"EPA's top enforcement official has directed agents to ramp up inspections in communities that have long been afflicted by pollution and called on agents 'to step in and take necessary action' in cases where state regulators are falling short on the job.
The internal memo from EPA's acting enforcement chief, Larry Starfield, shared with E&E News is the latest indication the agency intends to consider environmental justice when pursuing environmental crimes. And EPA agents are taking notice.
'This is extremely heavy messaging to staff,' said Nicole Cantello, a chapter president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
It means polluted corridors studded with industrial facilities like one that smells of sulfur just outside Chicago could be targeted by inspectors. A similar approach was piloted in the Obama administration through the program 'Making a Visible Difference in Communities.'
The idea is simple: Enforcement cops patrol areas already known to be overburdened — and disproportionately home to Black, Hispanic and Indigenous people, as a recent study confirmed."
Kelsey Brugger reports for E&E News May 4, 2021.
SEE ALSO:
"EPA Official Directs Agency To Ramp Up Enforcement In Communities Hit Hard By Pollution" (The Hill)
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