A view of a busy highway as heavy smog engulfs the city of Beijing, where air quality is rated as ‘hazardous’. City authorities ordered many factories to scale back emissions and were spraying water at building sites to try to tamp down dust and dirt that worsen the noxious haze
Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA
Environment news, comment and analysis from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk
Release Date: 01/09/2013
Contact Information:
(01/09/13 – ATLANTA) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its fiscal year (FY) 2012 enforcement results. The results highlight EPA’s civil and criminal enforcement efforts to address pollution problems that have the greatest impact on communities and public health, including a reduction of 1.7 billion pounds of pollution to the nation’s air, water and land, 191,645 pounds of hazardous waste, and $ 34,876,733 million in civil/judicial and criminal penalties to deter violations of the law. In addition to achieving progress seen by such traditional measures, EPA has also made gains to reduce relatively smaller amounts of pollution that have substantial health impacts on communities, such as improvements in compliance with drinking water standards and efforts to reduce high toxic sources of air pollution.
“We are committed in Region 4 to ensuring that pollution problems that impact our communities and neighborhoods are addressed through vigorous civil and criminal enforcement,” said Gwen Keyes-Fleming, EPA Region 4 Administrator.
Respondents in the Region 4 states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, and on tribal lands will invest more than $ 1.11 billion in pollution control and cleanup and will implement more than $ 10,872,264 million in Supplemental Environmental Projects. States received $ 16,196,392 million settlement paid out to the states as co-plaintiffs.
“Enforcement plays a vital role in protecting communities from harmful pollution,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “We are using vigorous enforcement, as well as innovations in monitoring and transparency, to reduce pollution violations, protect and empower communities and focus on the environmental problems that matter most.”
FY 2012 results include:
• Sustained and focused enforcement attention on serious violators of clean drinking water standards has resulted in improvements in compliance. The number of systems with serious violations has declined by more than 60 percent nationwide in the past three years as a result of combined federal and state enforcement work, protecting people’s health through safer drinking water.
• More than 67 percent of large combined sewer systems serving people across the country are implementing clean water solutions to reduce raw sewage and contaminated stormwater and more are underway. EPA is working with communities to design integrated solutions to these water quality problems, and incorporating innovative and cost effective green infrastructure to save money and achieve multiple community benefits.
• EPA is bringing criminal prosecutions where criminal activity threatens public health, like sending untreated and contaminated wastewater to municipal wastewater treatment plants. In the region, there were 54 cases initiated, 40 defendants charged, 178 months and 62 days of incarceration, 576 months of probation, $ 1,370,162 paid in restitution, and $ 2,901,500 paid in fines. See Criminal Crimes Cases in the Southeast for information on this case and others.
• EPA is taking enforcement actions against violators of environmental regulations in environmental justice communities. See utility case example. Additionally, EPA is incorporating fenceline monitoring, which requires companies to monitor their air emissions and make that data available public, into settlements, ensuring that local residents have access to critical information about pollution that may be affecting their community. See an oil refinery case example.
• EPA is increasing transparency to use the power of public accountability to help improve environmental compliance. EPA’s 2012 enforcement actions map provides information about violators in communities. EPA’s state dashboards and Clean Water Act pollutant loading tool provides the public with information about local pollution that may affect them and allows the public to take a closer look at how government is responding to pollution problems.
• EPA continues its efforts to protect the environment by redeveloping, revitalizing, and reusing areas that were previously complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Over $ 8 million was spent in 2012 to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse Brownsfields in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and Kentucky.
More information about EPA’s FY 2012 enforcement results:
http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/data/eoy2012/index.html
Trees used in biofuel manufacturing processes might actually be worsening European air pollution levels and causing close to 1,400 annual deaths, warn scientists.
Widely-considered an environmentally-friendly alternative to greenhouse gas-producing fossil fuels, biofuels are derived from biological materials like photosynthetic plants. These plants have only just died, where the materials used in fossil fuels are long-deceased.
