EPA Puts Compliance First: What The Agency’s Enforcement Reset Means For Regulated Entities

Nearly six months after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its memo entitled "Reinforcing a 'Compliance First' Orientation for Compliance Assurance and Civil Enforcement Activities," the agency's message to regulated industries remains clear: civil environmental enforcement will now begin—and often end—with a focus on achieving compliance quickly, efficiently and cooperatively.

In December 2025, the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) issued a memorandum announcing that it will reinforce a "compliance first" orientation as the guiding principle for civil environmental enforcement nationwide. The memorandum issued by Craig J. Pritzlaff, then-Acting Assistant Administrator for OECA, signaled the EPA's shift away from expansive, enforcement‑heavy approaches and toward policies that emphasize timely compliance, cooperative federalism and narrower interpretations of environmental statutes. Less than two weeks later, Jeffrey Hall was confirmed as