U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Public Procedures to Report Environmental Crimes

CLEVELAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced today public procedures for reporting environmental crimes and issues relating to environmental justice.

All concerns regarding environmental matters in the Northern District of Ohio can now be reported online to the Department of Justice by simply going to the Office’s website, clicking on “Report Environmental Violations,” and filling out the online form.

“The Department of Justice is reaffirming its commitment to securing environmental justice for all Americans by ensuring that residents have the necessary tools to report environmental crimes in their communities,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler.  “With the public as our eyes and ears, we can move quickly to bring about civil and criminal penalties and help put an end to the destruction of our environment and natural resources.” 

The Northern District of Ohio is implementing the reporting procedure according to the Department of Justice’s Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy.  This strategy seeks to provide “timely and effective remedies for systemic environmental violations and contaminations and for injury to natural resources in underserved communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened, including low-income communities, communities of color, and Tribal and Indigenous communities.”

On May 5, 2022, the Attorney General announced actions to enhance and advance the Department’s environmental justice work to ensure the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.

In furtherance of this strategy, in June of 2022, all United States Attorney’s Offices appointed an Environmental Justice Coordinator to oversee environmental justice issues and coordinate these matters with the Department’s newly formed Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify certain case types.

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