Right now, the EU has specific 2020 climate change goals, including increased uptake of alternative fuels, biofuels among them.
Just released, a report on the state of biofuel production highlights a chemical that, when it mixes with airborne pollutants, creates a toxic ozone mixture that presents a human health risk. This biofuel tree chemical’s called isoprene and it’s emitted by a range of trees including willows, eucalyptuses and poplars, all used in biofuel production.
If the EU biofuels target’s met, the potential’s there for isoprene to be released in volumes high enough to kill almost 1,400 people each year, the scientists say.
“Growing biofuels is thought to be a good thing because it reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere”, explained Lancaster University’s Nick Hewitt – one of those involved in this study. “What we’re saying is yes, that’s great, but biofuels could also have a detrimental effect on air quality. Large-scale production of biofuels in Europe would have small but significant effects on human mortality and crop yields.”
The new biofuels air pollution impact report appears in the current edition of Climate Change. It stops short of comparing, like for like, how biofuels and fossil fuels each affect human health since, according to Hewitt, the two scenarios can’t yet be looked at in this way.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 140,000 deaths recorded over the past four decades can be attributed to climate changes, especially in undeveloped nations.
The study advocates establishing biofuel plantations in sparsely-populated areas and, perhaps, drawing on genetic engineering to modify isoprene output as two ways to limit the build-up of toxic ozone and, potentially, lower this death figure.
Freshwater ecosystems are seemingly being polluted by toxic materials released during oil sands mining procedures, says researchers in Canada.
The oil sands pollution spread scenario involved toxins less concentrated than in urban lakes, they say but, even so, the situation’s been gradually getting worse in recent years.
The specific toxic materials involved are known as PAHs – Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons – and, while they occur naturally in nature, they’re also associated with fossil fuel production. Certain PAHs, including benzo(a)pyrene, are known carcinogens and, according to the US EPA, all PAHs tend to linger in the environment for long time periods. In particular, the majority of PAHs don’t deconstruct in water too readily.
The Canadian oil sands pollution researchers found PAH levels in freshwater ecosystems up to 23 times higher than at the start of the 1960s. The rise in PAH levels, they explained, had occurred as oil sands had been developed and, significantly, it seems that the PAHs have travelled some 90 kilometres out from their original source.
The new study will likely further fuel oil sands mining critics’ views: opponents of the scheme who link it to toxic sludge ponds, increased greenhouse gas emissions and wider ecosystemic damage. Meantime, oil sands mining’s backers say it’s necessary, if Canada’s going to be well-enough equipped to cope with worldwide energy price hikes.
‘Analyses of sediment cores from five lakes near major oil sands operations and remote Namur Lake demonstrate that modern PAH concentrations and fluxes…are well above ‘natural’ pre-development levels’, wrote the oil sands PAHs pollution researchers.
That said, ‘The ultimate ecological consequences of decades-long increases in aquatic primary production, coupled with greater PAH loadings to lakes in the oil sands region, are unknown and require further assessment’, they added.
“We’re not saying these are poisonous ponds but it’s going to get worse”, head researcher Professor John Smol stressed. “It’s not too late but the trend is not looking good.”
Image copyright The Interior – Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Defra have awarded £2 million worth of air quality grants to 36 local authorities across England. The grants, which have been awarded to those authorities who have demonstrated innovative plans to tackle air pollution in our towns and cities, will fund 42 projects all over the country.
In particular, funding has been provided to support the investigation of Low Emission Zones, and to help create guidance and tools for local authorities who want to decrease emissions. Money has also been given to authorities who want to develop the way they communicate air quality messages to their local communities.
Environment Minister Lord de Mauley said:
“Air quality has improved significantly in recent years; however, we need to keep striving to improve the air we breathe. This £2 million air quality grant will help local communities take matters into their own hands. Without this money, many innovative projects would never see the light of day.
“In previous years, similar grants have been used very creatively to address air pollution. This is exactly the type of action that should be encouraged and I’m looking forward to reviewing the success of the projects this time next year.”
