Showing posts with label ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

DEPUTY AG COLE'S REMARKS AT 2014 EARTH DAY EVENT

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT D
Remarks as Prepared or Delivery by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole at the Environment and Natural Resources Division Event Commemorating Earth Day 2014
Washington, D.C. ~ Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Thank you Bob [Dreher] for that kind introduction and for inviting me to join you for the 44th anniversary of Earth Day.

Let me begin by saying that the Attorney General and I greatly appreciate the work you do in the Environment and Natural Resources Division.  Your work helps protect our nation’s air, land and water and promotes responsible stewardship of America’s wildlife and natural resources.  If that weren’t enough of a responsibility, you also ensure that oil and Superfund waste are cleaned up, defend vital federal programs, and protect tribal rights and resources.  All of which are especially important today, at a time when we face significant environmental challenges: challenges from climate change, in developing alternative and sustainable sources of energy, and in combatting pollution and the public health risks that stem from it.

This past year alone, you defended the EPA actions addressing greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.  You fought to uphold the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to protect polar bears under the Endangered Species Act.  You secured changes in Safeway’s operations that will reduce the use of ozone depleting substances in their refrigeration equipment.  You successfully prosecuted criminals trafficking rhino horns and ivory, and defended challenges to more than 25 cases involving solar and wind projects.  And just last week, you successfully defended an EPA rule that will substantially reduce emissions of mercury and other toxic materials from power plants across the country.

While I am only skimming the surface with these examples, they are tremendous accomplishments that will have an impact for generations to come.  The breadth and scope of the work that the Division handles is truly extraordinary.  In my experience and from the frequent praise I hear from client agencies that are impressed with the Division’s work, I know that you represent the Department of Justice and the United States with the utmost skill, professionalism, and integrity.  
Just two weeks ago I had the privilege of announcing the $5.15 billion settlement with the Kerr-McGee Corporation and its parent company Anadarko.  $4.4 billion of that settlement will go toward cleaning up the mess left by Kerr-McGee’s toxic businesses all over this country. This is the largest payment for the clean-up of environmental contamination in history - and it demonstrates the Justice Department’s firm commitment to securing environmental justice.

Earth Day is another reminder to me of that commitment, a commitment that the Department of Justice is dedicated not only to protecting the people of our country, but also to protecting its natural resources.  Earth Day may have originated as a day of awareness of the environmental challenges we face, but it is also a day of action.  So today, we celebrate the actions you take every day to secure environmental justice across this country.

I am privileged to be here in Marvin Gaye Park, to join the community in the important work they do to protect and conserve their environment for future generations.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge the graduates of the Green Corps program, as well as volunteers and employees of Marvin Gaye Park, and especially Steve Coleman, for their dedication to protecting our environment.

Thank you for having me here.  It is a pleasure to join you.  Keep up the good work!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ISSUES 2012 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

Credit:  Wikimedia Commons.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, January 18, 2013
Environment and Natural Resources Division Issues 2012 Accomplishments Report

Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno announced today the publication of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s (ENRD) Fiscal Year 2012 Accomplishments Report.

Outstanding Enforcement Results
Through its civil and criminal environmental enforcement actions, ENRD achieved dramatic reductions in emissions and discharges of harmful pollutants to America’s air, water and land. In 2012, the division secured more than $397 million in civil and stipulated penalties, cost recoveries, natural resource damages and other civil monetary relief, including almost $133 million recovered for the Superfund. The division obtained over $6.9 billion in corrective measures through court orders and settlements and concluded 47 criminal cases against 83 defendants, resulting in nearly 21 years in confinement and over $38 million in criminal fines, restitution, community service funds and special assessments. These outstanding results continue the division’s success in obtaining record-setting results over the past four years. During this time, the division has also advanced environmental justice, incorporating this important priority in a meaningful and enduring way into the work of the division.

"The extraordinary work reflected in this report is due to the dedication, expertise and professionalism of the division staff," said Assistant Attorney General Moreno. "I am extremely proud of our achievements over the past year. They have resulted in immeasurable benefits for human health and the environment for all of the American people, who should all enjoy the benefits of a fair and even-handed application of environmental and natural resources laws. Together with our colleagues at client agencies and state, local and tribal governments, the Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce the federal civil and criminal environmental and natural resources laws that protect our air, land and water from pollution and that preserve our natural resources for the use and enjoyment of generations to come."

Holding Those Responsible for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Accountable

ENRD’s top civil and criminal enforcement priority is to bring to justice those responsible for the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, fire and oil spill. Under a consent decree lodged on Jan. 3, 2013, Transocean pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act and agreed to pay $1.4 billion in civil and criminal fines and penalties, including a record-setting $1 billion to resolve Clean Water Act civil claims. On Feb. 17, 2012, the Department of Justice announced an agreement with MOEX, which will pay $70 million in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and will spend at least $20 million to facilitate land acquisition projects in several Gulf States that will preserve and protect in perpetuity habitat and resources important to water quality.

Landmark Decisions Reducing Greenhouse Gases

ENRD’s responsibilities include defending lawsuits brought against the federal government challenging agency actions and programs. In a landmark example of its defensive work, the division, with agency counsel, successfully defended rulemakings under the Clean Air Act that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. In June 2012, in one of the most significant environmental regulatory decisions of the past decade, a unanimous panel of the D.C. Circuit in Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA upheld EPA’s greenhouse gas-related regulatory actions against all challenges.

Successfully Defending the Country’s Energy Agenda

The Obama Administration’s energy policy includes the responsible development of additional fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. In 2012, the division successfully defended challenges to permits and rights-of-way put in place to promote the development of renewable energy projects on western public lands. ENRD is defending more than 20 cases involving solar, wind and transmission projects located in California, Oregon, Tennessee, Delaware, Massachusetts and Vermont, and has successfully defeated motions for injunctive relief in California, Tennessee and Delaware to allow responsible energy development to proceed consistent with the permitting requirements of the issuing agencies.

Promoting National Security and Military Preparedness

Increasingly, the division is responsible for defending agency actions that support the national security of the United States. For example, in fiscal year 2012, the division successfully defended against challenges to critical Department of Defense training programs that ensure military preparedness, various agency projects to secure the nation’s borders and waters, and U.S. development of all forms of domestic energy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Historic Results Protecting Tribal Rights and Resources and Addressing Tribal Claims

In 2012, the division achieved historic results for Indian tribes and resolved decades-long and costly litigation over tribal claims regarding the government’s management of trust funds and trust resources. In the past year, the United States settled cases with 62 tribes, agreeing to pay about $1.25 billion in total to resolve the tribes’ claims. The division will continue, through its cases, to vigilantly protect tribal sovereignty, safeguard tribal lands and resources, and honor tribal treaty rights.

One of the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government

At the same time that the division has achieved outstanding results in its cases, in each of the last three years, the Partnership for the Public Service (PPS) has ranked ENRD as one of the "Best Places to Work in the Federal Government." ENRD’s overall ranking has been in the top five for each of the past three years, including two #1 rankings. The division has also continued to make great strides in promoting diversity and a better quality of life for all its employees.

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