An Increased Emphasis on Crimes Against the Environment in the US

In law school, U.S. Attorney Chris Kavanaugh couldn't decide whether to specialize in criminal or environmental law. Now, he gets to do both and says his team is ready.

"We have recognized that environmental crime and injustice deeply affect all communities in cities, towns and rural areas, but communities of color and low-income communities in particular often bear the brunt," Kavanaugh said, adding, "I have a large number of prosecutors in Charlottesville, Roanoke and Abingdon who are fit and ready to handle these cases."

Working with investigators from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Kavanaugh explains that they will focus on two areas: "The first is factories, manufacturing businesses and corporations that are exposing communities to toxic air pollutants. The second is the introduction of wastewater into our streams and rivers."

Kavanaugh also notes that the second area of focus is a criminal offense under the Clean Water Act.

"There isn't cause for alarm, but we have been watching this closely, and we have found that many people, because there has been an absence of enforcement, feel like they've been able to get away with it, and that's not going to be the case any further," Prosecutor Kavanaugh said.

Chris Kavanaugh will rely on the EPA to investigate and report actual violations and failures to keep proper records.

"Many of these corporations and cities are required to keep specific records, and we've often seen that they've done poor record keeping or falsified their records. That's an additional federal crime, obstruction of justice," Kavanaugh added.

In addition, federal authorities will go after people cutting timber in national parks and forests, and park rangers will be on the watch for those who illegally harvest ginseng and other profitable plants.

Source:WVTF

This news article was translated into Turkish by Doğuhan Erkin.