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
President Joe Biden’s EPA took over in 2020 after four long years of industry favoritism and regulatory rollbacks under the Trump Administration. Not only did Trump have a former coal lobbyist, Andrew Wheeler, and an oil and gas industry ally, Scott Pruitt, running EPA. His administration also weakened or eliminated almost 100 environmental safeguards, including everything from air pollution control rules to vehicle fuel efficiency standards, with the pace picking up at the end.
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.
