Environmental Sentencing in the United States Pacific Northwest 2007–2011

Abstract

A significant body of research suggests that environmental risks are more likely to be found in minority and low-income communities. Few studies have questioned whether communities of lower socioeconomic status may be less protected by regulatory agencies through the use of fines in instances of noncompliance. Using the Environmental Inequality Formation perspective (EIF) and data drawn from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) administrative enforcement cases within the U.S. Pacific Northwest from 2007 to 2011, this project finds that the factors primarily influencing fine severity include the type and severity of the offense. However, after controlling for other factors, fines are less severe against facilities surrounded by low-income households. This research confirms the need for scholars, policy makers, and activists to develop greater linkages between the EIF perspective and environmental sentencing by more clearly teasing out the roles that facilities, enforcement agencies, and especially communities play in these outcomes.