The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce (“Subcommittee”) held a February 26th hearing titled:
EPA Enforcement: Taking the Environmental Cop off the Beat
The Subcommittee described the hearing as examining the:
. . . effectiveness and consistency of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and implementing and enforcing federal environmental regulations and laws, as well as the resulting impacts of the Agency’s efforts and actions on human health and the environment.
A February 22nd memorandum (“Memorandum”) from the Committee on Energy and Commerce Staff addressed:
- EPA Enforcement Overview
- EPA Enforcement Indicators
- New Enforcement Policy Directives and Review
- Enforcement Staff Reductions and Proposed Budget Cuts
The Memorandum noted that seven witnesses were scheduled to testify which included:
Panel I
The Honorable Susan Bodine
Assistant Administrator
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Panel II
Bruce Buckheit, JD, MS
Analyst and Consultant
Former Director
Air Enforcement Division, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Bakeyah Nelson, PhD
Executive Director
Air Alliance Houston
Eric Schaeffer, JD
Executive Director
Environmental Integrity Project
Chris Sellers, PhD, MD
Professor of History
Director, Center for the Study of Inequality and Social Justice
Stony Brook University
Jay Shimshak, PhD
Associate Professor of Public Policy and Economics
Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
University of Virginia
The Honorable Ronald J. Tenpas, JD
Partner
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Former Assistant Attorney General
Environment and Natural Resources Division U.S. Department of Justice
A link to the witnesses’ prepared remarks and the February 22nd Memorandum can be found here.
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