During the 2008 federal fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded civil and criminal enforcement actions amounting to $11.8 billion in commitments by regulated parties to implement new pollution controls, according to the agency’s recently released annual report on its environmental enforcement activities.
Specific achievements included EPA’s largest-ever settlement with a stationary source of air pollution, an agreement under which American Electric Power paid a $15 million penalty and will install pollution controls to reduce emissions from its coal-fired power plants by 1.6 billion lb annually.
EPA also reached a $250 million settlement with W.R. Grace for asbestos contamination in the mining town of Libby, Mont.— the largest ever cash payment made by a responsible party to reimburse the federal government for its costs in investigating and cleaning up a Superfund site.
The EPA enforcement accomplishments report is available online at: www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/reports/accomplishments/oeca/ fy08accomplishment.pdf.
Source: Environmental Business Journal
