Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Delivers Remarks at The Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division Awards Ceremony

Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you, John [Cruden], for those kind words – and for your exemplary leadership as Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD).  It’s a privilege to stand with you today and a pleasure to join so many distinguished colleagues, steadfast partners and good friends as we celebrate the hard work and outstanding achievements of this year’s ENRD Award recipients; as we recognize the extraordinary progress that every member of the Environment and Natural Resources Division has made possible over the past year; and as we recommit ourselves to advancing the cause of environmental justice.

I want to take a moment to thank the friends and family members of our awardees and division colleagues who are here with us today.  I know from personal experience that a life in public service is not easy – it involves hard work, long hours and difficult sacrifices.  And I recognize that your support, your patience and your encouragement have been instrumental in the accomplishments we are celebrating today.  I want you to know how grateful I am for all that you have done to help your loved ones serve the mission of this department and protect the rights and interests of the American people. 

We have so much to celebrate this afternoon because this has been an exceptionally successful year for ENRD, a component of the Department of Justice with a unique mission and a singular charge.  You understand, in a deep and heartfelt way, what the rest of the world is just now acknowledging; that we live and breathe on a beautiful sphere that we only hold in trust for future generations.  For generations, many have simply ignored the world around us, seeing it only as a place from which different vantage points can be carved out or exploited to advance one conflict or another.  But the Environment and Natural Resources Division has always understood that the ebb and flow of victory and defeat, triumph and despair among the peoples of the world all means nothing if the planet on which we reside is rendered uninhabitable. 

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone in this room, this division is leading the way in improving the quality of our air and water; in preserving our land, wildlife and precious natural resources; and in ensuring that those who violate our laws and harm our environment are brought to justice.  Over the past year, you handled more than 6,000 cases, matters and appeals.  You obtained more than $400 million in civil and criminal fines, penalties and costs.  You saved taxpayers more than $2 billion by prevailing over unmeritorious claims.  And you drove more than $6 billion in clean-up and pollution prevention actions that will dramatically improve the health and well-being of countless Americans while protecting and restoring the places where they live. 

Those numbers are impressive – but even they do not capture the breadth, complexity and effectiveness of the work done this year by ENRD’s attorneys, investigators and support staff.  In November, you achieved the largest civil penalty in the history of the Clean Air Act – $100 million – following an investigation into erroneous emissions certifications that Hyundai and Kia provided to the EPA.  In July, thanks to the tireless efforts of ENRD’s Deepwater Horizon team, we reached an Agreement in Principle with BP regarding the Deepwater oil spill, which, if approved, will constitute the largest settlement with a single company in American history.  And in localities from coast to coast, your efforts are having a major impact. 

In North Carolina, you secured plea agreements with subsidiaries of the Duke Energy Corporation – the largest utility in the country – that will provide $34 million for river and wetland conservation projects.  In California, you protected critical species amidst a devastating drought.  And in tribal communities across the country, you helped to protect tribal sovereignty, to safeguard tribal resources and to honor tribal treaty rights.  In doing so, you have helped to ensure that we as a nation live up to our obligations to the first Americans and the original stewards of these lands.

In these and so many other ways, your collective efforts are making environmental justice a reality for all Americans.  Whether you litigate complex cases, root out crime and misconduct, fight to preserve public lands, or build relationships with tribal governments, your accomplishments over the past year have been deeply inspiring, tremendously impactful and profoundly important – and they have contributed substantially to the department’s overarching efforts to strengthen our nation and empower our communities.

Of course, there is no doubt that we still have more work to do.  You are already hard at work on new initiatives and innovative efforts.  New challenges inevitably lie ahead.  And that is why – as we come together this afternoon to celebrate your remarkable successes – we must also recommit ourselves to advancing this work far into the future.  We must redouble our efforts to build on the progress you have achieved this year and in many years prior.  And we must renew our pledge to bring about the healthier, cleaner, safer environment that future generations of Americans need and deserve.

I want you to know how grateful I am for all that this division has accomplished through your consistent excellence, your passionate devotion, and your high ideals.  I am proud to count you as colleagues and partners.  And I look forward to all that we will achieve together in the days and months ahead.         

Once again, congratulations on these prestigious awards.  Thank you for all that you do. And keep up the great work.