The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan, outlined by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in a mid-October House Transportation
CP STAFF
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan, outlined by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in a mid-October House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, calls for the agency to a) develop more comprehensive approaches to ensure enforcement targets the most serious violations and significant pollution sources; b) work with states to ensure greater compliance and water quality consistency; and, c) ensure that states are issuing protective permits and implementing enforcement measures to achieve compliance and remove economic incentives to violate the law.
Updating our efforts under the Clean Water Act will promote innovative solutions for 21st century water challenges; build stronger ties between EPA, state, and local actions; and, provide the transparency the public rightfully expects, Jackson told the committee.
The plan outlines how the agency will strengthen the way it addresses water pollution challenges of this century, including the control of contaminated water that flows from industrial facilities, construction sites, sewer overflows, and runoff from urban streets. For concrete operations, the Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan appears to broaden a regulatory mission that has seen a wave of actions and settlements involving producers in multiple EPA regions.