U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner has announced a new initiative to address environmental justice and public health concerns in the Northern District of Mississippi. U.S. Attorney Joyner has designated Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Rob Coleman as the Environmental Justice Coordinator to coordinate the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts to address those concerns. Members of the public may visit the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office at justice.gov/usao-ndms, call our office at 662.234.3351, or email AUSA Coleman at robert.coleman@usdoj.gov for information regarding where to report environmental violations or public health issues.
U.S. Attorney Joyner stated: “Strong and fair enforcement of environmental and public health laws protects our precious natural resources and ensures a healthy environment for everyone to live, learn, play, and work. Your reporting of environmental and public health concerns supports environmental protection, environmental justice, and helps us protect the community from harmful violations of federal health and safety laws.”
The Office’s reporting procedures are part of the Department of Justice’s Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy, which seeks to advance environmental justice through timely and effective remedies for environmental violations and injuries 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.” The Department of Justice enforces the Nation’s civil and criminal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and hazardous waste laws. The Department also protects natural resources and handles cases relating to tribal rights and resources. Working with its 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.
The Office’s reporting procedures are in addition to other methods of reporting environmental concerns to the federal government, such as the online portal maintained by the United States Environmental Protection Agency: https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations. Additional points of contact for federal agencies may be found on the Office’s website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndin/environmental-justice-public-health.