EPA Announces Plan to Retool Clean Water Enforcement

The U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) said Thursday it is stepping up its efforts on Clean Water Act enforcement.

Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced a new Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan outlining how the agency will  address  water pollution challenges of this century. These
challenges include pollution caused by numerous, dispersed sources,
such as concentrated animal feeding operations, sewer overflows,
contaminated water that flows from industrial facilities, construction
sites, and runoff from urban streets, EPA said.

The Plan is a first step in revamping the compliance and enforcement program to "raise the bar in federal and state performance and enhance public transparency" the Agency said in a release.

“The safety of the water that we use in our homes–the water we drink and give to our children–is of paramount importance to our health and our environment. Having clean and safe water in our communities is a right that should be guaranteed for all Americans,” said Administrator Jackson. “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.”

Elements of the plan include the following:

• Develop more comprehensive approaches to ensure enforcement is targeted to the most serious violations and the most significant sources of pollution.
• Work with states to ensure greater consistency throughout the country with respect to compliance and water quality. Ensure that states are issuing protective permits and taking enforcement to achieve compliance and remove economic incentives to violate the law.
• Use 21st century information technology to collect, analyze and use information in new, more efficient ways and to make that information readily accessible to the public. Better tools will help federal and state regulators identify serious compliance problems quickly and take prompt actions to correct them.

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