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U.S. NEWS Friday 22 November 2019

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EPA prosecutions of polluters approach quarter-century lows

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER engines that fell short of
Associated Press U.S. clean-air requirements,
WASHINGTON (AP) — Crim- the EPA's summary of 2019
inal prosecution and con- convictions and resolutions
victions of polluters have show. EPA started that in-
fallen to quarter-century vestigation in 2015 after a
lows under the Trump ad- whistleblower tip.
ministration's Environmental The EPA said some other
Protection Agency, deep- enforcement categories
ening three years of overall showed gains for the year.
enforcement declines, ac- That included 170 possible
cording to Justice Depart- criminal cases opened by
ment statistics. the EPA, up from 129 last
And while the administra- year.
tion says it's focusing on Criminal fines increased
quality over quantity in pol- from $28 million in 2018 to
lution cases, using its en- $45 million, the agency
forcement resources to go said.
after the biggest and worst Conservation groups and
offenders, an Associated former EPA officials, includ-
Press analysis found little ing Hubbard, say Trump
sign of that so far in court administration cuts in en-
cases closed in 2019. This Sept. 21, 2017 file photo shows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Building in forcement agents at EPA
The criminal pollution cas- Washington. are one of the biggest
es initiated, and won this Associated Press reasons for the criminal en-
year, under the Trump ad- three years of falling en- enforcement decline." fewest since 1995, accord- forcement declines.
ministration, appear to be forcement numbers show The Trump EPA says its em- ing to the Syracuse Univer- "It's always resource-driv-
smaller one-offs, such as an the Trump administration phasis is on working with sity figures. en," Hubbard said.
Alaska fishing captain who gutting criminal investiga- polluters to bring them into Convictions and settle- Even if the EPA is opting to
let a reality TV show crew tions and prosecutions at compliance with public ments and sentences focus its enforcement on
film his cheering crew as it the agency. health and environmental against big corporate of- the biggest cases it can
dumped waste overboard "These numbers in the last protections, but says it pros- fenders for fiscal year 2019 manage, for enforcement
into an Alaskan strait in three years, what they ecutes when necessary. largely involved cases origi- officials, "if I got nobody in
2017. show is the dismantling, in- Syracuse University's Trans- nated in the Obama ad- the store, I can't sell any
EPA spokeswoman Melissa telligently, of this program," actional Records Access ministration but finished by product," Hubbard said.
Sullivan said Thursday it was said Michael Hubbard, a Clearinghouse compiled the Trump administration, The EPA had 145 investiga-
"not unusual" for complex former special agent in the records from Justice as with a $1.95 million pen- tive agents on staff as of
criminal cases to take years charge for the EPA's crimi- Department and EPA cases alty against Hyundai Con- February, down from 175 in
to move from initial investi- nal investigation division in for fiscal year 2019, which struction Equipment Ameri- 2012, Whitehouse, the PEER
gations to filing of charges. New England. ended in September. cas Inc. for importing diesel chief, said.q
Sullivan said that some sta- It's the Trump administra- The EPA sent 190 cases to
tistics, such as a one-year tion "getting away with in- the Justice Department
rise from 107 to 133 in to- creasing the risk to health for possible criminal pros-
tal number of defendants and the environment at ecution, the figures show.
charged in criminal cases, the benefit of corporate That's up from 166 last year,
were up in 2019. officials who want to make the second year of the
"We have devoted sub- more money," Hubbard Trump administration, but
stantial resources to larger, said. otherwise the lowest since
more complex investiga- "By any recognized metric, George H.W. Bush's first
tions with more benefit to the odds of corporate pol- term in 1990.
the environment and pub- luters facing criminal con- The Justice Department
lic health," Justice Depart- sequences have reached filed 75 EPA prosecutions in
ment spokesman Wyn Hor- a modern low," stated Tim fiscal year 2019. That's the
buckle said in a statement. Whitehouse, a former EPA lowest number since 1994,
"Such cases have resulted enforcement attorney and and down from a high of
in billions of dollars in crimi- executive director of the 198 in Bill Clinton's second
nal penalties." Public Employees for En- term.
But an environmental vironmental Responsibility Justice Department investi-
watchdog group and a for- watchdog and advocacy gators won 60 federal con-
mer regional EPA criminal group. "Every year under victions on pollution cases
enforcement official said Trump has seen a further referred by the EPA, the