The post EPA Relaxes Noncompliance Enforcement During COVID-19 Pandemic appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Adopting a new temporary policy that gives it more “enforcement discretion,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said March 26 it does not expect to seek penalties for civil violations of the agency’s rules that result from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The policy adopted Thursday addresses concerns that regulated facilities are facing potential worker shortages, travel restrictions, and social distancing restrictions, factors that could heavily affect compliance with EPA requirements, ranging from monitoring and reporting to exceeding air emission limits.

The EPA said that while it will still expect regulated facilities to comply with regulatory requirements “where reasonably practicable,” if consequences of the pandemic result in noncompliance, these facilities must work to return to compliance “as quickly as possible.” To be eligible for the enforcement discretion, however, facilities must also document decisions they make to prevent or mitigate noncompliance, and they must also demonstrate how the noncompliance was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.…

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