Cam https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/us/regulatory-war-fought-over-a-wyoming-familys-pond.amp.html
Does it change the fact that for a lot of companies in this industry, it's cheaper to pay the fine for a spill or accident than it is for them to keep on the necessary maintenance and service? No. Is the oil and gas, exploration and production industry subject to cutting corners with massive implications affecting thousands if not millions of people? No.
Links?
Why should the EPA fine a company for an accident? (FYI they currently are and they settle because court costs) Unless there is negligence on the company's part, an accident is an accident. Also, it's not illegal to have spills or releases, it's what you do after it happens and the cause(s) of the spill or release. It basically becomes a question of environmental impact and if there was negligence.
I have no idea what companies can afford to pay fines instead of to fix issues, and this kind of shows me that you're familiar with an older version of the EPA.
Last year they raised their penalties (most almost doubled, a couple over doubled) for environmental non-compliance
per violation, per day to:
-$70,117 for RCRA
-$93,750 for Air
-$51,570 or $53,907 for Water, and
-$37,500 and $18,750 for Chemical
What companies can afford these fines? Keep in mind that this is per violation, per day, and most single environmental issues have dozens of violations. And the "per day" means until the issue is 100% fixed.
I had a client where a disgruntled employee climbed a fence and cut multiple locks to open a valve on a big diesel tank at a facility in the middle of the night. The diesel reached a stream and started a fish kill. Guess what happened? On top of the company immediately cleaning up the spill 100% upon detection for $$$$, losing revenue from the lost inventory, and fixing the problem on their dime, the EPA fined the company a year later for not "being secure enough regarding SPCC regs." The company settled because court costs. The EPA sure showed them!