The EPA has released the annual enforcement and compliance figures. In 2010, the EPA took enforcement actions that required polluters to pay more than $110 million in civil penalties and commit to spend $12 billion for control, cleanup, and beneficial community projects.
The results of these enforcement and compliance actions are predicted to reduce pollution by more than 1.4 billion points.
“At EPA, we are dedicated to aggressively go after pollution problems that make a difference in our communities through vigorous civil and criminal enforcement,” says Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
EPA’s criminal enforcement program opened 346 new cases in 2010, which led to 289 defendants charged for environmental crimes, an all-time high in the last 5 years. 198 criminals were convicted, totaling $41 million in financial restitution.
“Our commitment to environmental enforcement is grounded in the knowledge that people not only desire, but expect, the protection of the water they drink, the air they breathe and the communities they call home,” says Giles.
Enforcement and compliances results will be interesting to monitor and analyze as we move into 2011.
EPA 40th Anniversary and Accomplishments
