Attorneys See OECA Memo Driving Greater Use Of Unilateral Cleanup Orders

摘要

Private practice attorneys say they expect EPA to step up its use of unilateral cleanup orders to address contaminated sites in overburdened communities, driven by a recently issued memo from its Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) that aims to expedite site cleanups in environmental justice (EJ) communities. "The memo is a wakeup call to the Regions to understand that aggressive enforcement is back on the table, and the aggressive use of enforcement options is now encouraged," says John Cruden, who led the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Environment & Natural Resources Division during the Obama administration and is now an attorney with the law firm Beveridge & Diamond.