More than a dozen states are calling on the Trump administration to abandon a new policy that they say is too soft on polluters.
In a Wednesday letter to EPA, the Democratic attorneys general of 13 states said the agency’s new “compliance first” approach would eliminate tools the federal government has long used to stop contamination of the nation’s air and waters and protect communities.
“The EPA’s attempt to weaken federal enforcement against polluters is a direct threat to public health, which will disproportionately impact our vulnerable communities,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) of California, one of the states that signed on to the letter. “My fellow attorneys general and I urge the EPA to reverse course immediately.”
Their missive came in response to a December memo from Craig Pritzlaff, acting assistant administrator of EPA’s enforcement office, that instructed staff to emphasize compliance over enforcement and pulled back pollution mitigation efforts known as supplemental environmental projects, or SEPs. The tool has historically been favored by enforcement officials, polluters and the communities that benefit from the projects.
