Compliance

Compliance

In 2021, DEEP’s inspections and enforcement actions were low compared to almost each year over the last ten years, (except for 2020 – COVID year)

In the 2021 Federal Fiscal Year (FFY21: October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021), there were 2,246 inspections performed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP); a decrease of 37 percent compared to the ten year average. The number of DEEP inspections in FFY21 is due, in part, to the state of emergency issued in Connecticut as a result of the COVID 19 virus outbreak. While the impact of COVID 19 may have resulted in fewer inspections in FFY20 and FFY21; there has been a significant decline in the number of inspections performed by DEEP over the last ten years. In FFY21, there were 863 enforcement actions, which included 839 “Informal Enforcement Actions”, consisting of Notices of Violation (NOV), Notice of Non-Compliance (NON), and warning letters; 23 “Orders”; and 1 “Referral” to the Attorney General. 

The Informal Enforcement Actions are enforcement tools, generally issued whenever DEEP detects one or more violations at a facility or permitted use. They can be issued for relatively minor or major violations; in cases of the latter type, the recipient might also receive an order, which might carry a financial penalty. In FFY21, DEEP assessed administrative penalties totaling $583,580 and required violators to fund supplemental environmental projects (SEP) totaling $212,670.⁸⁶  

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⁸⁶ _{DEEP, Department-wide Federal Fiscal Year 2021 Enforcement Statistics (10/01/20 - 09/30/21); portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/enforcement/reports/EQ-Federal-Fiscal-Year-2021-Enforcement-Statistics.pdf}