EPA Enforcement Activities Hit 30-Year Low

Under the Trump administration, criminal prosecution of polluters is an historically rare activity.

1 minute read

January 21, 2019, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Air Pollution

ehrlif / Shutterstock

Ellen Knickmeyer reports on a new standard in enforcement set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

According to data from the U.S. Department of Justice, the EPA is now pursuing the fewest number of criminal prosecutions in 30 years. The EPA pursued only 166 cases, the lowest number since 1988. The number of criminal prosecutions referred by the EPA peaked in 1998, with 592, and have declined ever since.

The current trend was first noticed in February 2018, when an Environmental Integrity Project investigation found the number of civil penalties pursued by the EPA plummeting during the Trump Administration.

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