Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
| U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | OECA |
EPA CID Special Agent badge
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| Agency overview | |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Federal agency | USA |
| General nature |
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| Operational structure | |
| Parent agency | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| Website | |
| https://www.epa.gov/enforcement | |
The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) is the law enforcement arm of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is made up of attorneys, special agents, scientists and other employees.
The OECA consists of eight component offices.
The Office of Administration and Policy (OAP) recommends national policy on issues pertaining to enforcement and compliance. OAP provides a range of administrative support services which includes: human resources, labor relations, budget, finances, contracts, grants, records management and management of the compliance and enforcement information on the Agency’s website.
The Office of Civil Enforcement (OCE) develops and prosecutes administrative civil and judicial cases and provides legal support for cases and investigations initiated in EPA regional offices. OCE directly implements and enforces federal programs (i.e., those programs where there are no EPA-authorized state programs). OCE also has responsibility for planning and setting priorities for enforcement activities, developing national enforcement policy and guidance, participating in Agency rule-making to ensure that regulations contain clear and enforceable provisions, and implementing effective communication to alert regulated entities to potential compliance problems.
Federal judicial actions (formal lawsuits) are filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of EPA.
The Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training investigates violations of environmental laws and provides a range of technical and forensic services for civil and criminal investigative support and counsel on legal and policy matters.
The primary mission of the Criminal Investigation Division is the enforcement of U.S. environmental laws, as well as any other federal law in accordance with the guidelines established by the Attorney General of the United States. These environmental laws include those specifically related to air, water and land resources.
CID Special Agents receive twelve weeks of basic federal law enforcement and Criminal Investigator training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center located in Glynco, Georgia. In addition to the basic law enforcement training, CID Special Agents also receive nine weeks of training in conducting investigations related to U.S. environmental laws. There is also periodic in-service training, as well as advanced training in various investigative techniques.
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Wikipedia