"Agency staff and former officials are warning that new guidance could strengthen the polluter’s hand. “This will stop all meaningful cases in their tracks,” one staffer said."
"EPA has set out new guidelines for its staff interacting with polluters, championing quick compliance for violators of the law before turning to tough enforcement.
Craig Pritzlaff, acting assistant administrator of EPA’s enforcement office, said the memo “reinforces a ‘compliance first’ orientation as the guiding principle” for the program, including for all civil enforcement and compliance initiatives at the agency. The memo, obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News, also tells employees to seek approval from top leadership, pulls back guidance from the previous administration and bars mitigation efforts, known as supplemental environmental projects, or SEPs.
“This policy reinforces prioritizing environmental compliance across all OECA civil judicial and administrative enforcement activities in the most efficient, most economical, and swiftest means possible,” Pritzlaff said in the memo, dated Friday and sent to senior enforcement officials and attorneys across the country.
Former EPA officials said the agency already emphasized securing compliance first before digging further into its enforcement toolkit to crack down on those who breached environmental laws. They warned the guidance could stall staff from using measures to stop repeat offenders and stagnate enforcement action at EPA."
Advertisement 
