2008 Region 1 Compliance and Enforcement Annual Results
- Regional Numbers at a Glance
- Federal Data presented State-by-State
- FY2008 OES Accomplishments Report
FY2008 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) 2008 (October 1, 2007 – September 30, 2008), more than 21.7 million pounds of pollutants will be reduced or treated. Further, more than 21 million cubic yards of contaminated water and soil will be cleaned. These accomplishments are the result of EPA enforcement actions under numerous programs including Superfund, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air 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 FY2008 will total more than $667 million. This total includes actions that will lead to the installation of closed cycle cooling towers at the Brayton Point power station in Somerset, MA; full utilization of secondary treatment capacity at the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority’s Deer Island Treatment Plant; and cleanups at the Iron Horse Park and Beede Waste Oil Superfund sites.
"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 FY2008, supplemental environmental projects (SEPs) were included in 18 settlements with a total value of more than $2 million. SEP funds will be spent on lead paint abatement at numerous locations in New England, many of which are in environmental justice areas; the purchase of a conservation easement in Ellsworth, Maine; the purchase of a "pumpout" boat that will enable vessels in Boston Harbor to pump their sanitary wastes into a tank on that boat rather than into Boston Harbor or Massachusetts Bay; and a project to reduce fugitive particulate emissions in Thomaston, ME.
Inspections – The Region completed more than 1,100 on-site inspections. These inspections were spread geographically throughout New England and covered a wide range of federal programs, including storm water, wetlands, oil pollution prevention, asbestos demolition and renovation, hazardous waste management, community right-to-know, stationary air sources and disclosure of lead paint hazards.
Administrative Penalty Complaints – In FY2008, we issued 78 administrative compliance orders, 102 administrative penalty complaints, and 102 final administrative penalty orders.
Civil Judicial Enforcement – In FY2008, we referred 28 enforcement cases to the U.S. Department of Justice and had 15 judicial case conclusions.
Compliance Assistance Activities – The Region continues to develop compliance assistance tools and provide expert compliance assistance to the regulated community. Over the past year, the Region reached more than 10,169 individuals through 127 facility visits, 117 assistance workshops and individualized assistance. In addition to our direct assistance, we provided numerous compliance information resources via the Sector Compliance Assistance and Environmental Management System Web pages. We received 78,498 Internet hits or page requests for information from these pages last year.
Compliance and Enforcement Annual Results: Numbers at a Glance - EPA New England
Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | ||
---|---|---|
Estimated Environmental Benefit Commitments: | ||
Direct Environmental Benefits | ||
|
21,718,522 | |
|
683,421 | |
|
20,941,100 | |
Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $667,699,607 | |
Investments in Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs) | $2,032,712 | |
Civil Penalties Assessed | ||
Administrative Penalties Assessed | $2,114,958 | |
Judicial Penalties Assessed | $2,032,965 | |
Stipulated Penalties Assessed | $154,250 | |
EPA Civil Enforcement and Compliance Activities | ||
Referrals of Civil Judicial Enforcement Cases to Department of Justice (DOJ) | 28 | |
Supplemental Referrals of Civil Judicial Enforcement Cases to DOJ | 4 | |
Civil Judicial Complaints Filed with Court | 18 | |
Civil Judicial Enforcement Case Conclusions | 15 | |
Administrative Penalty Order Complaints | 102 | |
Final Administrative Penalty Orders | 102 | |
Administrative Compliance Orders | 78 | |
Cases with SEPs | 18 | |
EPA Compliance Monitoring Activities | ||
Inspections/Evaluations | 1,867 | |
Civil Investigations | 15 | |
Number of Regulated Entities Taking Complying Actions during EPA Inspections/Evaluations | 131 | |
Number of Regulated Entities Receiving Assistance during EPA Inspections/Evaluations | 766 | |
EPA Superfund Cleanup Enforcement | ||
% of non-Federal Superfund Sites with Viable, Liable Parties where an Enforcement Action was taken Prior to the Start of the Remedial Action | 100% | |
Private Party Commitments for Site Study and Cleanup (including cash outs) | $92.6 | |
Private Party Commitments for Cost Recovery | $18.5 | |