An emphasis was placed on projects that could secure additional funding from other sources, so as to strengthen the project outcomes and ensure cost-effectiveness.
The authorities who receive funding will need to provide Defra with a progress report by Autumn 2013, so that the success of each project can be monitored and to show how the money is being spent.
The air quality grant programme is now in its fifteenth year and so far over £50 million in grants has been given to support local air quality actions across England.
Notes
This grant scheme operates under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003.
The criteria for the grant period 2012/13 was similar to last year’s in that it focused in the main on supporting projects which tackle nitrogen dioxide emissions.
Below is a full list of the grants that have been issued in the first round.
Projects to be funded under the second-round funding stage are not included in this list, as their projects are still to be assessed, but will be reported on shortly.
|
Lead Authority |
Project description |
Grant Award |
|
Birmingham – joint bid (W Midland) |
Continuation of Low Emission Strategies and Low Emission Zones feasibility work in West Midlands |
£150,000 |
|
Bradford MDC 2 (joint bid) |
West Yorkshire LES/LEZ bid |
£150,000 |
|
Cambridge City council |
Fleet and Emissions characterisation for City Council. |
£60,000 |
|
Corporation of London -1 |
Proposed CityAir App and taxi emissions reduction scheme |
£58,000 |
|
Exeter City Council |
Low Emission Zone/Low Emission Strategy feasibility study |
£60,000 |
|
Herefordshire District Council |
Modal Shift Park and cycle |
£59,930 |
|
LB Borough Islington |
Air Quality Campaign Days |
£60,000 |
|
LB Camden |
City Air: Rollout of CityAir communication tools to support business engagement on air quality |
£20,000 |
|
LB Camden (joint bid) |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools: Rollout of Cleaner Air 4 Schools tools to support engagement with schools on air quality |
£60,000 |
|
LB Croydon |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Ealing |
Scenario Development for NO2 emissions reductions |
£49,000 |
|
LB Hackney |
Zero Emissions Network |
£60,000 |
|
LB Haringey |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Hillingdon joint bid |
Emissions modelling desk tool |
£30,000 |
|
LB Islington |
CityAir Rollout |
£20,000 |
|
LB Southwark |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Sutton |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Tower Hamlet |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Wandsworth |
CityAir Rollout |
£20,000 |
|
LB Wandsworth |
Emissions reduction analysis |
£8,621 |
|
LB Westminster |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Westminster joint bid |
CityAir Rollout |
£20,000 |
|
Leicester City Council |
Continuation of LEZ feasibility to Business case stage |
£60,000 |
|
Lewes Council |
Modal shift through cycling and LEZ parking |
£46,000 |
|
Mid Devon DC – joint bid |
Low Emission Strategies Partnership bid |
£150,000 |
|
Newcastle City Council |
Travel reduction and awareness raising campaign |
£60,000 |
|
Northampton Borough Council |
Support for LEZ feasibility study |
£65,000 |
|
Portsmouth City Council |
Investigation of traffic management strategies |
£60,000 |
|
RB of Kensington & Chelsea |
CityAir Rollout |
£20,000 |
|
Sefton MBC |
Ecostars fleet recognition Scheme |
£30,000 |
|
South Gloucestershire Council |
Traffic Management |
£17,000 |
|
St Albans DC |
Freight Management Plan for St Albans |
£25,800 |
|
St Albans DC |
Traffic emissions modelling |
£50,500 |
|
Swale Council |
Freight Management Plan |
£17,000 |
|
Teignbridge Council |
Investigation of bus emissions strategy and Freight transfer Depot |
£27,950 |
|
Warrington Council |
Ecostars |
£30,000 |
|
Waverley Council - 2 |
LES Feasibility Study |
£60,000 |
|
York City Council - 1 |
Implementation of LES measures |
£94,490 |
|
York City Council – 2 |
Traffic simulation and modal shift |
£54,490 |
Defra have awarded £2 million worth of air quality grants to 36 local authorities across England. The grants, which have been awarded to those authorities who have demonstrated innovative plans to tackle air pollution in our towns and cities, will fund 42 projects all over the country.
