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Trump’s Least Favorite Agency Had Some Big Wins This Year

But who knows what Trump’s EPA pick will do.
Image: Casey Deshong/Wikimedia

It was a busy year for the Environmental Protection Agency. While President-Elect Donald Trump was telling thousands of people he wanted to get rid of the government agency altogether, the EPA trounced some of the worst polluters and added stricter pesticide regulations.

The biggest pollution-related wins of the year were suits against BP and Volkswagen, resulting in billions of dollars in fines and promised remediation projects. Volkswagen will be on the hook for a $14.7 billion agreement for emissions-reducing projects after it was discovered the company had rigged certain models to cheat emissions tests, according to an EPA report released Monday.

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"EPA's enforcement work continues to hold violators accountable and deliver investments to reduce pollution in our communities," Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in a release. "The American public depends on EPA to enforce the law, protect our communities from pollution and help ensure a level playing field for responsible companies."

The EPA also announced Tuesday that it is banning an additional 72 chemicals from being used in pesticides. The substances had previously been listed as safe for pesticide use. Manufacturers who want to use these chemicals in their products have to prove they're safe with scientific studies before the EPA will consider allowing them, the EPA stated in a release.

The agency, of course, is far from perfect. A prime example is a recent report by the department that contradicted its earlier claims that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to extract oil doesn't pose environmental hazards, plus concerns from communities of color that the EPA doesn't punish polluters affecting urban cores harshly enough. But even with its flaws, the EPA has done some groundbreaking work.

It's unclear if oversight will continue to such a stringent level under the incoming Trump administration. Trump's choice for EPA director, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, is a climate change denier and has ties to the fossil fuel industry. Donald Trump has been an outspoken opponent of the EPA, saying he wants to dismantle the department because its efforts to protect environmental resources inhibit job creation and urban development.

The EPA reached a $20.8 billion settlement with BP to resolve Clean Water Act violations from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig spill that dumped an estimated 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. BP agreed to give $20 billion of the settlement to Gulf Coast cities and municipalities affected by the oil spill. That's bound to make Trump's Big Oil cabinet members cranky.

The agency also secured an additional $13.7 billion in investment promises from companies caught violating environmental regulations. The EPA is requiring these companies to properly treat, store and dispose of hazardous waste. Mosaic Fertilizer is one such company the EPA will be expected to keep an eye on this fiscal year after reaching a settlement for their eight facilities across the South.

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