Commerce raises 2018 caps for civil monetary penalties

In the department’s annual inflationary adjustment of its civil monetary penalty amounts for 2018, Commerce is hiking the statutory maximum for certain environmental violations, as well as violations of the Lacey Act and foreign trade zone statutes.    The U.S. Commerce Department has issued its annual inflationary adjustment of its maximum civil monetary penalty amounts for 2018, effective Jan. 15.
   According to a statement from the department, Commerce will increase civil monetary penalty maximums for relevant trade statute violations in the following amounts:
  • International Emergency Economic Powers Act violations, from $289,238 to $295,141;
  • Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act violations, from $181,071 to $184,767;
  • National Marine Sanctuaries Act violations, from $170,472 to $173,951;
  • Marine Mammal Protection Act violations, from $27,950 to $28,520;
  • Certain Lacey Act violations, from $25,881 to $26,409 and $647 to $660;
  • Foreign-trade zone statute violations, from $2,795 to $2,852;
  • And certain Endangered Species Act of 1973 violations, from $50,276 to $51,302; $24,132 to $24,625; and $1,652 to $1, 686.