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Protecting New England’s Environment
2007 Office of Environmental Stewardship Year in Review
FY2007 Annual Results Topics
EPA puts significant effort into protecting people’s health and the
environment in the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) by ensuring compliance with environmental
laws. As a result of enforcement actions taken in Fiscal Year (FY)
2007 (October 1, 2006 – September 30, 2007), more than 13.6 million
pounds of pollutants will be reduced or treated. Further, close to 70
million cubic yards of contaminated water will be cleaned. These accomplishments
are primarily a result of EPA enforcement actions under Superfund and the
Clean Water Act.
Injunctive Relief (work required to bring facilities into compliance) – The estimated dollar value of cleanup or corrective action required by EPA New England in FY2007 will total more than $146 million. A major portion of this work will include improvements in combined sewer overflows into the Merrimack River from the Greater Lawrence Sanitary Sewer District in Massachusetts; compliance with federal and state air emission limits after restarting pulping operations at a former pulp and paper mill in Old Town, Maine; and cleanup activities at the Industri-plex Superfund Site in Woburn, Massachusetts.
"EPA’s commitment to enforcing our nation’s environmental
laws means that we have better protection of our environment and public health
in New England. Protecting the environment is everybody’s responsibility,
and companies or individuals who disregard laws to protect our air, land and
water should know that EPA continues to vigorously enforce our nation’s
laws for a cleaner, healthier America.”
Supplemental Environmental Projects – As part of a settlement, a violator may voluntarily agree to undertake an environmentally beneficial project, also known as a supplemental environmental project, related to the violation in exchange for mitigation of the penalty to be paid. In FY2007, supplemental environmental projects (SEPs) were included in a number of the settled enforcement, for a total value of more than $1.1 million. Nearly $550,000 of the total FY07 SEPs funds will be spent on lead paint abatement and lead paint outreach/education activities.
Audit Disclosures – As a result of facility self-audits, last year the Region resolved more than 90 disclosures of violations that were submitted in accordance with the Agency’s Audit Policy or Small Business Compliance Policy. More than half of these disclosures related to violations under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. As a result of the disclosures, these companies avoided paying more that $3 million in penalties.
Inspections – The Region completed more than 1,100 on-site inspections. Storm water, oil pollution prevention, and disclosure of lead paint hazards were the leading categories for inspections in FY2007.
Administrative Penalty Complaints – In FY2007, we issued 113 administrative penalty complaints.
Referrals – In FY2007, we referred 25 enforcement cases to the US Department of Justice.
Compliance Assistance Activities – Over the past year, the Region held 145 workshops and/or training sessions, and along with one-on-one assistance, we were able to reach more than 22,000 individuals within the regulated community. In terms of our regional enforcement and compliance assistance web site, we recorded close to 475,000 hits or page requests from the site.
FY2007 Enforcement and Compliance Assistance Highlights
Environmental Crimes
Preventing the Release of Hazardous Substances
Recycling Electronic Wastes
Reducing Emission Levels of Hazardous Chemicals
Superfund Enforcement
Sustainable Water Infrastructure
Compliance and Enforcement Annual Results
Numbers at a Glance
EPA New England
| Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Direct Estimated Environmental Benefits | ||
| Pollutants Reduced (Pounds) | 13,646,158 | |
| Contaminated Soil to be Cleaned Up (Cubic Yards) | 150,655 | |
| Contaminated Water to be Cleaned Up (Cubic Yards) | 69,803,362 | |
| Stream Miles (Linear Feet) | 900 | |
| Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $146,665,470 | |
| Investments in Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) | $1,102,657 | |
| Civil Penalties | ||
| Administrative Penalties | $1,770,907 | |
| Judicial Penalties | $557,000 | |
| Stipulated Penalties | $6,250 | |
| EPA Civil Enforcement and Compliance Activities | ||
| Referrals of Civil Judicial Enforcement Cases to Department of Justice (DOJ) | 25 | |
| Supplemental Referrals of Civil Judicial Enforcement Cases to DOJ | 2 | |
| Civil Judicial Complaints Filed with Court | 8 | |
| Civil Judicial Enforcement Case Conclusions | 8 | |
| Administrative Penalty Order Complaints | 113 | |
| Final Administrative Penalty Order Settlements | 106 | |
| Administrative Compliance Orders | 71 | |
