In the past, the coalition has accused the Alabama Environmental Management Commission of not doing its job of holding the director and agency accountable.

A new director, Trey Glenn, was brought on board in January 2005, although his hiring, in itself, would later prove controversial and prompt a grand jury inquiry into accusations of ethics violations by him.

[2][7] In 2006 an environmental justice ombudsman was appointed to oversee ADEM's efforts to ensure that burdens of pollution are not borne disproportionately by communities with low income or "people of color.

[3][9] Accusations of non-enforcement continued to be leveled against the agency, most notably by the Southern Environmental Law Center, which filed a lawsuit on December 22, 2008.

[3] On January 15, 2010, the environmental group coalition petitioned the EPA to take away Alabama's regulatory authority, charging that ADEM failed to enforce key sections of the federal Clean Water Act.

[13] After narrowing down their choices from sixteen applicants, the Environmental Management Commission appointed Lance R. LeFleur to serve as director on April 16, 2010.