Citing coronavirus safety concerns, the EPA has temporarily suspended enforcement of environmental laws.
A sweeping decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend enforcement on a range of health and environmental protections due to the spread of the coronavirus has prompted heavy criticism from California regulators, local health officers and environmentalists.
According to a county spokesman, the program is doing some limited inspections of underground storage tanks at gasoline dispensing facilities. “No one has ever seen anything like this. This is a complete pass for every industry,” said Gina McCarthy, a former Obama-era EPA chief and current president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “It basically says that if somehow it’s related to COVID-19, then you don’t have to worry — and this is retroactive to earlier in the month — about monitoring or keeping records.”
“EPA is committed to protecting human health and the environment, but recognizes challenges resulting from efforts to protect workers and the public from COVID-19 may directly impact the ability of regulated facilities to meet all federal regulatory requirements,” Wheeler said. “This temporary policy is designed to provide enforcement discretion under the current, extraordinary conditions, while ensuring facility operations continue to protect human health and the environment.
Just this week, the administration announced it was going to move forward on a rule designed to restrict the types of research that can be used in public health protection decisions and scientific assessments.
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