In Fiscal Year 2020, the EPA enforcement and compliance assurance program achieved tremendous results for the public and the environment, increasing the environmental benefits of its cases despite the COVID-19 public health emergency. EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) achieved these results by adapting quickly and focusing resources on priority matters during a global pandemic.
“In FY 2020, EPA enforcement and compliance assurance staff demonstrated extraordinary resilience, creativity, and perseverance as they continued to assure compliance with environmental laws,” said Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Susan Bodine. “I am very proud of the work we accomplished this year.”
Highlights of EPA’s FY 2020 enforcement and compliance achievements include:
- Commitments to reduce, treat, or eliminate over 426 million pounds of pollution, the most in a single year since 2015.
- Proper treatment, minimization, or disposal of 1.6 billion pounds of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, more than all but two of the past eight years.
- Clean up of 104 million cubic yards of contaminated soil and water, more than in FY 2019.
- Prevention of 18.2 million pounds of air pollutants by preventing, reducing, treating, or eliminating emissions from vehicle and engine air sources through resolution of 31 civil enforcement cases for tampering and aftermarket defeat devices—the most for any one year in the agency’s history.
- 247 new criminal cases opened, 77 more than in FY 2019 and the most since 2014.
- Superfund response and cash-out settlements of over $636 million for cleanup work, $65 million more than FY 2019, as well as $178.4 million for EPA’s costs.