California Environmental Law & Policy Update: GAO Investigating EPA’s Low Enforcement Numbers
From: JD Supra “The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has launched an investigation into declining enforcement actions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against companies accused of violating EPA’s pollution standards during the Trump administration. A GAO ...
EPA Lax On Enforcement, Says Environmental Group
From: Boise State Public Radio “The critical analysis comes from the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. It shows the federal government referred significantly fewer cases to the Department of Justice than it has in years past. “Under the Trump ...
With the Government Shut Down, Is Your Water Safe?
From: The Nation “The shutdown adds more disorder to the government’s halting efforts to keep communities lead-free. As the top enforcer of the Safe Drinking Water Act and lead-safety protections in the “Lead and Copper” rule, the EPA sets regulatory standards and guidelines for ...
Firm at Center of Hunters Point Fraud Scandal Rewarded With More Government Work
From: Curbed SF “Tetra Tech, the engineering firm paid more than $250 million by the U.S. Navy to remove radioactive contamination from San Francisco’s Hunters Point has so far escaped any serious punishment, with a $7,000 fine from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission waived on ...
EPA Prosecutions Against Polluters Lowest in 30 Years
From: Fortune “Of the 166 cases referred last year for prosecution, just 62 federal convictions were secured, the lowest since 1995. Jeff Ruch, executive director of the organization Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, told Fortune in an email that the decline in criminal ...
EPA Prosecution of ‘Egregious’ Pollution Cases at a 30-Year Low
From: Courthouse News “According to Justice Department data gathered by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the EPA opened 166 criminal cases against polluters in 2018 – 60 percent less than in 2011, and 72 percent less than 1988. When asked for comment, the EPA ...
