According to the Los Angeles Times, when confronted with criticism about the number of pollution lawsuits that EPA has filed during his tenure, EPA's Acting Enforcement Chief Tom Skinner asserted that EPA is actively pursuing settlements with polluters rather than lawsuits to punish violations of environmental laws.
EWG has pressed for enforcement action from Skinner's office for over a year regarding DuPont's illegal suppression of studies showing its Teflon chemical was polluting drinking water of residents near its Teflon plant in West Virginia, and that the chemical was found in newborn babies' blood. This Teflon chemical is in the blood of over 90% of Americans, never breaks down and causes several serious health problems in laboratory animals.
The first court hearing in the case of EPA vs. DuPont takes place on October 28 in Washington, DC. EWG urges Acting Enforcement Chief Skinner to recommend that the court assess the maximum fine of $313 million against DuPont.
For more information on Teflon pollution, please visit https://www.ewg.org/issues/PFCs/index.php.
Areas of Focus
