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EPA enforcement drops sharply in Trump’s 2nd year in office

In this Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, a sign on a door of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington. Government figures show the EPA has hit a 30-year low in the number of pollution cases referred for criminal prosecution. Justice Department data released Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility show the EPA referred 166 cases for federal prosecution in fiscal year 2018.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
In this Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, a sign on a door of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington. Government figures show the EPA has hit a 30-year low in the number of pollution cases referred for criminal prosecution. Justice Department data released Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility show the EPA referred 166 cases for federal prosecution in fiscal year 2018.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) In this Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, a sign on a door of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington. Government figures show the EPA has hit a 30-year low in the number of pollution cases referred for criminal prosecution. Justice Department data released Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility show the EPA referred 166 cases for federal prosecution in fiscal year 2018.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

By Associated Press 2 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Civil and criminal crackdowns on polluters dropped sharply in the second year of the Trump administration, according to 2018 enforcement figures released Friday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Trump administration EPA says the agency is taking a new tack with polluters, giving states more of a role in regulation and enforcement and stressing education and voluntary compliance with offenders as well as fines and criminal prosecution.

“In fiscal year 2018, we continued our focus on expediting site cleanup, deterring noncompliance, and returning facilities to compliance with the law,” Susan Bodine, acting head of EPA enforcement, said in a statement.

The EPA has been one of the most active agencies overall in carrying out the deregulatory goals of President Donald Trump. Environmental and public-health groups say the business-friendly rollbacks place public health and the environment at greater risk.

Jeff Ruch of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility said the newly released 2018 totals show environmental enforcement “entering a near dark age.”