Congressman Blasts Environmental Enforcement Drop

Date: October 3, 2002

Source: News Room

The Bush EPA's environmental enforcement record over its first 14 months reveals an 80% drop in penalties and remedies recovered and a 40% to 50% drop in EPA administrative actions compared with the final 13.5 months of the Clinton Administration, according to a recent report by Representative Ed Markey (D-MA). The average settling costs of the Bush EPA's administrative actions also declined compared with the Clinton EPA's costs, by 63% over the same periods, Markey's report shows. "I am concerned that the dramatic reduction in the numbers of and settlements for EPA administrative actions taken during the Bush Administration could lead polluting companies to conclude that it pays to pollute, and that there is no incentive to stop," Markey declared.

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