We’re holding governments accountable for enforcement of environmental laws.
Despite the promise of our nation’s environmental laws, the government often lacks the political will or resources to enforce legal requirements that protect public health. EPA’s budget, which has been repeatedly slashed over the years, must be restored so that EPA has the tools it needs to achieve its mission.
EPA and state environmental agencies rely heavily on health, environmental, pollution, and technological information to implement our environmental laws. Far too often, government doesn’t collect the right data, doesn’t collect it in the right form, or maintains the data in a format that makes it harder for government and the public to evaluate it.
EIP does not hesitate to take the government to court when EPA and state agencies fail to do their job to protect public health and the environment. In addition, EIP has been the “go-to” organization when it comes to evaluating federal and state enforcement programs for many years, and this will remain a core function of our organization. At the same time, we have a responsibility to help EPA secure the resources and muster the political needed to enforce the law.
EPA Watch
The Trump Administration is working to slash the EPA’s budget and roll back scores of key pollution control regulations. Instead of being focused on protecting public health and fighting climate change, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said that the agency should pursue the Trump Administration’s goals of “American energy dominance,” boosting the auto industry, and making America the artificial intelligence capital of the world. EIP works as a watchdog to expose industry influence at the EPA and make sure it follows its Congressionally-mandated purpose of protecting the environment and public health.
Center for Environmental Investigations
EIP’s Center for Environmental Investigations researches and writes ground-breaking, in-depth reports based on public records to hold government and polluters accountable and to encourage reform. Our unique blend of skill sets—including from our analysts, journalists, and environmental law experts—allows us to produce insightful and newsworthy reports on a variety of environmental topics, from petrochemical industry to public subsidies for the plastics industry.
