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The EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) has issued a draft document on enhancing planning and communication between the Agency and the states in civil enforcement and compliance assurance.
For those who prefer to read rather than listen, check out this transcript of a recent episode of our EHS on Tap podcast, wherein we’re talking with Ian Cohen, Product Marketing Manager for Cority’s Safety, Environmental, and Sustainability Solutions, about the complex array of federal and state environmental regulations (and deregulations) shaping today’s compliance landscape.
Since President Donald Trump occupied the White House, the EPA has been methodically revising its approach to enforcement. One important policy change occurred in summer 2018 when the Agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) announced that the National Enforcement Initiatives (NEI) program, the OECA’s triannual prioritization of the country’s top noncompliance problems, would […]
Second to the rollback or potential rollback of major air, water, and vehicle regulations issued by the Obama EPA, new Democratic leaders in the House seem most alarmed by what they perceive to be the current EPA’s changed stance on enforcement.
Although delayed by the government shutdown, the EPA has finalized regulations adjusting its civil penalties to account for inflation. Therefore, effective February 6, 2019, the maximum civil penalties that the EPA may impose for violations of various environmental statutes have increased by just over 1 percent.
The results of the November 2018 midterm elections could have an impact on environmental policy and enforcement. Less noticed than the takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives by the Democrats, but also significant, were victories by Democrats in four state attorney general (AG) contests. Nationwide, the voting shifted the balance in favor of Democrats, […]
Using data from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a liberal environmental group, reported that the EPA’s criminal enforcement division under President Donald Trump is reaching new lows in the number of referrals for prosecution it makes to the DOJ.
Although the EPA is at the moment essentially crippled in the midst of the ongoing government shutdown, we have a few enforcement items to report from late 2018. Our latest roundup of five cases includes RCRA, EPCRA, and TSCA violations.
The EPA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) are investigating thousands of barrels, apparently stored out in the open and containing chemicals, on a Rocky Top property.
While our September 2018 environmental enforcement roundup isn’t as dramatic as some of our other recent reports, it still provides valuable lessons for organizations that want to avoid becoming the next statistic. It’s also worth noting that a provider of environmental services (which you’d think would know compliance backwards and forwards) made this month’s list, […]