| Cases with SEPs | 10 | |
| EPA Compliance Monitoring Activities | ||
| Inspections/Evaluations | 1,728 | |
| Civil Investigations | 99 | |
| Number of Regulated Entities Taking Complying Actions during EPA Inspections/Evaluations | 136 | |
| Number of Regulated Entities Receiving Assistance during EPA Inspections/Evaluations | 745 | |
| EPA Superfund Cleanup Enforcement | ||
| Remedial Action (RA) Starts where Settlement Reached or Enforcement Action Taken by the time of the RA Start (during the FY) at Non-Federal Superfund Sites that have Known Viable, Liable Parties (%) | 100% | |
| Private Party Commitments for Site Study and Cleanup (incl cashouts) | $12,031,236 | |
| Private Party Commitments for Oversight | $6,200,000 | |
| Private Party Commitments for Cost Recovery | $3,627,560 | |
| Cost Recovery Statute of Limitation Cases Addressed with Total Past Costs Greater than or Equal to $200,000 (%) | 100% | |
| EPA Voluntary Disclosure Program | ||
| Pollutants Reduced as a Result of Audits or Other Actions (Pounds) | 36,800 | |
| Facilities Initiated | 77 | |
| Companies Initiated | 66 | |
| Notices of Determination (NODs) | 77 | |
| Facilities Resolved | 94 | |
| Companies Resolved | 81 | |
| EPA Compliance Assistance | ||
| Total Entities Reached by Compliance Assistance | 22,362 | |
| Number of Hits to Regional Enforcement and Compliance Assistance Web sites | 473,183 | |
Federal Data Presented State-by-state
EPA works in partnership with states in targeting federal enforcement where it produces the most environmental benefit.
Connecticut
| Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
|---|---|
| Direct Environmental Benefits | |
|
37,429 |
|
36,000 |
| Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $1,605,367 |
| Investments in Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) | $342,018 |
| Civil Penalties | $246,671 |
| Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
| Counts of EPA Case Conclusions (including Civil Judicial Conclusions, Final Administrative Penalty Orders, Administrative Compliance Orders) | 41 |
| Inspections | |
| Inspections | 205 |
Maine
| Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
|---|---|
| Direct Environmental Benefits | |
|
2,093,823 |
|
- |
| Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $8,791,645 |
| Investments in Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) | - |
| Civil Penalties | $254,580 |
| Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
| Counts of EPA Case Conclusions (including Civil Judicial Conclusions, Final Administrative Penalty Orders, Administrative Compliance Orders) | 25 |
| Inspections | |
| Inspections | 126 |
Massachusetts
| Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
|---|---|
| Direct Environmental Benefits | |
|
9,097,815 |
|
69,907,572 |
| Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $118,914,324 |
| Investments in Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) | $401,447 |
| Civil Penalties | $886,870 |
| Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
| Counts of EPA Case Conclusions (including Civil Judicial Conclusions, Final Administrative Penalty Orders, Administrative Compliance Orders) | 62 |
| Inspections | |
| Inspections | 463 |
New Hampshire
| Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
|---|---|
| Direct Environmental Benefits | |
|
2,069,110 |
|
10,000 |
| Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $12,225,420 |
| Investments in Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) | - |
| Civil Penalties | $550,705 |
| Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
| Counts of EPA Case Conclusions (including Civil Judicial Conclusions, Final Administrative Penalty Orders, Administrative Compliance Orders) | 18 |
| Inspections | |
| Inspections | 146 |
Rhode Island
| Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
|---|---|
| Direct Environmental Benefits | |
|
365,181 |
|
445 |
| Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $3,696,887 |
| Investments in Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) | $218,968 |
| Civil Penalties | $493,881 |
| Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
| Counts of EPA Case Conclusions (including Civil Judicial Conclusions, Final Administrative Penalty Orders, Administrative Compliance Orders) | 32 |
| Inspections | |
| Inspections | 85 |
Vermont
| Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
|---|---|
| Direct Environmental Benefits | |
|
19,600 |
|
- |
| Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $854,427 |
| Investments in Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) | $140,224 |
| Civil Penalties | $52,700 |
| Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
| Counts of EPA Case Conclusions (including Civil Judicial Conclusions, Final Administrative Penalty Orders, Administrative Compliance Orders) | 10 |
| Inspections | |
| Inspections | 102 |