About a quarter of the nation’s largest industrial plants and water treatment facilities are in serious violation of pollution standards at any one time, yet only a fraction of them face formal enforcement actions, according to an Environmental Protection Agency internal study.
The study, completed in February by the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance, found that half the serious offenders exceeded pollution limits for toxic substances by more than 100 percent.
When formal disciplinary actions were taken, fewer than half resulted in fines, which averaged about $6,000.

LINKIE

yeah, and the sad thing about this is that Bush and the Republicans didn't fund the miniscule 10million (give or take a few million) dollar program to update compliance with the clean water act. there is basically non-compliance because of that fact alone. there is nothing that can be done without updating this program to modern day technology.

if you also want nice news about the state of the environment, try reading about the new findings about mercury levels in rainfall and watersheds- its very disturbing. recently, rainfall in Indiana had like 3 times the safe level of mercury in samples. rivers, lakes and streams all over the country are turning up with amazingly high levels of mercury in them. why? because Bush unrestricted power plants pollution requirements when he took office. mercury in our water is a direct result of power plant pollution, go figure

DS,
Don’t be so hard on your old buddy Bush. Don’t you realize he is championing the cause of voluntary compliance?

Just kidding of course. KC and I have talked about this in great detail for more than a year, as we both love nature. Bush’s environmental policies, like his economic policies, are a travesty. Bush’s purpose for the lack of enforcement on non-compliance is he doesn’t want corporations to spend so much money on regulations when profits are down in this time of economic decline.

I’m not sticking up for Bush, mind you, as I think the state of the environment is far more important than corporations making higher profits.

Also, under the Clinton Administration, federal parks went ignored and funding was severely cut through out the nation to free up more funds to give the impression of economic prosperity. Bush campaigned for these national parks, promising to restore them from their years of neglect under the previous administration. Another broken promise by our old buddy Bush

hey, you mean i actually agree with you AND KC? whoa.

hopefully we will see some positive changes in the next few years.

I would like to see some positive changes in the next few years as well, and immediate changes would be even better.

I think the only way positive change will occure with regards to the environment is if Bush is elected out of office. I have no doubt that is why you mentioned 'few years'.

With this ridiculous tax cut, and increased spending, our national debt is now at record highs, and our federal budgets are no longer balanced. This makes the environmental outlook in the current administration look a little dreary.

QUOTE (DSchwartz @ Jun 9 2003, 11:02 PM)

hey, you mean i actually agree with you AND KC?  whoa.

Now you're thinking clearly!

I wish everyone would think more clearly