EPA Enforcement: A Heightened Emphasis on Mitigation Relief
Originally published in Trends, Vol. 45, No. 4 (March/April 2014), copyright 2014 by the American Bar Association
5 Pages Posted: 8 Dec 2013 Last revised: 20 Mar 2014
Date Written: December 6, 2013
Abstract
This article reviews key features of a November 2012 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Memorandum entitled Securing Mitigation as Injunctive Relief in Certain Civil Enforcement Settlements. The Agency issued the Memorandum for the purpose of “strongly encourag[ing] [EPA enforcement personnel] to seek mitigation, where appropriate, as a component of the injunctive relief they seek in civil judicial enforcement cases.” Implementation of the Mitigation Memorandum coincides with an Agency effort to more fundamentally reconsider its approach to compliance promotion, which EPA calls its Next Generation (Next Gen) Compliance Initiative and characterizes as a “new paradigm” for promoting compliance. As EPA revisits its approach to improving compliance more generally, the Mitigation Memorandum offers insights into EPA’s strategies for pursuing formal enforcement, including civil judicial cases.
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