The Environmental Protection Agency, in citing the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, says they wield the authority to garnish the wages of individuals who have been accused of violating their rules. The Agency announced this plan last week in a notice in the Federal Register.
Gina McCarthy is the administrator of the EPA ever since she was appointed by President Obama in 2009. As the face of the agency, and because of the current discourse surrounding the environment worldwide (climate change, failing ecosystems, etc.), McCarthy believes it is necessary to make the agency's powers known. As the United States plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to more eco-friendly forms of energy, this act of power is almost necessary if it's not abused.
In the notice to the Federal Register, the EPA said they fast-tracked the new rule and it will take effect on September 2 barring significant adverse public opinion by August 1. The Debt Collection Improvement Act states that all federal agencies possess the power to conduct administrative wage garnishment as long as debtors can challenge the amount or terms of a repayment schedule. This move by the EPA is not surprising, as they collected $252 million in fines in 2012 compared to $96 million in 2009.
The agency has surely been utilizing its power since President Obama took office, collecting more fines and significant dollars as the years progressed. Their latest of such actions came down on a Wyoming resident who built a pond on his rural property. The EPA fined him $75,000 for violating environmental rules, and many think it's an abuse of power. Opponents of the agency's actions also believe the recent threat of garnishing wages is a strategy for the EPA to submit individuals to agree to expensive settlements or fines rather than having them fight the charges.
"The EPA has a history of overreaching its authority. It seems like once again the EPA is trying to take power it doesn't have away from American citizens," Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming said of the EPA's garnishing wager authority, in this Washington Times article.
Although major news outlets aside from Fox News have not yet reported on the matter, it's likely more information will surface about the EPA's notice about wage garnishing submitted to the Federal Register last week.
You can read more about the EPA garnishing wages in this Fox News article.
