The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) knows that the guilty-conscience method of getting companies to stop polluting rarely works— that's why the agency is making polluters shell out $11.8 million for pollution controls and cleanup.

Companies that had to pay major fines include American Electric Power,  Jenn Feng Industrial Company, British Petroleum Exploration, and Massey Energy Company Inc,

The EPA will use its extra cash to reduce water pollution, clean up oil spills, improve air quality,  hold polluters accountable for hazardous waste cleanups, and more.

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After the controls are implemented, the EPA estimates a pollution reduction of 3.9 billion pounds per year—almost four times the amount of pollution reduced in 2007.

If you don't want your company to be one of next year's EPA casualties, start making sure you're up to snuff now.