In particular, funding has been provided to support the investigation of Low Emission Zones, and to help create guidance and tools for local authorities who want to decrease emissions. Money has also been given to authorities who want to develop the way they communicate air quality messages to their local communities.
Environment Minister Lord de Mauley said:
“Air quality has improved significantly in recent years; however, we need to keep striving to improve the air we breathe. This £2 million air quality grant will help local communities take matters into their own hands. Without this money, many innovative projects would never see the light of day.
“In previous years, similar grants have been used very creatively to address air pollution. This is exactly the type of action that should be encouraged and I’m looking forward to reviewing the success of the projects this time next year.”
An emphasis was placed on projects that could secure additional funding from other sources, so as to strengthen the project outcomes and ensure cost-effectiveness.
The authorities who receive funding will need to provide Defra with a progress report by Autumn 2013, so that the success of each project can be monitored and to show how the money is being spent.
The air quality grant programme is now in its fifteenth year and so far over £50 million in grants has been given to support local air quality actions across England.
Notes
This grant scheme operates under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003.
The criteria for the grant period 2012/13 was similar to last year’s in that it focused in the main on supporting projects which tackle nitrogen dioxide emissions.
Below is a full list of the grants that have been issued in the first round.
Projects to be funded under the second-round funding stage are not included in this list, as their projects are still to be assessed, but will be reported on shortly.
|
Lead Authority |
Project description |
Grant Award |
|
Birmingham – joint bid (W Midland) |
Continuation of Low Emission Strategies and Low Emission Zones feasibility work in West Midlands |
£150,000 |
|
Bradford MDC 2 (joint bid) |
West Yorkshire LES/LEZ bid |
£150,000 |
|
Cambridge City council |
Fleet and Emissions characterisation for City Council. |
£60,000 |
|
Corporation of London -1 |
Proposed CityAir App and taxi emissions reduction scheme |
£58,000 |
|
Exeter City Council |
Low Emission Zone/Low Emission Strategy feasibility study |
£60,000 |
|
Herefordshire District Council |
Modal Shift Park and cycle |
£59,930 |
|
LB Borough Islington |
Air Quality Campaign Days |
£60,000 |
|
LB Camden |
City Air: Rollout of CityAir communication tools to support business engagement on air quality |
£20,000 |
|
LB Camden (joint bid) |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools: Rollout of Cleaner Air 4 Schools tools to support engagement with schools on air quality |
£60,000 |
|
LB Croydon |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Ealing |
Scenario Development for NO2 emissions reductions |
£49,000 |
|
LB Hackney |
Zero Emissions Network |
£60,000 |
|
LB Haringey |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Hillingdon joint bid |
Emissions modelling desk tool |
£30,000 |
|
LB Islington |
CityAir Rollout |
£20,000 |
|
LB Southwark |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Sutton |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Tower Hamlet |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Wandsworth |
CityAir Rollout |
£20,000 |
|
LB Wandsworth |
Emissions reduction analysis |
£8,621 |
|
LB Westminster |
Cleaner Air 4 Schools |
£21,429 |
|
LB Westminster joint bid |
CityAir Rollout |
£20,000 |
|
Leicester City Council |
Continuation of LEZ feasibility to Business case stage |
£60,000 |
|
Lewes Council |
Modal shift through cycling and LEZ parking |
£46,000 |
|
Mid Devon DC – joint bid |
Low Emission Strategies Partnership bid |
£150,000 |
|
Newcastle City Council |
Travel reduction and awareness raising campaign |
£60,000 |
|
Northampton Borough Council |
Support for LEZ feasibility study |
£65,000 |
|
Portsmouth City Council |
Investigation of traffic management strategies |
£60,000 |
|
RB of Kensington & Chelsea |
CityAir Rollout |
£20,000 |
|
Sefton MBC |
Ecostars fleet recognition Scheme |
£30,000 |
|
South Gloucestershire Council |
Traffic Management |
£17,000 |
|
St Albans DC |
Freight Management Plan for St Albans |
£25,800 |
|
St Albans DC |
Traffic emissions modelling |
£50,500 |
|
Swale Council |
Freight Management Plan |
£17,000 |
|
Teignbridge Council |
Investigation of bus emissions strategy and Freight transfer Depot |
£27,950 |
|
Warrington Council |
Ecostars |
£30,000 |
|
Waverley Council - 2 |
LES Feasibility Study |
£60,000 |
|
York City Council - 1 |
Implementation of LES measures |
£94,490 |
|
York City Council – 2 |
Traffic simulation and modal shift |
£54,490 |
Release Date: 12/28/2012
Contact Information: John Martin 212 637 3662; [email protected]
(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $ 25,000 to the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater to improve water quality in Peekskill, New York. The grant was awarded under the EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, which supports and empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues.
