{"id":50293,"date":"2025-12-15T15:37:48","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T23:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/?post_type=from_the_experts&#038;p=50293"},"modified":"2026-02-16T20:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T04:30:14","slug":"the-laws-still-exist-the-consequences-dont-americas-vanishing-environmental-enforcement","status":"publish","type":"from_the_experts","link":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/experts\/laura-thoms\/the-laws-still-exist-the-consequences-dont-americas-vanishing-environmental-enforcement","title":{"rendered":"The Laws Still Exist, the Consequences Don\u2019t: America\u2019s Vanishing Environmental Enforcement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Imagine living next to a factory that dumps waste into the river behind your house to save on treatment costs. Or a refinery that shuts off its pollution controls because no one is checking. You don\u2019t need to care deeply about environmental laws to know that\u2019s wrong. And you don\u2019t need to be a legal expert to know that if you break the law, there should be consequences.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But\u00a0the consequences\u00a0for polluting have all but vanished\u00a0in the last eleven months,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcas-proxyweb.mcas.ms\/certificate-checker?login=false&amp;originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fearthjustice.org.mcas.ms%2Fdata%2Ffederal-enforcement%3FMcasTsid%3D15600&amp;McasCSRF=629fd76016242b35ae94227fd3b38f03a29abb566fec1a156ce7222051f1fe5f\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">according to an Earthjustice review of government data<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0Under the Trump administration, federal enforcement of our\u00a0bedrock environmental\u00a0laws\u00a0cratered, leaving a wide gap between what the law requires and what companies\u00a0actually do.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Since taking office, the Trump administration\u00a0filed\u00a0only 20\u00a0civil\u00a0environmental enforcement cases\u00a0in court.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0less than a\u00a0third\u00a0of the cases filed\u00a0by the federal government\u00a0during the same period in 2024, and far lower than any year in modern history, including Trump\u2019s own first term.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-50294 \" src=\"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/civil-environmental-cases-brought-by-us-graph-v2.png\" alt=\"Chart showing civil environmental enforcement cases brought by the U.S.\" width=\"521\" height=\"417\" srcset=\"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/civil-environmental-cases-brought-by-us-graph-v2.png 1000w, https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/civil-environmental-cases-brought-by-us-graph-v2-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/civil-environmental-cases-brought-by-us-graph-v2-768x614.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Penalties show the same alarming trend.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1080,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In the first\u00a019 days\u00a0of 2025,\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">before<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Trump took office, the Department of Justice\u00a0(DOJ)\u00a0filed settlements totaling\u00a0$590 million in civil environmental penalties.\u00a0In the months since, the Trump administration imposed just $15.1 million in civil penalties.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1080,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">By comparison, DOJ collected\u00a0$1.88\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">billion<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0in\u00a0civil environmental penalties last year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:1080,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">And over the past ten years,\u00a0DOJ has averaged\u00a0hundreds of millions\u00a0in penalties\u00a0per\u00a0year, with several years exceeding the\u00a0billion-dollar\u00a0mark.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0a dip.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a collapse. And it matters for our lives, our health, and our economy.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Without enforcement, environmental laws are just words on paper. Companies can dump toxic waste like coal ash in our rivers, release more soot and smog, spew cancer-causing chemicals into the air, and basically cut every corner that saves them a dollar but costs the rest of us in medical bills, lower property values, and premature deaths.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The administration\u00a0hasn\u2019t\u00a0offered any real explanation for its\u00a0failure\u00a0to hold corporations accountable. It could be because\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcas-proxyweb.mcas.ms\/certificate-checker?login=false&amp;originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.justice.gov.mcas.ms%2Fjm%2Fjm-5-12000-environmental-enforcement-section%3FMcasTsid%3D15600&amp;McasCSRF=629fd76016242b35ae94227fd3b38f03a29abb566fec1a156ce7222051f1fe5f\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">DOJ\u2019s environmental enforcement<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0section\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcas-proxyweb.mcas.ms\/certificate-checker?login=false&amp;originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eenews.net.mcas.ms%2Farticles%2Fdoj-enviro-enforcement-lawyer-staffing-halved-ex-chief-says%2F%3FMcasTsid%3D15600&amp;McasCSRF=629fd76016242b35ae94227fd3b38f03a29abb566fec1a156ce7222051f1fe5f\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">lost half its attorneys<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> since January (including