Compliance

Compliance and enforcement is how EPA ensures that governments, businesses and industry understand and follow our nation's environmental laws and regulations.  Compliance helps organizations or individuals meet their obligations under environmental laws and regulations.  Enforcement takes legal action against an organization or industry when they do not comply with the law.

Read more basic information about compliance .

Our Compliance Programs

Compliance Assistance
Provides training and tools to help businesses, federal facilities, local governments and tribes meet their environmental requirements.

Compliance Incentives and Auditing
Reduces or eliminates certain penalties for facilities that voluntarily disclose and correct environmental violations.

Compliance Monitoring
Ensures the regulated community follows environmental laws/regulations through on-site visits by qualified inspectors and information EPA or a state/tribe requires to be submitted.

Government Collaboration
Working with federal agencies and other governments to implement environmental compliance and enforcement programs.

What We Do

The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) aggressively goes after pollution problems that make a difference in communities through vigorous civil and criminal enforcement that targets the most serious water, air and chemical hazards.

Data, Planning and Results
Data systems track compliance with environmental laws and provide a means to report our accomplishments and direct future program efforts.