U.S. Environmental Protection Agency actions against polluters dropped more than 50% in the last decade, with funding and staff levels for its enforcement program each down by 20% between 2007 and 2018, says a new report by the agency inspector general.
IG Sean O'Donnell says that the number of agency inspections, which could lead to possible enforcement actions, had increased from 2007 to 2010 but then fell by 50% from 2010 to 2018. “In the time period we examined, EPA conducted the fewest inspections in 2018,” says the March 31 report by his office.