9 States Challenge EPA’s COVID-19 Enforcement Policy

Posted on 5/18/2020 by Roger Marks

Attorneys General from nine states filed suit against US EPA over the agency’s Temporary Policy on environmental enforcement during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The states filed the complaint to “challenge a final agency policy under which EPA has stated it ‘will not’ enforce a wide range of monitoring and reporting requirements under federal environmental laws” on May 13 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Attorneys General from California, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Virginia have this to say about EPA’s COVID-19 enforcement policy:

“…rather than exercising enforcement discretion as authorized by law, EPA issued a broad, open-ended policy that gives regulated parties free rein to self-determine when compliance with federal environmental laws is not practical because of COVID-19.”

Issued on March 26, 2020, EPA’s temporary enforcement policy applies to civil violations of routine environmental monitoring and reporting obligations.

Petition for Emergency Rulemaking

These nine states are not the first to file suit concerning EPA’s COVID-19 policy.

On April 1, groups including the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) petitioned EPA to create an emergency rulemaking that would obligate companies to inform the public of their intention invoke the COVID-19 defense. After waiting two weeks for a response from EPA, the groups filed suit on April 16.

The suit asks the Court “to order EPA to respond to the emergency rulemaking petition as soon as possible.”

Convenient, Effective Online EHS Manager Training

Managing site compliance with the many complex EPA programs that affect your business—from the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to TSCA, EPCRA, CERLCA, and more—is a major challenge. If you’re new to the field or need an update on changing EPA rules, online training is a convenient way to quickly build in-depth expertise.

Check out the latest EPA compliance training courses:
Complete Environmental Regulations
Clean Air Act Regulations Online
TSCA Regulations Online
Clean Water Act & SDWA Regulations Online
Superfund and Right-to-Know Act Regulations Online

Find a Post

Search for:

Compliance Topics

Compliance Archives

Lion does a great job summarizing and communicating complicated EH&S-related regulations.

Michele Irmen

Sr. Environmental Engineer

I was able to present my scenario to the instructor and worked thru the regulations together. In the past, I attended another training firm's classes. Now, I have no intention of leaving Lion!

Diana Joyner

Senior Environmental Engineer

These are the best classes I attend each year. I always take something away and implement improvements at my sites.

Kim Racine

EH&S Manager

This training broke down the regulations in an easy-to-understand manner and made them less overwhelming. I now feel I have the knowledge to make more informed decisions.

Amanda Oswald

Shipping Professional

Lion is at the top of the industry in compliance training. Course content and structure are updated frequently to make annual re-training enjoyable. I like that Lion has experts that I can contact for 1 year after the training.

Caroline Froning

Plant Chemist

Lion courses are the standard to which all other workshops should strive for!

Brody Saleen

Registered Environmental Health Specialist

The instructor was very very informative, helpful, understandable and pleasant. This course answered many questions I had, being new to this industry.

Frances Mona

Shipping Manager

Course instructor was better prepared and presented better than other trainers. Course manual and references were easier to use as well.

Marty Brownfield

Hazardous Waste Professional

The instructor was excellent. They knew all of the material without having to read from a notepad or computer.

Gary Hartzell

Warehouse Supervisor

Lion Technology workshops are amazing!! You always learn so much, and the instructors are fantastic.

Dorothy Rurak

Environmental Specialist

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Tips to identify and manage universal waste under more-stringent state regulations for generators and universal waste handlers in California.

Download

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.