NCJ Number
104313
Journal
Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: (Spring 1984) Pages: 379-395
Date Published
1986
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This paper outlines Federal environmental statutes and traces the history of their enforcement and disposition.
Abstract
The majority of environmental offenses involve the illegal transportation, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste. The primary Federal statute regulating hazardous waste is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act passed in 1976 and amended in 1980 and 1984. The 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act regulates the new chemicals that enter the marketplace each year. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to counter imminent, current, and past releases of hazardous wastes into the environment. The 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act regulates the discharges of any pollutant into U.S. waters. The first comprehensive Federal effort to prosecute environmental crimes began in 1982 with the hiring of the first criminal investigators in the EPA. An Environmental Crimes Unit has also been established in the Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department. The EPA investigators and the Environmental Crimes Unit cooperate in the investigation and prosecution of environmental crimes. From October 1983 to March 1986, approximately 180 indictments and 130 convictions or guilty pleas have been obtained. Corporate officials convicted in these cases are increasingly receiving prison sentences. 51 footnotes.