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ARTICLE · 14 JULY 2016

DOJ Shines New Light On Environmental Criminal Prosecutions

Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
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A section within the ENRD, the Environmental Crimes Section houses a unit of 43 specialized attorneys tasked with prosecuting individuals and corporations that have violated environmental criminal statutes.

United StatesEnvironment
Randy Brogdon
Randy Brogdon
Megan Conway Rahman
Megan Conway Rahman
Brooks Smith
Brooks Smith
Laura Anne Kuykendall
Laura Anne Kuykendall
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Recent comments from Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden, head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Environmental and Natural Resources Division ("ENRD"), regarding DOJ's increased use of criminal prosecutions to enforce environmental laws suggest the heightened role the ENRD's Environmental Crimes Section could play in future enforcement actions regarding violations of environmental laws.

A section within the ENRD, the Environmental Crimes Section ("ECS") houses a unit of 43 specialized attorneys tasked with prosecuting individuals and corporations that have violated environmental criminal statutes. Cruden's remarks hint at a rise of ECS activity, but ECS section chief Deborah Harris indicated that the number of ECS pollution prosecutions, which normally account for 75% of ECS's docket, has been shrinking. However, according to Harris, ECS wildlife prosecutions are increasing, and ECS has begun to focus on new enforcement areas, including worker safety.

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