Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Annual Results for Fiscal Year 2024

In fiscal year 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency’s revitalized enforcement and compliance assurance program addressed 21st century environmental challenges, provided a fair and robust approach to enforcement, and held polluters accountable across the Nation. Work completed this fiscal year will help ensure clean air, safe drinking water, healthy rivers and streams, reduced land contamination, and fewer chemical accidents and toxic exposures. EPA delivered results from implementation of new strategies, including the first-ever EPA’s Climate Enforcement and Compliance Strategy (pdf) (336.37 KB) to address climate change and the Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Policy (pdf) (448.63 KB) to promote greater partnership between our civil and criminal enforcement programs.

Over the past two years, EPA achieved stronger enforcement and compliance assurance results than any time since 2017. Specifically, EPA

Completed record-breaking, precedent-setting cases, including the largest mobile source and stationary source Clean Air Act settlements in history;
Cut climate super pollutants like hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that are unlawfully imported through our country’s borders and ports and methane emissions at oil and gas fields and landfills;
Addressed impacts to communities overburdened by pollution, through increased inspections and enforcement including completing 184 air toxics inspections in 27 priority communities;
Ensured public water systems are following laws designed to prevent dangerous contamination and ensure everyone living in the United States has access to safe drinking water;
Made significant accomplishments across all our National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives to provide clean air, safe water, and reduced chemical exposure.

Working for Your Community

EPA’s enforcement and compliance assurance program focuses on identifying and addressing noncompliance and contaminated sites that adversely impact the health of communities through vigorous criminal and civil enforcement.

Protecting Health and the Environment

Ensuring clean air, safe drinking and recreational water, cleanup of contaminated land, and reduced exposure to toxic chemicals.

Climate Change

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing climate resilience to address the existential threat of climate change.

Environmental Justice

Driving pollution reductions in overburdened and underserved communities across the Nation.

National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives

Focusing enforcement and compliance resources on the most serious environmental violations using national program priorities

Fulfilling Our Mission

Ensuring compliance with environmental laws and addressing violations that pose the greatest threat to human health and the environment in a fair and equitable manner.

FY 2024 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance by the Numbers

2.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions were reduced, treated, or eliminated, which is the equivalent of taking nearly 630,000 cars off the road for a year
227 million pounds of pollution eliminated in communities overburdened by pollution, the highest total ever
$1.7 billion in administrative and judicial penalties, the highest level since FY 2017
1,851 civil cases concluded – the highest number since FY 2017
121 criminal defendants charged, the highest since FY 2019
8,500+ inspections, nearly 10% increase from FY 2023, and the highest since FY 2017
53% of inspections in areas with potential environmental justice concerns
82% of completed Superfund enforcement settlement agreements at sites in overburdened communities

Year in Review

Provides highlights from FY 2024 and EPA’s efforts to revitalize enforcement, protect communities, and hold polluters accountable.

Criminal Enforcement

The criminal enforcement program investigates and assists in the prosecution of knowing or negligent environmental violations.

Civil Enforcement

Civil enforcement actions deter future violations and ensure a level playing field for the regulated community.

Superfund Enforcement

Superfund enforcement is critical to getting sites cleaned up and preserving taxpayer dollars and the Superfund Trust Fund.

Federal Facilities

Federal agencies and their facilities must comply with environmental laws and requirements in the same manner and to the same extent as any other regulated facility.

Compliance Assurance

Compliance is one of the key components EPA uses to ensure regulated community obey environmental laws and regulations.

Annual Results Maps

Find concluded enforcement cases, on-site compliance inspections, and current cleanup work on their respective interactive maps.

Data and Trends

Charts and graphs displaying the Fiscal Year 2024 Accomplishments and overall Trends from Fiscal Years 2015 – 2024.

Annual Results Press Release

EPA’s Annual Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Results Include Strongest Outcomes Since 2017 (12/5/2024)