IMPACT: EPA posts secret ‘watch list’ that includes chronic polluters
Days after ‘Poisoned Places’ stories, EPA names names - and divulges no details
By Corbin Hiar
Download the full spreadsheet as an .xls (Excel) file.
The Clean Air Act “watch list” is secret no more.
Just days after the Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News and NPR reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maintains an internal list that includes serious or chronic violators of air pollution laws that have not been subject to timely enforcement, the EPA has posted the September and October watch list on its website.
The agency also has begun to publish watch lists that include serious or chronic violators of the Clean Water Act, governing the release of pollutants in waterways, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, involving hazardous waste disposal.
The EPA cited iWatch News’ request for the Clean Air Act watch list, later published for the first time as part of a series on air pollution afflicting hundreds of communities, and said the agency would publish the lists as a demonstration of its commitment to transparency. However, important details on why each polluter is on the list will continue to be kept confidential, the agency said.
EPA site with link to watchlist & PDF FAQ and! Another acronym: ECHO = Enforcement & Compliance History Online.
From the FAQ:
What is the Watch List?
Fact Sheet Watch List Management Tool 11/02/11
The Watch List is a management tool used to facilitate discussion between EPA, state, and local agencies on some enforcement matters. The Watch List does not identify which alleged violations may pose the greatest risk to public health or the environment. Being on the Watch List does not mean that the facility has actually violated the law only that an evaluation or investigation by EPA, or a state or local environmental agency has led those organizations to allege that an unproven violation has occurred.
While violations are serious, I’m surprised at how short the list is for each category, Water, Air, Haz Waste (RCRA). I honestly thought for all 50 states, it would be much larger.