“EPA is happy to provide this grant to the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater to work with the Peekskill community to prevent water pollution,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Everyone has a role to play in keeping our water clean and this federal grant will boost the public’s role in Peekskill.”
Using the EPA grant, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. will lead a collaborative, community-based watershed planning and protection initiative focused on the urban watershed of the city of Peekskill. The waterways are used by people for fishing, swimming and boating. Through training, technical assistance and hands-on activities, the project will give members of the community the knowledge needed to better understand how to prevent water pollution. Residents will also learn about environmental hazards and health risks associated with polluted local waterways. The project will also include an Urban Watershed Steward program, which will be geared toward young people and will promote peer-to-peer learning and encourage neighborhood cleanup projects.
Since 1994, EPA’s environmental justice small grants program has supported projects to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,300 communities. The grants represent EPA’s continued commitment to expand the conversation on environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across the nation.
2012 EJ Small Grant recipients and project descriptions: http://www.epa.govenvironmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2012.pdf.
More information about EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants program: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html.
Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY 2013 Environmental Justice Small Grants and schedule of pre-application teleconference calls: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-rfp-2013.pdf.
12-153
(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $ 50,000 to two Puerto Rico organizations, Leaders of the World and the Scuba Dogs Society, to educate low-income communities about effective waste management, recycling and the negative effects of improper waste disposal on people’s health and water quality. The grant was awarded under the EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, which supports and empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues.
“EPA environmental justice grants provide much needed funds to tackle local pollution problems in low income communities,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Puerto Rico is facing a solid waste crisis. These grants will encourage community members to become active participants in efforts to reduce waste through waste reduction, recycling and composting.”
Using a $ 25,000 EPA environmental justice grant, Leaders for the World Inc. will educate young adults in San Juan’s Cantera Peninsula about the harmful effects that improper waste disposal has on the ecosystem of Cantera’s lagoon system and the local community. Leaders of the World will work with the community to monitor water quality, conserve and restore local wetlands and other areas of the ecosystem and prevent water pollution.
The Scuba Dogs Society, Inc. will use a $ 24,286 EPA environmental justice grant to educate residents of Loiza about the serious impacts of illegal dumping on nearby water bodies and the deficiencies of local waste management services. Through a hands-on educational program, workshops and direct assistance, the Scuba Dogs Society will work with Loiza residents, many of whom are subsistence fishers, to properly manage waste and to recycle. The program will also educate residents about the effect marine debris has on local waterways.
Since 1994, the EPA’s environmental justice small grants program has supported projects to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,300 communities. The grants represent EPA’s continued commitment to expand the conversation on environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across the nation.
2012 EJ Small Grant recipients and project descriptions: http://www.epa.govenvironmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2012.pdf.
More information about EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grants program: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html.
Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY 2013 Environmental Justice Small Grants and schedule of pre-application teleconference calls: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-rfp-2013.pdf.
