U.S. Department
of Justice
Environmental Justice and Enforcement
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York vigorously enforces the nation’s environmental laws to address environmental, health, and climate impacts on individuals and communities within the district. Through its casework, the Office gives force and effect to national policy, embodied in Executive Order 14008, which recognizes that “we face a climate crisis that threatens our people and communities, public health and economy, and, starkly, our ability to live on planet Earth.” In accordance with this policy, the Office seeks to “hold polluters accountable for their actions,” and “combat the climate crisis with bold, progressive action that combines the full capacity of the Federal Government.”
Because environmental and health hazards often have a disproportionately high and adverse impact on disadvantaged communities, the Office has established an Environmental Justice Team within the Civil Division. The Team focuses on protecting the rights of disparately burdened residents, and is currently working on initiatives to reduce child lead exposure, ensure that residents have access to clean air, and protect groundwater, surface waters, and wetlands across New York City and Long Island.
How to Contact the Office Regarding an Environmental Justice or Enforcement Matter
The Office welcomes information from the public regarding possible environmental, health, and climate impacts on individuals and communities in the district. You may submit information or concerns regarding environmental justice by email, mail, or phone.
Email:
You can send your information or concerns by email to: usanye-ej@usdoj.gov
Mail:
You can send your information or concerns by mail to:
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York
271-A Cadman Plaza East
Brooklyn, New York 11201
Attn: Chief, Environmental Litigation, Civil Division
Phone:
To submit a complaint by telephone, call 718-254-7000.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Lisa F. Garcia, Regional Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced a settlement with Gershow Recycling Corporation (Gershow) for its alleged violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at the company’s metal shredding facility in Medford, New York. Gershow will install and operate technology to reduce the facility’s emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The settlement also requires Gershow to pay a civil penalty of $555,000. “
“This Office will vigorously enforce the Clean Air Act to protect local communities from harmful air pollution,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “This settlement requires Gershow to implement critical emission control technology that will help improve air quality for local communities, including those with the most vulnerable residents.”
August 20, 2024
“Today’s Consent Judgment will protect the residents of Suffolk County and Long Island’s drinking water from harmful nutrient pollution which poses a risk both to the public health and the natural environment,” said United States Attorney Peace. “This office will continue to vigorously enforce violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act to protect the public from contamination of its water supply and promote environmental justice.”
June 14, 2023
June 5, 2023
Court-Ordered Consent Decree Allows for Sale and Redevelopment of Port Jefferson Superfund Site
“This settlement will enable a previously contaminated property to be put to uses that will benefit Port Jefferson and the greater Suffolk County community,” said United States Attorney Breon Peace. “In the process, the EPA will recover at least some of the enormous costs expended in remediating the LAI Superfund Site and protecting our environment from hazardous substances.”
April 5, 2023
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Karnig Ohannessian, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment & Mission Readiness), announced today that Northrop Grumman has agreed to pay the United States $35 million for environmental cleanup costs incurred as a result of operations at the former Naval Weapon Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) in Bethpage, New York, and adjacent facilities (Sites). The payment resolves a civil lawsuit brought by the United States against Northrop Grumman under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response
April 12, 2022
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Lisa Garcia, Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2, announced that the United States has entered into a Consent Judgment settling a civil lawsuit against Genesis Petroleum, Inc. and 20 associated companies (Defendants), for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in connection with their ownership or operation of underground storage tanks (USTs) at 13 gas stations in New York and New Jersey. The Consent Judgment requires the Defendants to adequately
March 24, 2022
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Walter Mugdan, Acting Regional Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2 (EPA), announced today that the United States filed suit under the Clean Air Act (CAA) against the City of New York and the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) to address their longstanding failure to properly monitor and control harmful emissions from NYCDOE oil-fired boilers
September 27, 2021
An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Central Islip charging Rickey Lynch with violating the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (“TSCA”), making false statements and aggravated identity theft. Lynch is the first person to be charged with a felony violation of TSCA since the statute was amended in 2016 to include enhanced punishments for certain conduct posing a risk of death or serious bodily injury.
August 6, 2021
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today the creation of the Environmental Justice Team. The Environmental Justice Team, comprised of seven Civil Division Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including the Civil Division Chief of Environmental Litigation, reinforces the Office’s focus on protecting the rights of residents of the Eastern District of New York who are disproportionately burdened by environmental and health hazards.
June 24, 202
Mark J. Lesko, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Walter Mugdan, Acting Regional Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, announced today the final resolution of the United States’ claims that the State of New York, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission violated the Safe Drinking Water Act (the “SDWA”) with respect to 54 Large Capacity Cesspools that discharged untreated sanitary waste into the ground at comfort stations located in parks
June 4, 2021
Statutes We Enforce:
The Office, in coordination with the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and partner agencies, enforces multiple federal laws covering a variety of activities that affect our environment. These statutes include:
Other Resources
In addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office environmental justice initiative, the following websites for related federal agencies provide other helpful online resources and information: