EPA To Increase Enforcement Actions Under Environmental Justice Initiatives

In conjunction with the Biden administration's renewed focus on environmental justice efforts, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is stepping up its enforcement efforts by increasing facility inspections, thereby aiming to provide more immediate relief for communities near non-compliant facilities, adopting protective remedies that fully address non-compliance and increasing engagement with communities that suffer from environmental justice issues.

In an address on May 24, 2022, EPA's acting chief of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), Larry Starfield, acknowledged that while the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic allowed EPA to refine its off-site enforcement tools, such as drone surveillance and data mining, EPA is now increasing its use of in-person inspections to identify violations and issue "imminent and substantial endangerment" orders under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and Clean Air Act (CAA) if necessary.