US EPA chief enforcement officer resigns, effective Jan 30

Washington (Platts)--5Jan2004

The US Environmental Protection Agency's chief enforcement officer, charged with, among other things, pursuing litigation and settlements for Clean Air Act violations by electric utilities, will leave the agency at the end of the month, the agency said Monday. J.P. Suarez, EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, told his staff at the federal office that he would leave the agency effective Jan. 30 to take a general counsel position at Wal-Mart Inc in Arkansas, an EPA spokeswoman said. Suarez's resignation comes after a federal court Dec 24 blocked revisions by EPA of the Clean Air Act's new source review requirements that would have allowed electric utilities more flexibility to comply with the law. In November, Suarez said that his office would continue to investigate and seek out the strongest cases against power plants based on the revised rule, which was to have taken effect Dec 26.