1.
Study: More than half of pets overweight
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Critics of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency claim the White House's lax attitude has emboldened polluters to break federal laws.
"Where once a polluter could expect criminal prosecution, there are now civil settlements. Where once there were criminal penalties, there are now taxpayer subsidies," Rep. John D. Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told The Washington Post.
During the Bush administration, the EPA's number of prosecutions, new investigations and convictions have dropped by more than a third, The Post reported Sunday.
Civil lawsuits filed against polluters who refuse to settle cases dropped by nearly 70 percent between 2002 and 2006, compared with a four-year period in the late 1990s, The Post reported.
There are now 172 EPA criminal investigators, below the minimum 200 required by the 1990 pollution prosecution act, signed by President George H.W. Bush.
EPA officials acknowledge seeking more settlements and plea bargains that require pollution reductions through new equipment purchases or participation in compliance programs, The Post said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Additional Top News Stories | |
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C., Feb. 13 (UPI) --
Authorities in South Carolina said they were investigating the disappearance of a woman whose fiance was found dead in the couple's home near Charleston.
|
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 13 (UPI) --
Actor Matt Bomer, star of the U.S. television series "White Collar," confirmed during the weekend he is gay and has a longtime partner.
|
TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 13 (UPI) --
Israel's military says major cuts in defense spending will hit air-defense missile systems and halt production of tanks and a new armored personnel carrier.
|
VESPER, Wis., Feb. 13 (UPI) --
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said it will not disturb a black bear that picked a drain tunnel to hibernate.
|
| Stories | Photos | People | Comments |
View Caption
