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Basic Information
Goal
The goal of the Region 5 enforcement program is to promote compliance with federal environmental laws. Successful implementation of the federal enforcement program provides a deterrent to non-compliance and contributes to the Region 5 mission of protecting human health and preserving natural resources.
Partners
Region 5 works in concert with state programs in order to achieve the purpose of its enforcement program. Region 5 states are authorized to operate most federal regulatory programs. However, a vigorous federal enforcement presence, in both delegated and non-delegated programs, is essential to creating an atmosphere in which compliance can be sustained.
Responsibility
Within Region 5, responsibility for managing the enforcement program is shared by
- the enforcement personnel of the media programs,
- the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Team,
- the Office of Regional Counsel
under the direction and guidance of the Regional Administrator.
Functions
The functions of Region 5's enforcement program include the following:
- Maintaining a consistent federal enforcement presence, as a deterrent to non-compliance and in support of state enforcement activities.
- Implementing non-delegated, partially-delegated, or non-delegable programs.
- Pursuing prompt injunctive relief, where required.
- Collecting penalties which deprive a violator entity of the economic benefit gained through noncompliance and which adequately redress the harm caused by the violation, as well as the severity of the violation.
- Pursuing restoration of damaged or contaminated resources or property.
- Maintaining national consistency in the enforcement of federal environmental laws across state and regional boundaries.
- Assuring equal environmental protection for disadvantaged or sensitive communities.
- Undertaking enforcement actions to redress interstate and international pollution.
- Insuring compliance with federal consent decrees, consent agreements, interagency agreements, judgments and orders.
- Investigating and prosecuting criminal violations.
- Addressing compliance issues at federal facilities.
- Supporting use of compliance assistance to facilitate understanding of new laws or regulatory requirements, with a focus on small businesses and governmental entities.
- Providing incentives to use of comprehensive compliance audits, self-disclosure of discovered violations, and swift remediation of such violations.
- Insuring the public's right to know, and access to, environmental data.
- Promoting pollution prevention and other environmentally beneficial activities through use of supplemental environmental projects to resolve enforcement actions.