Jackson Orders Review of Water Enforcement Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson last month asked Cynthia Giles, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's enforcement and compliance program,to examine the agency's water enforcement program in light of information showing that water quality goals are not being met and that there are too many violations in too many places.
According to an agency press release, Giles must report back in October with recommendations to improve transparency, strengthen clean water enforcement performance, and expand the use of technology to increase efficiency and to provide useful information to the public. The recommended action plan needs to improve compliance and address the problems that are having the biggest impact on water quality.
The agency is inviting the public to share ideas through its discussion forum. These ideas will be considered for recommendations to Jackson about the future direction for EPA's water enforcement program. In all our discussions, EPA will be mindful of the need to focus on the most important work for protecting water quality and improving compliance with the Clean Water Act, given resource constraints that require us to place a premium on innovation and efficiency.
For more enforcement and compliance information, visit http://www.epa.gov/compliance/