooner than August 31, but if the Agency chooses to do so, it will provide a 7-day notice period. To learn more, keep reading the original […]
The Latest Trends in EPA Enforcement
2020 has so far been defined almost entirely by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the public health crisis has affected environment, health, and safety (EHS) enforcement along with everything else. Let’s take a look at what’s been happening with enforcement at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from the pandemic’s effect on policy to some recently […]
12-Year Report Shows Downward Trend in EPA Enforcement
Between 2007 and 2018, every major measure of the EPA’s enforcement and compliance activities declined, states the Agency’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) in a report.
Enviro Enforcement Actions: An EPA Roundup for Q1 2020
In the first quarter (Q1), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized 188 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a significant increase in enforcement actions—up from 71 penalties issued in Q4 for 2019. The actions taken resulted in $4.1 million in fines. Here are some of the highlights.
EPA Outlines Civil Inspection Procedures in New Rule
The EPA has promulgated a final rule listing the general procedures (that is, procedures that are applicable under all federal statutes implemented by the EPA) Agency personnel must follow when conducting on-site civil inspections.
Our First EPA Enforcement Roundup of 2020
In the fourth quarter (Q4), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized 71 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a significant decrease in enforcement actions, down from 158 penalties issued in Q3 and 106 in Q2. However, the actions taken resulted in almost $2.5 million in fines. In […]
EPA Deals Out Big Fines in Q3
In Q3, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized 158 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. There was a definitive increase in enforcement actions, with only 106 penalties issued in the previous quarter. Here we highlight some of the biggest fines.
OECA Finalizes Policy on EPA-State Enforcement Partnership
The EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) has finalized a policy document titled Enforcing Effective Partnerships Between the EPA and the States in Civil Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Work. The intent of the document is to delineate to the extent possible how the EPA and states that are authorized to implement and enforce […]