EPA Enforcement Cases Search Help

The EPA Enforcement Cases Search queries cases entered into the Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS), which tracks formal federal administrative and judicial enforcement actions taken by the U.S. EPA. Only formal enforcement actions that are brought by EPA or in which EPA participates as a party are entered into ICIS. Federally reportable records of state and local enforcement actions are not included in ICIS.

Enforcement actions under the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Section 313, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) are included.

Facility Name
Search for facilities or permits by name. Be sure to try all possible variations of a facility's name. For example, if an abbreviation doesn't work, try using the whole words (i.e., International Metals Company instead of INMETCO). The order of the words in a facility name does not affect the search results.

SIC Code
The Standard Industrial Classification system code of the violating facility. The SIC code describes the primary activity of the facility. The first two digits in the code define a major business sector; the last two digits denote a facility's specialty within the major sector.

Federal Facility
Designates action(s) that are associated with facilities that are federally owned or operated.

EPA Region
The EPA Region in which the violation occurred or the violating facility is located.

City
The geographical area where the violation occurred or the violating facility is located. A state must be specified.

State
The geographical area where the violation occurred or the violating facility is located.

ZIP Code
The geographical area where the violation occurred or the violating facility is located.

County
The geographical area where the violation occurred or the violating facility is located. This dropdown menu is populated with state-specific county options after a state is selected.

In Indian Country
When this box is checked, your search results will be limited to facilities or permits that are located in Indian Country.

Case Category
Can be used to restrict the list of enforcement actions to either judicial or administrative cases. The default search includes both categories.

Name
Used to select actions which contain a specified name in the Case Name or Defendant Name fields when used with the corresponding check boxes.

Note: The results screen does not contain the name of the violating facility or defendants/respondents that may have been used as a selection criterion. Consequently, if a name was used as one of the criteria and the Facility or Defendant boxes were checked, that name may not appear in the Case Name results column. Users should assume that if the name specified is not contained as the Case Name that it is the facility name or a defendant. If a name is specified which contains two or more words (e.g., Tire and Rubber), ECHO results may contain any of the words. If the name contains only one word (e.g., Rubber), ECHO will search for an exact match.

Name Type
See Name above.

EPA Case Number
The user can select a specific case if the unique number identifying the enforcement action is known. No other criteria should be entered. The numbers follow the format 01-2004-1111, with 01 indicating the appropriate EPA region (or HQ for headquarters), 2004 indicating the fiscal year the case was initiated, and 1111 being a sequential number unique to the case.

Court Docket Number
The user can search for enforcement actions by the tracking number assigned by the civil court where the case is filed. No other search criteria should be entered.

DOJ Docket Number
The Department of Justice case docket number published in the Federal Register. No other search criteria should be entered.

Judicial Milestone: Filed in Court
The date that the judicial complaint is filed in U.S. District Court by the U.S. Attorney.

Judicial Milestone: Settlement Entered
The date that the consent decree or order is entered by the Clerk of the Court.

Judicial Milestone: Concluded
The date that no further legal action is required or contemplated on a case.

Administrative Milestone: Complaint/Proposed Order Issued
The date that an administrative order is issued or the administrative complaint is filed.

Administrative Milestone: Final Order Issued
The date that an administrative order is issued finalizing the administrative action. Many administrative actions are unilateral orders that provide no opportunity for a hearing; therefore, the order is issued and final on the same date. Other actions may allow for a hearing at the request of the respondent, in which case the order issued and order final dates are generally different.

Administrative Milestone: Enforcement Action Closed
The date that all conditions of the administrative order have been completed and/or satisfied.

Date Range
Used to specify the federal fiscal year(s) that will restrict the milestone(s) to a particular time period. A fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends September 30 of the following year.

Primary Law
The primary environmental statute/law that was violated. Many of EPA’s judicial actions are based on incidents that are violations of more than one statute. One law entered into the ICIS record is designated the primary law, which is considered the law that is most seriously violated and/or for which the most significant relief is sought.

Primary Section
The section of law violated associated with the primary law entered. In some instances a violation may be a violation of two or more sections of the same statute, and one combination of law and section is designated as the primary law and section violated.

Federal Penalty Assessed
For civil judicial enforcement actions, this amount is the federal penalty assessed against the defendant(s) as specified in the final entered consent decree or court order. For administrative enforcement actions, it is the penalty assessed in the consent/final order. It does not include the amount of the penalty mitigated due to a SEP or the amount shared with state or local entities. Interest payments associated with a penalty paid over time are not included in this amount.

Value of Complying Actions
Costs incurred by the defendant/respondent to attain compliance with the law and restore the environment. Does not include penalties, cost recovery, or costs associated with SEPs.

Value of SEP Activities
The total value of the SEP (Supplemental Environmental Project), an environmentally beneficial project, that the defendant/respondent agrees to undertake as stipulated in the order or decree resolving the enforcement action. A SEP is done voluntarily and is negotiated to reduce penalties. The selection options represent the total value of all SEPs for all settlements at the enforcement case.

In the search results list, ECHO will present case number, case name, case type, primary law/section, date filed/issued, settlement date, federal penalty assessed, and SEP amount, when available.

To get more information on a specific case, click on the Case Report link. To get more information about a facility, click on the Facility Report link. Each Case Report and Detailed Facility Report provides a data dictionary link to additional documentation.

Important User Notes

1. This search does not include any information about enforcement actions taken by states. To view a complete list of all EPA and state actions taken, click the appropriate Facility Report link on the Search Results screen.

2. Cases concluded prior to Oct. 1, 2000, are excluded from this search.