"EPA enforcement chief Susan Bodine doggedly defended her office's record this morning against a drumbeat of questions from Democrats over data showing a decline in fines and staffing.

"Some are judging our work based on a narrow set of parameters and then drawing the conclusion that EPA is somehow soft on environmental violators," Bodine told lawmakers at a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing. "I'm here to tell you that is absolutely not true."

In written testimony, Bodine touted a variety of initiatives by the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, such as "reinvigorating" its self-audit program and a separate effort to complete inspection reports faster "so that facilities can be made aware of potential compliance problems more quickly and address them." Among OECA's accomplishments in fiscal 2018, Bodine singled out a corporation's guilty plea for illegally transporting 9 million pounds of hazardous waste from Mississippi to an unpermitted facility in Missouri."

Sean Reilly reports for Greenwire February 26, 2019. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"EPA Enforcement Chief Defends Agency’s Record" (Washington Post) [3]

"EPA Defends Enforcement Record, Despite Drop In Penalties" (AP) [4]

"U.S. EPA Denies Being Soft On Polluters As Democrats Question Enforcement" (Reuters) [5]