EPA Reports 1997 Results

31 August 1998 00:00  [Source: ICB Americas]

In fiscal 1997, Environmental Protection Agency took more than 3,000 enforcement actions that resulted in millions of dollars in fines and billions of pounds of pollutants being either cleaned up or eliminated altogether.

"EPA concluded 3,368 enforcement actions that required some change in behavior or the specific conduct of an activity by a violator," says a report issued by the office of enforcement and compliance assurance, which summarizes agency activities through October 1, 1997.

Among the results of these actions was a reduction of 576 million pounds of PCBs and PCB-containing materials, 62 million pounds of volatile organic chemicals, and 28 million pounds of tailings in the environment, according to the report.

It notes that EPA secured Superfund cleanup commitments valued in excess of $609.5 million in fiscal 1997. Potentially responsible parties signed settlements for an estimated $451.5 million in future response work, and agreed to payments totaling more than $158 million for past costs.

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