The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a memorandum, dated March 12, 2020, ending a long-standing practice of allowing companies to reduce civil penalties by performing Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs). DOJ states in the memo that SEPs violate the Miscellaneous Receipts Act (MRA), 31 U.S.C. § 3302, which requires funds received on behalf of the
Environmental Enforcement
EPA Enforcement Is Down During First Nine Months Under Scott Pruitt
By Ryan Rudich on
Posted in General Environmental
The New York Times published a report over the weekend detailing a fall-off in the EPA’s enforcement activities during Scott Pruitt’s tenure as EPA Administrator. The changes are driven by top down directives from Washington to the regional offices.
The Times found that Scott Pruitt’s EPA started about 1,900 enforcement actions in the nine months…
Environmental Enforcement Penalties Are Down Under the Trump Administration
By Ryan Rudich on
Posted in Uncategorized
Today, the Environmental Integrity Project released a report finding that in the first six months of the Trump administration, the federal government has collected 60% less in civil penalties in environmental enforcement actions than it did, on average, during the equivalent periods of the Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama presidencies. Between inauguration day and…