Enforcement

Penalty and Financial Models

The penalty and financial models are used to analyze the financial aspects of enforcement actions. Five models currently are available:

  • BEN (5.6.0) - Calculates a violator's economic benefit of noncompliance from delaying or avoiding pollution control expenditures.
    • Requires the date the violation occurred, the date of compliance, the costs of compliance and the year the costs were estimated, and the date the penalty will be paid. 
       
  • ABEL (6.6.0) - Evaluates a corporation's or partnership's ability to afford compliance costs, cleanup costs or civil penalties.
    • Requires submissions of three to five years of an entity’s federal tax returns.
       
  • INDIPAY (3.6.0) - Evaluates an individual's ability to afford compliance costs, cleanup costs or civil penalties.
  • MUNIPAY (4.6.0) - Evaluates a municipality's or regional utility's ability to afford compliance costs, cleanup costs or civil penalties.
  • PROJECT (6.6.0) - Calculates the real cost to a defendant of a proposed supplemental environmental project.

The Penalty and Financial Models

Download or EPA Enforcement Economic Models(1 pg, 5 MB)  to install the penalty and financial models.


About the Models

All five penalty and financial models are modified annually as part of EPA's routine update process. Updates to the models include financial information (i.e., current tax rates, inflation rates, discount/compound rates), and utility enhancement.

Help on installing, using, or understanding the penalty and financial models' outputs is available to state, tribal, local or national governments.

  • Phone: Penalty and Financial Models Help Line, at 888-ECONSPT (888-326-6778). This is an international toll-free line staffed by an Agency contractor.
  • Email: benabel@indecon.com

Top of page