Environmental Justice and Public Health

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is committed to ensuring safe living and working conditions for our entire community.  You can help protect the community from harmful violations of federal law by notifying the U.S. Attorney’s Office or other federal agencies about environmental justice concerns. 

U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad stated:  “I encourage anyone in the Eastern District of Wisconsin to report their concerns about public health, safety, or environmental matters to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partner agencies like the EPA and OSHA.  With your help, we will continue to engage in the strong enforcement of environmental and public health laws to ensure that all members of our community share a healthy environment in which to live and work.”

The U.S. Department of Justice enforces the Nation’s civil and criminal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and hazardous waste laws. We also protect natural resources and handle cases relating to tribal rights and resources.  Working with our U.S. Department of Justice partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office seeks to secure environmental justice for all communities, to ensure that everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and to protect equal access to a healthy environment in which to live, learn, play, and work.

Contacts for Reporting Environmental Justice and Public Health Concerns

You can contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office to report any environmental justice or public health issues at 414-297-1700 or email us at USAWIE.Environment@usdoj.gov at the same time that you contact local, state, or federal agency hotlines or websites for reporting issues.  Notifying our office in addition to other agencies helps us enforce federal environmental, health, and safety laws.

If a violation impacts air quality, climate change, chemical or toxic substances, public health, waste and cleanup issues, or water quality, you can report the violation to the Environmental Protection Agency at: https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations

If a violation concerns workplace conditions, contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at 1-800-321-6742. 

If the violation concerns harm to wildlife from pesticides or other chemicals, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453.

If the violation concerns the destruction of wetlands, contact your local district branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Office at 1-800-832-7828.

If the violation concerns medications, cosmetics, biological products, and other products for human consumption, contact the Food and Drug Administration at 1-888-463-6332.

To report an oil or chemical spill, contact the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.

If you are concerned about discriminatory environmental and health impacts caused by recipients of federal funds, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at USAWIE.Environment@usdoj.gov and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division at 1-888-848-5306.