CPR Member Scholar Joel Mintz Testifying at House Hearing on EPA Enforcement
Ben Somberg
June 6, 2012
The House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power holds a hearing today on “EPA Enforcement Priorities and Practices.” CPR Member Scholar Joel Mintz, Professor at Nova Southeastern University Law Center, will be testifying. From his testimony:
.. during the eight years of the George W. Bush administration, the civil penalties assessed against environmental law violators averaged $117 million per year. In contrast, during the first three years of the Obama administration, EPA enforcement resulted in the assessment of a lower amount of civil penalties: $115 million per year. ... Although there may well be good explanations for these declines, they do support the overall conclusions of my historical research: EPA’s enforcement work during the Obama period has been similar in nature to its work in nearly every administration since the Agency was established, regardless of the party affiliation of the president.
Mintz is the author of Enforcement at the EPA: High Stakes and Hard Choices.
