Regulatory Non-Enforcement by Design: Earthworks Shows how the Game is Played

[xchrom]

http://www.nationofchange.org/regulatory-non-enforcement-design-earthworks-shows-how-game-played-1348845538


Earthworks Oil and Gas Accountability Project published a scathing 124-page report this week, "Breaking All the Rules: the Crisis in Oil & Gas Regulatory Enforcement."

The content of the report is exactly as it sounds.

That is, state-level regulatory agencies and officials often aren't doing the jobs taxpayers currently pay them to do and aren't enforcing regulations on active oil and gas wells even when required to under the law.This is both out of neglect and also because they're vastly understaffed and underfunded, meaning they literally don't have the time and/or resources to do proper inspections.

And on those rare instances when regulatory agencies and the regulators that work for them do enforce regulations on active oil and gas wells, Earthworks demonstrated that the penalties for breaking the rules are currently so weak that it's merely been deemed a tiny "cost of doing business" by the oil and gas industry.

[enough]

1. Playing out these battles on the state level is proving a very

effective strategy.

[socialindependocrat]

2. They need to do the job correctly

If a regulatory agency is understaffed it just means that the job is done more slowly BUT what is done should be done right!

If the fines and penalties are considered low enough to be absorbed then the fines need to be raised to the level where they have an effect.

When the penalties hurt there will be attempts to avoid them and
the inspections will go more quickly.

If the infractions increase then the fines will provide more money to do the job and hire more people.

More infractions - more fines - more people
Less infractions - fewer fines - fewer inspectors