The author asserts that aggressive identification and correction of compliance problems are the best defenses in an environmental enforcement action. The purpose of the article is to provide an understanding of how civil penalties in environmental enforcement actions are calculated. The author suggests ways in which the civil penalties can be reduced and ways to secure some return of value to the company. The author also addresses the concept of recouping the economic benefit of non-compliance. Finally, the author suggests that there may be unanticipated consequences of settling an environmental enforcement action
