EPA PUSH TO BOOST CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT MAY FACE LEGAL LIMITATIONS

EPA's heightened focus on criminal enforcement could increase the activities of a division that some say has been underused in forcing industry to comply with federal environmental laws, but also could face legal hurdles depending on the extent of any new collaboration between agency criminal investigators and civil inspectors, EPA sources and defense attorneys say. Granta Nakayama, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Enforcement & Compliance Assurance (OECA), said last week the agency will increase efforts to crack down on...