On October 27, 2021, the EPA announced its federal enforcement actions, completed from October 2020 to September 2021, to protect the public, especially young children, from exposure to lead in paint. This year`s lead-based enforcement actions included civil bylaws, civil actions, and default orders issued by the EPA; and civil settlements and lawsuits by the U.S. Department of Justice. For more information about the agency`s lead-based paint enforcement actions for fiscal year 2021, visit the EPA`s Lead-based Paint Enforcement Helps Protect Children and Vulnerable Communities – 2021 website. Civil actions are formal actions. They are filed in court against individuals or organizations that have not done so: the defendant in a civil action can either be found liable after a lawsuit or reach an out-of-court settlement with the government. The defendant is then required to comply with all the conditions of the settlement, but does not have to admit that he has violated the law. In February 2021, American Zinc Recycling Corp. (AZR) settled a state lawsuit for violating environmental laws on air, water, and hazardous waste at its Palmerton, Pennsylvania plant. 2021 Lead Enforcement Bulletin (pdf) (468.54 KB, October 2021). The EPO is called regulator because Congress empowers us to draft regulations that explain the technical, operational and legal details needed to implement the legislation.
Regulations are mandatory requirements that may apply to individuals, corporations, state or local governments, non-profit organizations, or others. The Lead Enforcement Bulletin 2021 (pdf) (468.54 KB, October 2021) provides an overview and some highlights of the activities undertaken by the Enforcement and Compliance Program and its partners to address actual and potential exposures to lead that pose serious risk to children and others. These guidelines provide guidance on the calculation of civil penalties in enforcement cases. Find out how we fight crime by investigating intentional violations of environmental laws. The EPA`s enforcement program focuses on criminal behavior that threatens human health and the environment. It was created in 1982 and received full implementation of the law of Congress in 1988. We enforce the laws of the land by investigating cases, gathering evidence, conducting forensic analysis and providing legal advice to assist law enforcement. Civil administrative measures are extrajudicial enforcement measures taken by CEPOL or a State under its own responsibility. These lawsuits do not involve litigation.
An administrative action by the EPA or a state agency may take the form of: Find a federal entity`s compliance history with the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and hazardous waste laws. Search ECHO (Enforcement and Compliance History Online) The EPA and states enforce the lead and copper rule as well as other important drinking water regulations. As part of a larger effort, the EPA released the Drinking Water Enforcement Response Policy (ERP) in December 2009. ERP is a new approach that replaces the contamination compliance strategy with a more holistic one. The ERAP helps draw attention to public drinking water systems with the most serious or repeated violations, including non-compliance with the lead and copper rule. Exposure to lead from deteriorated or disturbed lead paint is the leading cause of lead poisoning in children. As a result, the EPA has issued LBP rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Residential Lead-based Paint Hazard Reduction Act. These rules require lead-proof renovations and mitigations, pre-renovation training, and disclosure of information about low back pain and the dangers of low back pain. EPA enforces LBP violations through civil administrative measures, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) pursues civil and criminal claims on behalf of the EPA. Federal agencies and their agencies must comply with environmental laws and requirements in the same manner and to the same extent as any other regulated entity.
To ensure that hazardous waste is treated in a manner that does not endanger human health or the environment, EPA enforces the requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regarding the safe handling, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste, including lead waste. EPA and states verify compliance with these requirements through a comprehensive compliance monitoring program that includes facility inspections, file reviews, and, where appropriate, enforcement actions. CEPOL has taken civil enforcement and sanction measures. The objective of Paint`s intervention and sanction policies is to provide fair and equitable treatment of the regulated community, predictable enforcement actions, and comparable penalty assessments for comparable violations, with the flexibility to consider the individual facts and circumstances of a particular case. Learn about EPA enforcement actions that reduce air pollution from sources ranging from power plants to vehicle engines. The regulations set out specific requirements for what is legal and what is not. For example, a regulation issued by the EPA to implement the Clean Air Act could explain which levels of a pollutant – such as sulfur dioxide – adequately protect human health and the environment. It would tell industries how much sulphur dioxide they can legally emit into the air and what the penalty will be if they emit too much. Once the regulations are in effect, the EPA will work to help Americans comply and enforce the law. The EPA is called a regulator because Congress empowers us to draft regulations that explain the critical details needed to implement environmental legislation. In addition, a number of presidential decrees play a central role in our activities.
Lead is one of the most common contaminants at Superfund sites across the country. Cleanups are often complex, can take years, and typically involve multiple enforcement actions. The EPA has used Superfund`s authority to combat lead contamination in soils, sediments, demolition debris, landfills and other situations at hundreds of sites across the county.
