How many U.S. facilities violate EPA rules, and how much were they fined? EPA compliance records by state, county and facility, 2026
1,689,470 active EPA-regulated sites: 76,269 with an identified violation, 21,896 in significant violation, $5.02 billion in penalties over five years (EPA ECHO, October 18, 2026). Washington and Louisiana have the most sites in significant violation; with pages for every state, county and large facility.
Questions this record answers
- How many U.S. facilities are in violation of EPA rules?
- 76,269 of 1,689,470 active EPA-regulated sites had an identified violation and 21,896 were in significant violation (EPA ECHO, October 18, 2026).
- Which U.S. state has the most facilities in significant violation of EPA rules?
- Washington, with 2,470 sites in significant violation, followed by Louisiana (2,067) and Pennsylvania (1,677).
- How much were U.S. facilities fined for environmental violations in the last five years?
- $5.02 billion in federal and state penalties against active sites in the five years to October 2026, counting amounts shared through the same federal case once (EPA ECHO).
- Which U.S. county has the most facilities in significant violation of EPA rules?
- King County, Washington, with 424 of 5,466 active sites in significant violation (EPA ECHO, October 18, 2026).
- How many large U.S. facilities have been in violation for three years straight?
- 1,840 of 19,624 large facilities were in violation in all of the last 12 quarters (EPA ECHO, October 18, 2026).
Cite as: FACTANKER, https://factanker.com/record/us-environmental-violations-penalties-epa-echo-2026
What this covers. The EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) export of October 18, 2026: every active site regulated under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the hazardous waste law RCRA and the Safe Drinking Water Act, with its compliance status, inspections, enforcement actions and penalties. Inspections, enforcement and penalties cover the five years to October 2026; quarters in violation cover the last three years. Key figures link to their records.
How many U.S. facilities does the EPA regulate, and how many are in violation (October 2026)?
The EPA lists 1,689,470 active regulated sites in the United States. 76,269 of them (4.5 percent) have an identified violation, and 21,896 (1.3 percent) are in significant violation — the EPA's category for high priority violations under the Clean Air Act and significant noncompliance under the other programs. Over five years the agencies carried out 435,223 inspections and evaluations and took 79,896 formal enforcement actions; penalties came to $5.02 billion.
| Program | Active sites |
|---|---|
| Hazardous waste (RCRA) | 906,146 |
| Water discharge permits (Clean Water Act) | 554,554 |
| Air (Clean Air Act) | 197,126 |
| Drinking water systems | 153,771 |
| Toxics Release Inventory reporters | 21,437 |
| Greenhouse gas reporters | 5,414 |
A site can be in several programs. Hub with every state: U.S. environmental compliance.
Which U.S. states have the most facilities in significant violation of EPA rules in 2026?
Washington reports the most sites in significant violation, 2,470, ahead of Louisiana and Pennsylvania. Texas, with 89,963 regulated sites, ranks 7th. Differences between states also reflect how each state reports its inspections and findings to the EPA, so the ranking is a ranking of records, not of pollution.
| State | Active sites | With a violation | Significant violation | Share significant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 22,434 | 4,326 | 2,470 | 11.0% |
| Louisiana | 39,756 | 3,773 | 2,067 | 5.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 59,107 | 6,366 | 1,677 | 2.8% |
| West Virginia | 19,238 | 2,773 | 1,605 | 8.3% |
| New York | 54,762 | 2,901 | 932 | 1.7% |
| Illinois | 46,272 | 3,251 | 889 | 1.9% |
| Texas | 89,963 | 4,043 | 862 | 1.0% |
| Georgia | 67,815 | 2,774 | 668 | 1.0% |
| Tennessee | 21,876 | 1,288 | 614 | 2.8% |
| Missouri | 25,442 | 2,261 | 612 | 2.4% |
Which U.S. counties have the most facilities in significant violation of EPA rules in 2026?
King County, Washington leads with 424 sites in significant violation out of 5,466. Six of the top ten counties are in Washington and four in Louisiana.
How much did U.S. federal and state environmental penalties total in the five years to October 2026, and which states lead?
Penalties against active sites came to $5.02 billion. Indiana leads with $1.75 billion; most of that is a single federal case of $1.675 billion recorded at one site, which is not among the large facilities listed below. The EPA attributes a case that covers several facilities to each of them (one $5.3 million amount appears at 828 sites); the totals here count an amount shared through the same federal case once per area. Summed as attributed, the national figure would be $10.85 billion.
Which large U.S. facilities had the highest environmental penalties in the five years to October 2026?
Among large facilities — Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act majors and large hazardous waste generators and handlers — the highest attributed penalties went mostly to refineries and gas processing plants. Figures are as the EPA attributes them to each facility, so a settlement covering several plants appears at each.
| Facility | State | Penalties attributed, 5 years | Status now |
|---|---|---|---|
| EES COKE BATTERY L.L.C. (P0408) | Michigan | $100.0 million | Significant Violation |
| RED HILLS GAS PROCESSING PLANT | New Mexico | $47.8 million | Significant Violation |
| ARTESIA REFINERY | New Mexico | $33.9 million | Significant Violation |
| ARTESIA GAS PLANT | New Mexico | $33.5 million | Significant Violation |
| BP PRODUCTS NORTH AMERICA, INC. | Indiana | $32.3 million | Significant Violation |
| LINAM RANCH PLANT | New Mexico | $31.6 million | No Violation Identified |
| ZIA II GAS PLANT | New Mexico | $31.6 million | No Violation Identified |
| PAR HAWAII REFINING - REFINERY | Hawaii | $31.3 million | Significant Violation |
| TESORO GOLDEN EAGLE REFINERY | California | $29.4 million | Significant Violation |
| PREMCOR REFINING GROUP, INC. - LIMA REFINERY | Ohio | $19.0 million | Violation Identified |
| VERIS GOLD JERRITT CANYON MINE | Nevada | $17.9 million | Violation Identified |
| PERDUE AGRIBUSINESS INC, ZION CHURCH ROAD COMPLEX | Maryland | $16.0 million | Significant Violation |
How many large U.S. facilities have been in violation of EPA rules in every quarter of the three years to October 2026?
Of the 19,624 large facilities FACTANKER lists, 1,801 are currently in significant violation and 1,840 were in violation in all 12 of the last 12 quarters. 2,805 had no inspection or evaluation recorded in five years. The facilities below are in significant violation now, were in violation in all 12 quarters and were inspected most often.
What do the EPA ECHO compliance figures for U.S. facilities in 2026 show, and what do they not show?
ECHO records what regulators found and did: inspections, violations, enforcement actions and penalties. A site without an identified violation may simply not have been inspected; a violation can be a missed report as well as an emission above a permit limit. The large-facility pages here cover active Clean Air Act majors, Clean Water Act majors and large hazardous waste generators and handlers; facilities whose names read like a person's name are counted in the area totals but not listed. Sources and pages: source record EPA ECHO · U.S. hub · Washington · Louisiana · greenhouse gas emissions of large facilities.