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The EPA has assessed approximately $84 million in hazardous waste material violations in the last 5 years, according to the Agency’s ECHO database. Risk managers are tasked with understanding and ensuring compliance with numerous EPA regulations. Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in expensive penalties and, in some cases, prison time.
In response to complaints by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), on August 25, 2020, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced it would open a review of the penalties the EPA has assessed against San Francisco due to sewer overflows.
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.
Two recent Clean Air Act (CAA) settlements—one in Iowa and the other in Kansas—serve as a reminder for companies to review their risk management plans (RMPs) to ensure compliance with the EPA’s Chemical Accident Prevention requirements.
In June 2019, the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance announced its six National Compliance Initiatives (NCIs) for fiscal years 2020 through 2023. Before the Trump administration, the Agency referred to this program as its National Enforcement Initiatives. Regardless of the title, the program identifies sectors or types of activities that are in need […]
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.
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.
The temporary policy the EPA issued March 26, 2020, to explain noncompliance situations in which the Agency will exercise enforcement discretion during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a rush of letters from Democratic members of Congress who were concerned that the Agency intended to allow major sources of air pollution to violate their regulatory limits. Enforcement […]
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 […]
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.