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Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Goal
The goal of the Region 5 enforcement program is to promote compliance with federal environmental laws. Successful implementation of the federal enforcement program provides a deterrent to non-compliance and contributes to the Region 5 mission of protecting human health and preserving natural resources.
Alan Walts, Director, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Alan Walts (walts.alan@epa.gov) 312-353-8894
Partners
Region 5 works in concert with state programs in order to achieve the purpose of its enforcement program. Region 5 states are authorized to operate most federal regulatory programs. However, a vigorous federal enforcement presence, in both delegated and non-delegated programs, is essential to creating an atmosphere in which compliance can be sustained.
Responsibility
- coordinates enforcement, compliance assistance and environmental justice issues among national, regional programs and the states.
- enforces against violators of more than one law.
- promotes equal public health and environmental protection for all in Region 5.
- participates with states and other regional programs in developing enforcement and compliance goals, strategies and policies.
- works with attorneys and enforcement staff to settle cases.
Functions
- Maintains consistent environmental enforcement programs.
- Pursues prompt case settlements. (injunctive relief, penalties and restoration of damaged and contaminated resources and property.)
- Maintains national consistency in the enforcement of federal environmental laws across state and regional boundaries.
- Assures equal environmental protection for communities with envionmental justice concerns.
- Insures compliance with enforcement agreements and orders.
- Investigates and prosecuting criminal violations.
- Address compliance issues at federal facilities.
- Supports use of compliance assistance to facilitate understanding of new laws or regulatory requirements, with a focus on small businesses and governmental entities.
- Provides incentives to use of comprehensive compliance audits, self-disclosure of discovered violations, and swift remediation of such violations.
- Insures the public's right to know, and access to, environmental data.
- Promotes pollution prevention and other environmentally beneficial activities through use of supplemental environmental projects to resolve enforcement actions.