[StBernard] U.S. EPA Administrator Jackson Takes New Steps to Improve Water Quality

[Westley Annis]

U.S. EPA Administrator Jackson Takes New Steps to Improve Water Quality 

   

(WASHINGTON - July 6, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has
made available comprehensive reports and data on water enforcement in all 50
states. This is part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's larger effort by to
enhance transparency, promote the public's right to know about water quality
and provide information on EPA's actions to protect water under the Clean
Water Act. 

  

In a memorandum issued last Thursday, Administrator Jackson directed EPA's
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) to develop an action
plan to enhance public transparency regarding clean water enforcement. In
the memo, she also calls for stronger enforcement performance at federal and
state levels and a transformation of EPA's water quality and compliance
information systems.  

  

In keeping with this directive, EPA has posted detailed information on the
current state of clean water compliance and enforcement in each state, and
copies of the latest clean water enforcement and compliance performance
reports for each state to the agency's Web site. EPA also launched new
Web-based tools to help the public search, assess, and analyze the data the
agency used to help prepare those reports.  

  

These actions are among of several aggressive steps taken by Administrator
Jackson to improve the nation's water quality by increasing the transparency
and effectiveness of the agency's national Clean Water Act enforcement
program.  

  

The administrator's memo directed the agency to take several actions,
including: 

  

.         Improve and enhance the information available on the EPA website
on compliance and enforcement activities in each state, showing connections
to local water quality where possible;  

.         Provide information in a user-friendly format form that is easily
understood and useable by the public; 

.         Raise the bar for clean water enforcement performance and ensure
enforcement is taken against serious violations that threaten water quality;
and 

.         Improve EPA's enforcement performance in states where EPA directly
implements the clean water program. 

  

Administrator Jackson directed OECA to work with EPA's Office of Water and
to consult closely with EPA's 10 regional offices and the states on the
action plan. After obtaining input from other stakeholders, the assistant
administrator of OECA, Cynthia Giles, will report back to Administrator
Jackson in 90 days with recommendations. 

  

More information on the state-by-state reports:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/state/srf/index.html
<http://www.epa.gov/compliance/state/srf/index.html>  

  

More information on EPA and state enforcement data: 

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/cwa/index.html
<http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/cwa/index.html>  

  

Copy of the administrator's memorandum: 

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/cwa/jackson-ltr-cwa-e
nf.html
<http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/results/performance/cwa/jackson-ltr-cwa-
enf.html>