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In the first three months of FY 2018, there were 55 prosecutions, but only 16 were led by the EPA. The Department of the Interior led with 23 investigations, and the Department of Agriculture pursued 11 cases.
“There are fewer prosecutions,” said Sue Long, director of the TRAC Research Center. “Now, if there are fewer environmental violations, and there really isn’t any problem with the clean air and water, it could reflect that.”
But according to historical patterns, Long says that it is unlikely that the decrease in prosecutions was caused by less pollution.
“In general there are typically many, many more violations than the federal government has resources to take somebody to court,” Long said. “They’re devoting less resources in this area.”
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