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100th Anniversary ENRD seal 1909 to 2009

On November 16, 2009, ENRD celebrated the Division's 100th Anniversary! 

Click above to read about ENRD's 100 years of public service. 

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Environment and Natural Resources Division: Mission

Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division:  Ignacia S. Moreno
Ignacia S. Moreno
Assistant Attorney General
Environment and Natural Resources Division

 

The Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice handles environmental and natural resources litigation on behalf of the United States.  The work of the Division arises under approximately 150 federal civil and criminal statutes, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA (Superfund), Safe Drinking Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, and Tucker Act.  The Division’s mission is to enforce the Nation’s environmental laws to ensure clean air, water and land for all Americans; prosecute criminal cases under federal pollution and wildlife laws; defend environmental and natural resources laws and federal agency programs and actions; litigate cases under statutes providing for the management of public lands and natural and cultural resources; litigate cases to protect the rights of Indians under treaties, acts of Congress, and Executive Orders and defend the United States in claims brought by Indians; prosecute eminent domain proceedings to acquire land on behalf of the United States for authorized public purposes; conduct the Division’s appellate litigation in federal circuit courts of appeals and state appellate tribunals and assist the Office of the Solicitor General with appeals to the United States Supreme Court; and advise the Attorney General, Congress, the Office of Management and Budget and the White House on matters of environmental and natural resources law. 

 
Litigation Responsibilities

The Environment and Natural Resources Division, which is organized into ten sections, has primary responsibility for litigation on behalf of the United States regarding:

With offices across the United States, the Division is the nation's environmental lawyer, and the largest environmental law firm in the country.

 
Latest News
August 26, 2010
Texas Chemical Plant to Pay Nearly $1.5 Million to Resolve Violations in the Transferring of Acid Waste (10-960)
Air Products LLC has agreed to pay $1.485 million in civil penalties to resolve hazardous waste mismanagement violations at its Pasadena, Texas, chemical manufacturing facility. (Read more)
August 19, 2010
Los Angeles Men Arrested for Clean Air Act Asbestos Worker Protection Violations (10-939)
Charles Yi and John Bostick were arrested Wednesday for violations of the Clean Air Act’s asbestos work practice standards committed during the renovation of a 204-unit apartment building in Winnetka, Calif., in January through February of 2006. (Read more)
August 18, 2010
Cheese Manufacturer Sorrento Lactalis to Pay U.S. $315,000 for Exceeding Discharge Levels into Idaho’s Mason Creek (10-932)
Cheese manufacturer Sorrento Lactalis Inc. will pay the United States a $315,000 penalty for excess discharges in violation of its wastewater permit levels, according to an agreement between the company. (Read more)
August 11, 2010
Settlement Reached with City and County of Honolulu to Address Wastewater Collection & Treatment Systems (10-917)
A comprehensive settlement has been reached with the City and County of Honolulu that will address Clean Water Act compliance at Honolulu’s wastewater collection and treatment systems. (Read more)
August 10, 2010
Houston-based Plains Pipeline to Spend More Than $44 Million to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations (10-914)
Plains All American Pipeline L.P. and several of its operating subsidiaries will spend approximately $41 million over the next three years to prevent and remediate corrosion, improve leak detection practices and capabilities, and enhance pipeline oversight on 10,420 miles of crude oil pipeline operated in the United States. (Read more)
 
Last Updated: 8/30/2010