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Mission:
The Environmental Integrity Project is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established in March of 2002 by former EPA enforcement attorneys to advocate for more effective enforcement of environmental laws.
The Environmental Integrity Project has three objectives:
* To provide objective analysis of how the failure to enforce or implement environmental laws increases pollution and affects the public's health;
* To hold federal and state agencies, as well as individual corporations, accountable for failing to enforce or comply with environmental laws;
* To help local communities in key states obtain the protection of environmental laws.
EIP's main areas of focus are power plants, factory farms and refineries due to their significant environmental impacts and the political pressures that can come into play in regulating and enforcing against these facilities.
History:
EIP was founded by former EPA enforcement attorneys and is supported through foundations and individuals. This information can be found at www.guidestar.org. EIP founder and Executive Director, Eric Schaeffer, directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Regulatory Enforcement (ORE) until 2002, when he resigned after publicly expressing his frustration with efforts of the Bush Administration to weaken enforcement of the Clean Air Act and other laws. Mr. Schaeffer was joined by Michele Merkel, who was an attorney in the Water Enforcement Division of ORE. Michele departed EIP in June 2007 and currently works as the Chesapeake Regional Coordinator at Waterkeeper Alliance.
EIP now has six attorneys, including Mr. Schaeffer and Ms. Merkel. EIP's work, which is frequently based on extensive review of government records and peer reviewed by recognized experts, has been cited in Congressional hearings and debates, in reports by the U.S. General Accounting Office, and in frequent news articles. EIP periodically evaluates the effectiveness of federal and state environmental programs, offering recommendations for improvement while recognizing outstanding performance. The organization also works closely with grassroots organizations in Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Maryland, and other states to assist communities that are trying to get neighboring polluters to reduce their emissions and comply with environmental laws. Resource limitations make it impossible for EIP to respond to every request, and EIP does not as a general practice provide legal representation to individuals or organizations in lawsuits.
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