me). Or\u00a0because\u00a0the Environmental Protection Agency,\u00a0which\u00a0investigates violations,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcas-proxyweb.mcas.ms\/certificate-checker?login=false&amp;originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.epa.gov.mcas.ms%2Fnewsreleases%2Fepa-announces-reduction-force-reorganization-efforts-save-taxpayers-nearly-three%3FMcasTsid%3D15600%23%3A~%3Atext%3DThe%2520EPA%27s%2520workforce%2520will%2520be%2520reduced%2520to%2Cscientific%252C%2520technical%252C%2520bioinformatic%252C%2520and%2520information%2520technology%2520experts&amp;McasCSRF=629fd76016242b35ae94227fd3b38f03a29abb566fec1a156ce7222051f1fe5f\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">shrunk its staff by nearly 23%<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Trump\u2019s disastrous environmental record suggests something more is at play. The administration has bent over backwards to help corporations escape their legal obligations, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcas-proxyweb.mcas.ms\/certificate-checker?login=false&amp;originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whitehouse.gov.mcas.ms%2Fpresidential-actions%2F2025%2F02%2Fensuring-lawful-governance-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency-regulatory-initiative%2F%3FMcasTsid%3D15600&amp;McasCSRF=629fd76016242b35ae94227fd3b38f03a29abb566fec1a156ce7222051f1fe5f\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">directing agencies not to enforce disfavored regulations<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0creating\u00a0an\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcas-proxyweb.mcas.ms\/certificate-checker?login=false&amp;originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fearthjustice.org.mcas.ms%2Fexperts%2Fjames-pew%2Fpolluters-can-now-email-their-way-out-of-clean-air-laws-courtesy-of-trump%3FMcasTsid%3D15600&amp;McasCSRF=629fd76016242b35ae94227fd3b38f03a29abb566fec1a156ce7222051f1fe5f\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">illegal email-to-pollute<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0scheme,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcas-proxyweb.mcas.ms\/certificate-checker?login=false&amp;originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fearthjustice.org.mcas.ms%2Fpress%2F2025%2Ftrump-halts-clean-air-laws-for-most-of-the-country%3FMcasTsid%3D15600&amp;McasCSRF=629fd76016242b35ae94227fd3b38f03a29abb566fec1a156ce7222051f1fe5f\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">granting\u00a0blanket\u00a0compliance\u00a0exemptions<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0that will increase\u00a0toxic air pollution\u00a0across the U.S., and\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcas-proxyweb.mcas.ms\/certificate-checker?login=false&amp;originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eenews.net.mcas.ms%2Farticles%2Ftrump-epa-preaches-compliance-first-does-that-mean-enforcement-last%2F%3FMcasTsid%3D15600&amp;McasCSRF=629fd76016242b35ae94227fd3b38f03a29abb566fec1a156ce7222051f1fe5f\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">issuing a policy<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0that puts the ability to delay enforcement directly in the hands of polluters.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Whatever the reason, when enforcement disappears,\u00a0polluting\u00a0becomes a business\u00a0strategy,\u00a0and workers, families, and children pay the price. Enforcement is what makes the law real.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0what keeps dangerous chemicals out of drinking water.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0what forces companies to clean up their spills.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0what prevents shortcuts that send kids to the ER.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If the administration\u00a0truly wants\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mcas-proxyweb.mcas.ms\/certificate-checker?login=false&amp;originalUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whitehouse.gov.mcas.ms%2Farticles%2F2025%2F04%2Fon-earth-day-we-finally-have-a-president-who-follows-science%2F%3FMcasTsid%3D15600&amp;McasCSRF=629fd76016242b35ae94227fd3b38f03a29abb566fec1a156ce7222051f1fe5f\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cthe cleanest air and water in the world,\u201d as it claims<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, it must fully fund and embrace the enforcement needed to achieve it. Until then, Earthjustice will step in, ramping up our own enforcement work to protect communities and ensure that environmental laws are worth more than the paper they\u2019re written on.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With environmental enforcement at a historic low, it\u2019s open season for polluters. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14768,"template":"","tags":[123,138,157,147],"language":[179],"offices":[],"cases":[],"goals":[27],"ppma_author":[1637],"class_list":["post-50293","from_the_experts","type-from_the_experts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-clean-air-act","tag-clean-water-act","tag-environmental-protection-agency","tag-trump-administration","language-english","goals-justice-centered"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/from_the_experts\/50293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/from_the_experts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/from_the_experts"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50293"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=50293"},{"taxonomy":"offices","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/offices?post=50293"},{"taxonomy":"cases","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cases?post=50293"},{"taxonomy":"goals","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/goals?post=50293"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=50293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}