The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) significantly enhanced its enforcement efforts in 2024, resulting in a substantial increase in financial penalties against polluters and the first-ever arrest for a climate change-related crime, according to a recent agency report.
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The EPA reported concluding over 1,850 civil cases, a 3.4% rise compared to 2023, and charging 121 criminal defendants, a 17.6% increase from the previous year. These “revitalized enforcement and compliance efforts” led to a reduction or elimination of more than 225 million pounds of pollution in overburdened communities, as highlighted in the agency’s final enforcement report before the presidential transition.
A Focus on 21st Century Environmental Challenges
The agency levied $1.7 billion in fines and penalties, more than double the 2023 total and the highest in seven years. With 300 new employees hired since the previous year, the enforcement program prioritized “21st century environmental challenges,” including climate change, environmental justice, and chemical waste management, as stated by David Uhlmann, EPA’s assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance. More than half of the agency’s inspections and settlements involved disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by pollution, reflecting the Biden administration’s commitment to environmental justice.
FILE – Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
Landmark Cases and Significant Settlements
A landmark achievement included the first-ever criminal charges for a climate change-related crime, involving a California man charged with smuggling climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) into the United States. This case underscored the EPA’s commitment to enforcing the 2020 law prohibiting HFC importation without EPA allowances, a crucial step in the global phaseout of these potent greenhouse gases.
FILE – A 6.7L Cummins Diesel engine is displayed at the Ram booth during the media preview of the Chicago Auto Show, Feb. 6, 2014. (AP photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Other significant enforcement actions included a substantial settlement with Cummins Inc., exceeding $2 billion in fines and penalties, for using illegal software to evade diesel emissions tests in Ram trucks. Additionally, a $241.5 million settlement with Marathon Oil addressed alleged air quality violations at its North Dakota operations, mandating emissions reductions and resulting in over 2.3 million tons of pollution reduction.
FILE – David Uhlmann, chief of the environmental crimes section of the Department of Justice, answers questions during a news conference, Jan. 20, 2006, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
Looking Ahead: Enforcement Beyond the Biden Era
Uhlmann emphasized the transformative impact of increased congressional funding on the EPA’s enforcement approach, revitalizing a program weakened by budget cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic. He highlighted the strengthened partnership between criminal and civil programs and the focus on expediting cases to deliver timely results for affected communities.
While acknowledging the potential for changes under a new administration, Uhlmann underscored the non-partisan nature of environmental enforcement, emphasizing the EPA’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting communities from harmful pollution regardless of political shifts. The numerous ongoing civil and criminal investigations initiated during the Biden administration are poised to continue yielding results in the coming years. The future of environmental enforcement remains to be seen, but the Biden administration’s legacy includes a significant strengthening of the EPA’s capacity to hold polluters accountable.
