The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state partners have announced major improvement in Clean Water Act permit compliance.
The national substantial non-compliance rate decreased from 20.3% at the beginning of 2018 to 9% in 2022, according to a Nov. 22 EPA news release.
"Five years ago, EPA set an ambitious goal for cutting the rate of significant noncompliance with Clean Water Act permits in half. Today I’m pleased to announce that we have met and exceeded that target achieving a historically low rate of 9%," Acting Assistant Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Larry Starfield said in the release. "This notable achievement speaks to what EPA and the states can accomplish together to improve compliance and reduce Clean Water Act violations.”
“New York continues to be a leader in national compliance efforts and in collaborating with our federal partners on compliance initiatives, sharing our expertise in overseeing thousands of facilities to help make meaningful progress in improving water quality, holding polluters accountable and benefiting communities across New York State and the U.S.," New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, according to the release.
