Rise in E.P.A. Penalties Against Polluters Comes With an Asterisk
The tally released Thursday showed a total of $1.6 billion in civil judicial and administrative penalties — money paid to punish polluters — the second largest amount in the last decade, with the single biggest amount of
that coming from Volkswagen, which agreed to pay a $1.45 billion penalty at the end of the Obama administration.
During that time frame, the agency sought civil penalties of about $50.4 million from polluters, which, adjusted for inflation,
was about 39 percent of what the Obama administration sought in the same time period under its first E. P.A.
In her statement, Ms. Bodine, who became enforcement director in December, said
that the agency had focused its enforcement efforts during fiscal 2017 on speeding up the cleanup of contaminated sites, “deterring noncompliance” as well as a philosophy of “cooperative federalism,” which has meant turning over enforcement responsibilities to states
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has released data showing a large increase in penalties against polluters,
as well $20 billion in commitments from companies to correct problems that have caused environmental damage.
represented activity during the government’s 2017 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, meaning the totals included the final three
and half months of the Obama administration, when some of the E. P.A.’s biggest cases were settled.
“A strong enforcement program is essential to achieving positive health
and environmental outcomes,” Susan Bodine, head of the enforcement division at the Environmental Protection Agency, said in a statement on Thursday.
