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The Maryland Department of the Environment’s twelfth annual Enforcement and Compliance Report states that between July 2007 and June 2008 MDE had a total of 2,699 enforcement actions, a 34 percent increase since Fiscal Year 2007 and the highest number of enforcement actions since reporting began in 1998. During that time period MDE collected a total of $3,968,775 from environmental polluters, the most ever collected in a single year by the Agency.
The report includes data from MDE’s Air and Radiation, Waste, and Water Management Administrations, as well as the Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of the Attorney General.
MDE Secretary Shari T. Wilson said, “Enforcing Maryland's environmental laws—and publicizing them widely—is a highly effective deterrent for would-be violators. A top priority for the Department of the Environment has been restoring our agency’s emphasis on enforcement, so I am pleased we can report MDE’s enforcement actions are much stronger. This benefits everyone—citizens and regulated entities who comply with environmental regulations.”
The Enforcement and Compliance Report details all of MDE’s 26 enforcement programs. The report includes a general description of each program’s responsibilities, successes, and challenges along with a table detailing the number of inspections, violations, enforcement actions, and penalties collected. Environment Article §1-301(d), enacted in 1997, requires MDE to report annual performance results for 15 regulatory programs and the penalty dollars collected and deposited into several specific funds.
Secretary Wilson said, “We are proud of all of MDE’s inspectors and the incredibly important work they do. In these tough fiscal times, resources may be tight, but that only increases the incentive to be more efficient and strategic in enforcing the State's environmental laws.”
In February 2007, MDE began an initiative to prioritize resources to enhance enforcement. This included a review of ongoing enforcement actions to determine timeliness, development of a department-wide internal operating procedure, and the use of the “MDEStat” management process. Governor O’Malley added funds to MDE’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget to hire additional regulatory personnel related to wetlands and air enforcement.
To maximize the deterrence value of every enforcement action, each month the Agency releases a full list of environmental enforcement actions to the media and on MDE’s website.
Click here to view the full report and for the latest information on enforcement actions and other compliance activities.
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