Insights

On December 27, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule in the Federal Register adjusting upward the maximum monetary civil penalties for violating its regulations. The final rule raised the minimum and maximum fines for 2024 by about 3.2 percent from their 2023 levels. The new penalty amounts became effective on December 27, 2023, and will only apply to violations that take place after that date.

On December 28, 2023, the Department of Transportation (DOT) published a final rule increasing the statutory maximum monetary civil penalty for regulated entities. The final rule raised the minimum and maximum fines for 2024 by about 3.2 percent from the 2023 level across most DOT modes. The new fine amounts became effective on December 28, 2023 and will only apply to violations that take place after that date.

On July 21, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published in the Federal Register a final rulemaking expanding the scope of workplace injury and illness information that certain employers are required to electronically submit to the agency annually. The rule resuscitates (with slight modification) a prior OSHA regulation from the Obama administration which the Trump administration had withdrawn.