CLEAN WATER ACT ENFORCEMENT PLAN RELEASED BY EPA
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson has announced that the agency is stepping up its efforts on Clean Water Act enforcement. The plan is a first step in revamping the compliance and enforcement program. It seeks to improve the protection of our nation's water quality, raise the bar in federal and state performance and enhance public transparency.
The plan outlines how the agency will strengthen the way it addresses the water pollution challenges of this century. These challenges include pollution caused by numerous, dispersed sources, such as concentrated animal feeding operations, sewer overflows, contaminated water that flows from industrial facilities, construction sites, and runoff from urban streets.
The goals of the plan are to target enforcement to the most significant pollution problems, improve transparency and accountability by providing the public with access to better data on the water quality in their communities, and strengthen enforcement performance at the state and federal levels.
Source: Farm Futures, October 19, 2009