From: The Hill
“A January study by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility found that the number of criminal enforcement cases EPA referred to the Department of Justice collapsed in fiscal 2018, a nearly 60 percent reduction from 2011 and a 72 percent decline from the level of enforcement activity 20 years ago, in 1998. A separate analysis from former EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance head Cynthia Giles found that the dollar amount from civil penalties for polluters dropped significantly both in 2018 and 2017.”