"EPA is pushing back against mounting criticism from congressional Democrats that the agency is "suspending enforcement of environmental laws" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a series of letters released this week, Democratic committee leaders said EPA has abandoned its responsibility to police polluters, exacerbating respiratory health problems, especially for vulnerable populations. EPA said the committees' claims were "false."
The EPA policy, released March 26 with no end date, gives the agency discretion in reprimanding companies that do not comply with routine monitoring and reporting during the outbreak.
It also directs companies to document pandemic-related noncompliance and present it to regulators "upon request" (E&E News PM, March 26).
EPA has declined to release information about what companies have informed the agency that they do not intend to comply with routine enforcement during the pandemic."
