Study: U.S. Environmental Enforcement Reaches New Lows
A study by the Environmental Integrity Project found that the number of criminal cases opened and polluters charged in 2021 were at their second lowest levels in the past two decades, with fines and years of incarceration at their lowest.
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A study by the Environmental Integrity Project has found that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement activities have dropped sharply since 2018, with activity, including criminal investigations and inspections, declining by about half between the 2018 and 2021 fiscal years, compared to the average yearly totals between 2002 and 2017, and civil penalties dropping 28 percent lower than between 2002-2017, while criminal fines declined 49 percent, reports Reuters.
Eric Schaeffer, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project and a former EPA director of civil enforcement, said the EPA’s capacity to enforce the country’s environmental laws has declined, partly because of budget cuts, with the agency’s resources dwindling since 2010 when they had an annual enacted budget of $10.3 billion and a staff of more than 17,000 people. The number of criminal cases opened (123) and polluters charged (105) in the 2021 federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 were at their second lowest levels in the past two decades, while fines and years of incarceration were at their lowest.
