Abstract: The authors summarize the features of the environmental enforcement of the U.S. EPA from a variety of perspectives, such as the U.S. EPA’s jurisdictional scope and post in Federal Government, compliance assistance, compliance incentive, compliance monitoring, civil enforcement, criminal enforcement, calculation of penalty, public involvement and coordination between agencies, etc. Four illuminations regarding environmental enforcement are concluded to be learned by China for ameliorating the environmental enforcement, which include balancing the dual goals of environmental protection and level playing field, combining enforcement with compliance, enforcing scientifically by virtue of both incentive and severity, and enforcing the laws democratically and justly.