Lawyers Say EPA Criminal EJ Enforcement Could Be ‘Powerful Deterrent’

Environmental lawyers say EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) should pursue criminal enforcement actions against industry focusing on environmental justice (EJ) areas as a way to send a “powerful deterrent” to companies from activity that harms such communities, in line with the Biden administration’s priority of promoting EJ. Speaking on a May 14 Environmental Law Institute (ELI) event, “Understanding a New Era of Environmental Criminal Enforcement,” the attorneys also predicted a general uptick in enforcement activity with the Biden...