Texas environmental regulators have issued a record number of fines for polluters in 2009.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Thursday announced it issued 1,756 administrative orders in the fiscal year, the most since the agency began issuing fines in 1985.

Agency Chairman Bryan W. Shaw said the many businesses that were fined are also forced to pay to fix their problems.

The TCEQ also takes a lead role in the Texas Environmental Enforcement Task Force to pursue criminal prosecution that led to 17 convictions.

The agency conducted about 107,000 investigations and responded to nearly 5,000 complaints.

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