News

Today, the Justice Department, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment, Division of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) lodged a proposed settlement with Domtar A.W. LLC resolving alleged Clean Air Act and Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act violations involving the company’s kraft pulp and paper facility in Ashdown, Arkansas. 

The Justice Department today announced that Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General (PDAAG) Adam Gustafson of the Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) will serve as the head of the United States’ delegation for a Ministerial Meeting on Forestry, which is part of a 2026 senior officials’ meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Over the next week, PDAAG Gustafson will represent U.S. interests in emphasizing the importance of investigating and prosecuting timber trafficking crimes.

A Massachusetts man was sentenced in federal court in Rhode Island for his role in a 2022 cockfighting operation in which he brought roosters from Massachusetts to Rhode Island for animal fighting. 

An Ohio man was sentenced to prison today in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

Seafood Supply Co., a Dallas seafood wholesaler, was sentenced to pay a $250,000 fine for violating two counts of the Lacey Act. 

Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa issued a preliminary injunction against Wuanita Swedlund, a dog breeder, based on claims that she has repeatedly failed to grant Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials access to inspect her facility, animals, and records in violation of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). This preliminary injunction follows a temporary restraining order (TRO) based on the same claims that led to the seizure of 32 dogs by Iowa law enforcement.