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Enforcement

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EPA Home » Enforcement » Enforcement Annual Results for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014

Enforcement Annual Results for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014

Lowe’s Home Centers compliance program requires contractors to follow lead safety practices.

Titanium Metals Corporation will prevent improper disposal of hazardous waste and PCB contaminated waste.

Chesapeake Appalachia will restore streams and wetlands and implement a comprehensive compliance plan.

Coal-fired power plants must control pollution and promote renewable energy development.

Refineries and chemical plants are implementing technologies to reduce dangerous air toxics.

Tonawanda Coke was found guilty and required to pay a penalty and fund community service.

Municipalities are cutting sewage in local waterways through solutions like integrated planning and green infrastructure.

EPA enforcement of the nation’s environmental laws is focused on large cases that drive compliance across industries and that have a high impact on protecting public health and the environment. 

Our enforcement accomplishments include:

  • $9.7 billion in investments by companies in actions and equipment to control pollution and clean up contaminated sites
  • $163 million in combined federal administrative, civil judicial penalties and criminal fines
  • $16 million in court-ordered environmental projects resulting from criminal prosecutions
  • 155 combined years of incarceration for sentenced defendants
  • $453.7 million in commitments from responsible parties to clean up Superfund sites
  • The company Lowe’s Home Centers agreed to a corporate-wide compliance program that ensures contractors across the country follow laws to protect children from dangerous lead paint exposure.  
  • The nation’s second largest natural gas producer, Chesapeake Appalachia, agreed to restore streams and wetlands damaged from its operations. The company will implement a comprehensive plan to comply with water protection laws. 
  • Titanium Metals Corporation, one of the world’s largest producers of titanium parts for jet engines, agreed to pay a record $14 million civil penalty and prevent the improper disposal of 56 million pounds of hazardous waste and 84,000 pounds of PCB contaminated waste each year.
  • Tonawanda Coke was found guilty for illegally releasing benzene from its facility into neighboring communities. Tonawanda is required to pay a $12.5 million criminal penalty and to fund $12.2 million in community service in New York.
  • Settlements with companies like Minnesota Power and Wisconsin Electric Power Company are cutting emissions from coal fired power plants. Companies must now control pollution and conduct innovative mitigation projects that promote renewable energy development and protect clean air for local communities.
  • We are reducing dangerous air toxics released from industrial flares at refineries and chemical plants. Companies like Shell and DuPont are required to implement cutting edge monitoring and pollution control technologies. These efforts are equipping minority and low-income communities with monitoring data, while reducing toxic air pollution for residents living near the facilities.
  • We are working closely with cities to cut discharges of raw sewage and contaminated stormwater to the nation’s waters through green infrastructure, integrated planning, and innovative approaches. Recent cases such as East Bay MUD (California), Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (Illinois) and Miami-Dade County (Florida) reflect this progress.  
  • We are ensuring federal facilities take responsibility and clean up the toxic pollution they create. Examples include actions at the Camp Minden, Louisiana U.S. Army site and the Hanford, Washington Superfund site.

Progress on our National Enforcement Initiatives: