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Compliance and Enforcement Annual Results:
FY2007 Report a Violation
FY2007 Annual Results Topics
- Background on the Report a Violation Web Site
- Quick Facts about Tips Received by EPA
- How EPA Responds to Reports
Background on the Report a Violation Web Site
One of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance's (OECA) priorities is to make EPA’s website an effective tool for securing tips and complaints from the public about possible civil and criminal violations of environmental law.
EPA’s Report a Violation Web site was launched in 1999, and re-launched in January 2006 with significant modifications to make it easier to report tips using the Web-based reporting form, and to increase the quality of tips received by EPA.
A link on EPA's Homepage invites the public to report possible environmental violations or crimes. More than a million people a month who visit the Agency's home page (www.epa.gov) have the opportunity to help OECA protect human health and the environment by sharing any problems they see in their communities.
The Report a Violation Web site continues to be a work in progress. The continued implementation of the Web site will allow a more organized and coordinated effort between EPA's criminal and civil enforcement offices; more timely EPA responses to public reports of potential environmental violations; referral of complaint information to EPA's state and local counterparts; accurate internal EPA tracking of complaint information; and tracking of national trends in environmental law violations.Quick Facts about Tips Received
- The site has led to the opening of, or contributed to, 9 criminal cases. An unforeseen benefit to the Web site is that some tips have provided additional evidence that has assisted EPA with existing cases (such as additional witnesses that can assist us with an existing case).
- During the past fiscal year, EPA received a total of 6,781 tips.
- 6,394 of these tips indicated potential civil violations.
- 387 tips are currently under review for potential criminal violations.
How EPA Responds to Tips
OECA's Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training (OCEFT) has primary responsibility for evaluating and routing these leads as they come in. The system sorts tips based on their potential under criminal, civil or state jurisdiction. Here is a brief overview of how the process works:
- A member of the public completes form.
- If the violation is described as being intentional, it is sent to the criminal enforcement office for review by criminal investigation division desk officers.
- If the violation is described as being “accidental,” it is sent to EPA Regional offices for review as a civil case.
- “Criminal tips” reviewed by desk officer are either:
- Sent to Criminal Program field offices for further review and potential criminal investigation.
- Sent to Regional offices if deemed potentially worthwhile for civil investigation but not criminal investigation.
- Closed without further action if information submitted indicates that further investigation is not warranted.
- Tips that result in further enforcement response are tracked through the normal civil and criminal enforcement procedures.
Tips that will not result in further federal response may be referred to the appropriate states. States' responses to tips referred from EPA are managed within each State as a regulatory or law enforcement issue. EPA's goal with regard to referrals to states is to provide tips containing as much useful information as possible for review.
Annual Results by Fiscal Year:
FY2008 | FY2007 | FY2006 | FY2005 | FY2004 | FY2003 | FY2002 | FY2001 | FY2000 | FY1999