Security News: Justice Department Announces New Reporting Procedures for Environmental Violations

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Memphis, TN – Kevin G. Ritz, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, 
announced today that the United States Attorney’s Office has implemented new public reporting 
procedures for environmental violations and issues relating to environmental justice. Environmental 
justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, 
national origin, or income with respect to  the  development, implementation,  and  enforcement of  
environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

The Office is implementing this public reporting procedure under the Department of Justice’s 
Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy, available at 
https://www.justice.gov/asg/page/file/1499286/download.  This  Strategy  seeks  to provide “timely 
and effective remedies for systemic environmental violations and contaminations and for injury to 
natural resources in underserved communities that have been historically marginalized and 
overburdened, including low-income communities, communities of color, and Tribal and Indigenous 
communities.”

“Working with the EPA and our other federal partners to ensure safe living and working conditions 
for our entire community is a priority in the Western District of Tennessee. Notifying the U.S. 
Attorney’s Office about environmental justice concerns helps us protect the community from harmful 
violations of federal health and safety law,” said United States Attorney Ritz. “We hope that 
concerned individuals, organizations, andcommunity groups in this district will work with us to 
address and fix environmental injuries to public health or the environment, or injuries to natural 
resources. Together, we will work to reduce public health and environmental harms caused by 
violations of our federal laws and regulations—especially to underserved communities that often 
suffer from a disproportionate share of adverse health effects.”

The United States Attorney’s Office has included an environmental justice program
update on its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/environmental-justice. This

update includes recommendations for how to contact various federal agencies regarding a variety of 
environmental concerns, as well as phone numbers and links to submit online complaints to a diverse 
group of federal agencies.

In addition to the federal agencies identified on the Office’s website, United States Attorney Ritz 
encourages residents to contact the United States Attorney’s Office at 901- 544-4231 or by email 
USATNW.Environment@usdoj.gov when also contacting local, state, or federal agency hotlines or 
websites to report environmental, health and safety concerns. Consistent with the Department’s 
comprehensive strategy, the United States Attorney also designated an Environmental Justice 
Coordinator for the district to coordinate its environmental justice efforts. When contacting the 
Office, please ask to speak with the Environmental Justice Coordinator.

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For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at (901) 544-4231 or cherri.green@usdoj.gov. Follow @WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.