12-155
US scientists have constructed and deployed hand-held air pollution sensors designed to let ordinary members of the public use their smartphones to assess local air quality levels.
Produced by the University of California, the CitiSense sensors are said to be the world’s first air quality monitors able to stream real-time data both to smartphones and PCs.
CitiSense’s developers suggest a fleet of 100 sensors working together can potentially outperform similar systems endorsed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. They add that, besides yielding a wealth of useful data, their sensors could also really benefit asthmatics and others with lung-related medical conditions, since they’d be able to seek out and then avoid especially high-pollution areas.
The CitiSense sensors detect a variety of airborne pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. A colour-coding system is used to visually indicate how much of any of these is present and this follows the EPA’s lead, with green representing relatively safe levels and purple used when there’s a significant risk.
Right now, each CitiSense air pollution sensor has a price tag of $ 1,000 but it’s expected that this cost would drop dramatically if the technology entered full-scale production. Alongside this, it’s been suggested that, in future times, smartphones could be produced with integrated air pollution sensors.
“We want to get more data and better data, which we can provide to the public”, University of California representative William Griswold explained in a press release, adding: “We are making the invisible visible.”
Details of this smartphone air pollution sensor system’s performance were presented at the recent Wireless Health 2012 event. This followed a month-long trial, during which 30 people tested out the system in various locations.
Amongst other things, the trial reconfirmed earlier research that showed how air pollution levels tended to be heavier in certain ‘hot-spot’ zones, rather than be equally spread across wider areas.
One of the participants was Jacobs School of Engineering’s Charles Elkan, who observed the difference rush hour traffic made to his CitiSense sensor readings. “It’s a valuable study”, he said afterwards. “I think it’s going to have a big impact in the future.”
Image copyright Jacobs School of Engineering’s – courtesy Flickr
Release Date: 12/17/2012
Contact Information: Stacy Kika, [email protected], 202-564-0906, 202-564-4355
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released its annual enforcement results, showing significant environmental and public health protections achieved – a reduction of 2.2 billion pounds of air, water and land pollution, as well as 4.4 billion pounds of hazardous waste, and $ 252 million in civil and criminal penalties levied – while also focusing on enforcement efforts that reduce smaller amounts of pollution but have substantial health impacts in communities.
“Enforcement plays a vital role in protecting communities from harmful pollution,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “We are using vigorous enforcement, as well as innovations in monitoring and transparency, to reduce pollution violations, protect and empower communities and focus on the environmental problems that matter most.”
FY 2012 results include:
- Sustained and focused enforcement attention on serious violators of clean drinking water standards has resulted in improvements in compliance. The number of systems with serious violations has declined by more than 60 percent in the past three years as a result of combined federal and state enforcement work, protecting people’s health through safer drinking water.
- More than 67 percent of large combined sewer systems serving people across the country are implementing clean water solutions to reduce raw sewage and contaminated stormwater and more are underway. EPA is working with communities to design integrated solutions to these water quality problems, and incorporating innovative and cost effective green infrastructure to save money and achieve multiple community benefits.
- EPA is bringing criminal prosecutions where criminal activity threatens public health, like failing to use required pollution control equipment or knowingly violating pollution rules resulting in death or serious harm or falsifying pollution information. See a case example in Louisiana.
- EPA is advancing environmental justice by incorporating fenceline monitoring, which requires companies to monitor their air emissions and make that data available public, into settlements, ensuring that local residents have access to critical information about pollution that may be affecting their community. EPA also secured $ 44 million in additional investments through settlements for supplemental environmental projects that benefit impacted communities. See an oil refinery case example.
- EPA is increasing transparency to use the power of public accountability to help improve environmental compliance. EPA’s 2012 enforcement actions map provides information about violators in communities. EPA’s state dashboards and Clean Water Act pollutant loading tool provides the public with information about local pollution that may affect them and allows the public to take a closer look at how government is responding to pollution problems.
More information about EPA’s FY 2012 enforcement results:
http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/data/eoy2012/index.html