EPA “Year in Review”

Jenner & Block LLP
Allison A. Torrence

March 5, 2018

On Monday, March 5, 2018, EPA issued a report titled EPA Year in Review 2017-2018. The report contains an introductory letter from Administrator Pruitt, who states that he has been “hard at work enacting President Donald Trump’s agenda during [his] first year as EPA Administrator.” The report highlights accomplishments at EPA over the past year, with a focus on the roll back of regulations from the Obama Administration, such as the Clean Power Plan and the Waters of the United States Rule. Administrator Pruitt stated that “[i]n year one, EPA finalized 22 deregulatory actions, saving Americans more than $1 billion in regulatory costs.”

According to the report, Administrator Scott Pruitt set forth a “back-to-basics agenda” with three objectives:

  1. Refocusing the Agency back to its core mission
  2. Restoring power to the states through cooperative federalism
  3. Adhering to the rule of law and improving Agency processes

The report also identifies EPA’s “core mission” as “clean air, land, and water,” and argues that in recent years, “central responsibilities of the Agency took a backseat to ideological crusades, allowing some environmental threats – like cleaning up toxic land – to go unaddressed.” In light of these alleged lapses, EPA states that:

“Administrator Pruitt returned the Agency to its core mission and prioritized issues at the heart of EPA’s purpose: ensuring access to clean air and water, cleaning up contaminated lands and returning them to communities for reuse, improving water infrastructure, and ensuring chemicals entering the marketplace are reviewed for safety. In just one year, EPA made immense progress on these fronts, and the American people have seen real, tangible results.”

Topics covered in the report include:

  • Air: Improving Air Quality
  • Water: Provide for Clean and Safe Water
  • Land: Revitalize Land for Reuse
  • Chemicals: Ensure Safety of Chemicals
  • Enforcement
  • Cooperative Federalism and Public Participation
  • Rule of Law

The report concludes with several pages of quotes from elected officials, state environmental agencies, and industry representatives, offering praise for the work done by EPA and Administrator Pruitt:

Leslie Rutledge, Attorney General, Ark.: “Administrator Pruitt’s decision last month to completely re-evaluate the WOTUS rule, minimizing the regulatory burden on countless landowners, demonstrates his commitment to building stronger relationships with state partners.” (07/20/17)

The Year in Review report was tweeted out by Administrator Pruitt and can be found on EPA’s website.

This article is being provided for informational purposes only and not for the purposes of providing legal advice or creating an attorney-client relationship. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem you may have. In addition, the opinions expressed herein are the opinions of Ms. Torrence  and may not reflect the opinions of Synergy Environmental, Inc., Jenner & Block LLP or either of those firms’ clients.

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