72 lines
3.8 KiB
Plaintext
72 lines
3.8 KiB
Plaintext
April 1991
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DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
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By
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William S. Sessions
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FBI Director
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Combating Environmental Crimes
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In 1971, American conservationist Paul Brooks wrote: "We
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shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as
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a living organism....In America today, you can murder land for
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private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see, and
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nobody calls the cops." Unfortunately, this was the case 20
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years ago. No one could call the police, because no laws had
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been broken.
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Today, however, in 1991, this is no longer true.
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Environmental laws and policies have been enacted to protect the
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public's health and quality of life, and vigorous enforcement of
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these laws is a top priority. The U.S. Congress has given law
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enforcement additional weapons to combat environmental crime by
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adding tough criminal sanctions to a host of environmental laws.
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Just last year, Congress passed the Clean Air Act
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Reauthorization. The act now provides greater sanctions--both
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criminal and civil--for environmental law enforcement.
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The criminal dimension of environmental laws will make a
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difference in national efforts to clean up the country. Tough
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criminal sanctions should act as a strong deterrent to deliberate
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and careless polluters alike. To both the public and private
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sectors, these sanctions send a very firm message that shows law
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enforcement's determination to ensure compliance with
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environmental laws.
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Law enforcement agencies must work together to enforce
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existing environmental laws and policies to protect our
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communities from criminal pollution and hazardous wastes.
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Local, State, and Federal agencies need to team up to maximize
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the impact of our investigative resources. Joint investigations
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are especially effective because they draw on the experience of
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all contributing agencies.
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The FBI works closely with the Department of Justice's
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Environmental Crimes Section and the Environmental Protection
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Agency (EPA) to enforce environmental laws and to identify
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specific environmental crime problems. Through this combined
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effort, significant accomplishments in the investigation and
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prosecution of environmental criminals have been realized.
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A record number of felony indictments for environmental
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crimes was recorded in fiscal year 1990. Of the 134 indictments
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returned, 80 percent were against corporations and their top
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executives. More significantly, however, over one-half of those
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convicted of environmental crimes received prison sentences, and
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of those, 85 percent were jailed. In addition, nearly $30
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million in fines were imposed.
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Environmental crime is a deadly serious subject with
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devastating consequences. People who endanger the planet for
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greed and profit must not be allowed to continue to break the
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law. Our environment is fragile, and it is up to all of us to
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protect it. Individuals must accept the responsibility for their
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own communities. Nations must set forth clear policies, laws,
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and regulations that will protect their environments. And, law
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enforcement and government agencies must relentlessly enforce
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these laws and policies.
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