With strong support from the Clinton administration, the U.S. EPA is charging ahead. According to its 1998 fiscal report, enforcement is at near record highs. It initiated 266 new criminal cases and 411 civil cases in 1998. It assessed $190 million in fines and penalties, and $230 million in Superfund settlements. These actions resulted in substantial pollution reduction.
Almost half the civil settlements require violators to implement or improve
environmental management systems, or enhance the public’s right to know. Polluters spent over $2 billion dollars to correct violations and clean up Superfund sites, $200 million more than in 1997. EPA’s website gets 40 million hits a month!
Its annual emission auction run by the Chicago Board of Trade brought in a record $53 million in sulfur dioxide allowances. 150,010 allowances traded hands,
sold at an average price of $207.
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