At the close of last month, EPA released its annual enforcement numbers for 2014. As the Agency had been saying all year, the data reflects its focus on high-visibility enforcement complete with stiffer penalties and greater environmental benefits. In sum: Bigger Fish with smaller budgets.
The website is truly a treasure-trove of information. Statistics are broken down by region and state, making it even more helpful. For those of us in Region 1, it’s interesting to note that the Agency initiated only 101 cases in the past year, trailing only Region 9 with 90. Region 4 topped the list with 360 cases initiated last year.
For those visual learners, the interactive “Case Map” is a virtual playground. Large enforcement trends are easy to spot. For example, it seems as if EPA dedicated a significant amount of resources to water enforcement in the Scranton and Allentown, PA areas. The Agency also found 194 schools in Prince George’s County, MD with TSCA violations.
It’s also easy to see enforcement on the state level and since I can’t miss an opportunity to create a table, here’s the data cataloged for four New England states.
| Total Enforcement Actions | Water | Air | Waste | CERCLA | Chemical | Criminal | Federal Facilities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 24 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Maine | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 56 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
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