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