% of Cost Recovery Cases Greater than or Equal to $200,000 that were Addressed before the Statute of Limitations Expired | 100% | |
EPA Voluntary Disclosure Program | ||
Estimated Pollution Reduction Commitments Obtained as a Result of Voluntary Disclosures (Pounds) | 58,000 | |
Voluntary Disclosures Initiated (Facilities) | 48 | |
Voluntary Disclosures Resolved (Facilities) | 40 | |
Voluntary Disclosures Initiated (Companies) | 45 | |
Voluntary Disclosures Resolved (Companies) | 36 | |
Notice of Determination (NODs) | 36 | |
EPA Compliance Assistance | ||
Total Entities Reached by Compliance Assistance | 34,996 |
Sources for Data displayed for Numbers at a Glance: Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS), Criminal Case Reporting System, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Information System (CERCLIS), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information (RCRAInfo), Air Facility System (AFS), and Permit Compliance System (PCS) October 11, 2008.
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 (Including benefits from Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs)): | |
|
2,721,424 |
|
3,342 |
|
- |
Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $4,215,808 |
Investments in Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs) | $224,000 |
Civil Penalties Assesssed | $1,554,917 |
Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
Civil Judicial Conclusions | 9 |
Final Administrative Penalty Orders | 21 |
Administrative Compliance Orders | 13 |
Maine
Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
---|---|
Direct Environmental Benefits (Including benefits from Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs)): | |
|
1,044,062 |
|
- |
|
- |
Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $1,430,004 |
Investments in Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs) | $524,179 |
Civil Penalties Assesssed | $570,311 |
Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
Civil Judicial Conclusions | 2 |
Final Administrative Penalty Orders | 19 |
Administrative Compliance Orders | 3 |
Massachusetts
Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
---|---|
Direct Environmental Benefits (Including benefits from Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs)): | |
|
17,883,166 |
|
649,997 |
|
20,879,100 |
Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $609,886,917 |
Investments in Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs) | $1,161,646 |
Civil Penalties Assesssed | $1,882,142 |
Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
Civil Judicial Conclusions | 24 |
Final Administrative Penalty Orders | 35 |
Administrative Compliance Orders | 35 |
New Hampshire
Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
---|---|
Direct Environmental Benefits (Including benefits from Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs)): | |
|
1,366,097 |
|
30,000 |
|
62,000 |
Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $47,925,347 |
Investments in Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs) | $46,087 |
Civil Penalties Assesssed | $417,735 |
Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
Civil Judicial Conclusions | 11 |
Final Administrative Penalty Orders | 4 |
Administrative Compliance Orders | 7 |
Rhode Island
Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
---|---|
Direct Environmental Benefits (Including benefits from Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs)): | |
|
581,827 |
|
40 |
|
- |
Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $5,761,784 |
Investments in Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs) | $62,800 |
Civil Penalties Assesssed | $341,489 |
Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
Civil Judicial Conclusions | 1 |
Final Administrative Penalty Orders | 11 |
Administrative Compliance Orders | 15 |
Vermont
Results Obtained from EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
---|---|
Direct Environmental Benefits (Including benefits from Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs)): | |
|
13,100 |
|
42 |
|
- |
Investments in Pollution Control and Clean-up (Injunctive Relief) | $463,082 |
Investments in Environmentally Beneficial Projects (SEPs) | $14,000 |
Civil Penalties Assesssed | $44,700 |
Counts of EPA Civil Enforcement Actions | |
Civil Judicial Conclusions | - |
Final Administrative Penalty Orders | 12 |
Administrative Compliance Orders | 5 |
Sources for Data displayed for Federal Data Presented State-by-State: Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS)
(1) Projected reductions to be achieved during the one year period after all actions required to attain full compliance have been completed.