the total number of civil cases it initiated is the lowest since 1982.
the lowest level of penalties assessed to polluters since the EPA created the Office of Enforcement over 20 years ago in 1994.
I see an Agency that is giving polluters a free pass, and it is putting our health and our environment at risk.
When EPA enforcement activities go down, pollution goes up. That is just a fact.
We have a responsibility to care for them, as we do every single person who calls America home.
If the EPA isn't enforcing the laws that we already have on the books, then we all pay the price.
opening statement
The number of cases it referred to the Department of Justice, the lowest since 1976.
The total number of facilities that the EPA inspected last year is the lowest since 1994.
The total number of civil cases it initiated is the lowest since 1982.
The EPA assessed polluters a total of $69 million in civil penalties -- $69 million. That is the lowest level of penalties assessed to pollu...