EPA Releases Draft National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives for Fiscal Years 2024–2027
Today EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) released draft National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives (NECI), previously known as National Compliance Initiatives (NCI), for FY 2024-2027. The Agency will be accepting public comments through March 13, 2023. In the draft, EPA aims to align all existing and proposed NECIs with two overarching strategic plan goals: #1 Tackle the Climate Crisis and #2 Take Decisive Action to Advance Environmental Justice.
In the 2024-2027 NECI cycle, EPA plans to maintain the existing initiative “Reducing Non-Compliance with Drinking Water Standards at Community Water Systems”, with a focus on the Lead and Copper Rule, the Disinfection Byproducts Rule, and the Ground Water Rule. The initiative would seek to increase the number of inspections at systems serving overburdened communities. Additionally, the initiative would consider climate change resiliency by ensuring climate risks are considered in the risk and resilience assessments and emergency response plans required under the Safe Drinking Water Act section 1433.
Additionally, EPA proposed two new NECIs:
- “Mitigating Climate Change”, focusing on non-compliance with climate-related regulations; and,
- “Addressing PFAS Contamination”, focusing on implementing the commitments in EPA’s 2021-2024 PFAS Strategic Roadmap.
EPA also seeks comment on further consideration regarding a possible NECI, “Reducing Exposure to Lead”, focusing on reducing lead exposure across a variety of media, in addition to EPA’s existing Lead Strategy.
Comments can be uploaded to regulations.gov under Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OECA–2022–0981 through March 13, 2023.
Additional information on EPA’s NECIs is available here.
