Inspection & Enforcement Management Unit

Federal Facilities	Compliance Assistance
Enforcement	U.S. EPA Enforcement/Compliance Policies
National Links	Reports/Data

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Compliance Assistance (Top)

Compliance assistance includes activities, tools or technical assistance which provides clear and consistent information for 1) helping the regulated community understand and meet its obligations under environmental regulations; or 2) compliance assistance providers to aide the regulated community in complying with environmental regulations. Compliance assistance may also help the regulated community find cost-effective ways to comply with regulations and/or go "beyond compliance" through the use of pollution prevention, environmental management practices and innovative technologies, thus improving their environmental performance. To be categorized as a compliance assistance project or activity, at least one objective must be related to achieving or advancing regulatory compliance.

Enforcement (Top)

EPA's civil enforcement program helps protect the environment and human health by assuring compliance with federal environmental laws. Civil enforcement encompasses the investigations and cases brought to address the most significant violations, and includes EPA administrative actions and judicial cases referred to the Department of Justice. EPA works closely with states (e.g., in joint development of cases), which bear the lion's share of responsibility for implementing federal programs, as well as with tribes and federal agencies. Civil enforcement actions serve a number of important goals, such as returning violators to compliance, eliminating or preventing environmental harm, deterring others from misconduct, and preserving a level playing field for responsible companies that work hard to abide by the law. The Agency emphasizes those actions that reduce the most significant risks to human health or the environment, and consults extensively with states and other stakeholders in determining risk-based priorities. For over two decades, EPA's enforcement program has made a measurable contribution to reducing the amount of pollution that goes into the air we breathe or the water we drink, and by encouraging safer handling of hazardous waste and toxic materials.

U.S. EPA Enforcement/Compliance Policies (Top)

National Links (Top)

Reports/Data (Top)

Inspection & Enforcement Management Unit

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