Memphis, TN - Kevin G. Ritz, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee,
announced today that the United States Attorney’s Office has implemented new public reporting
procedures for environmental violations and issues relating to environmental justice. Environmental
justice is 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.
The Office is implementing this public reporting procedure under the Department of Justice’s
Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy, available at
https://www.justice.gov/asg/page/file/1499286/download. 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."
“Working with the EPA and our other federal partners to ensure safe living and working conditions
for our entire community is a priority in the Western District of Tennessee. Notifying the U.S.
Attorney’s Office about environmental justice concerns helps us protect the community from harmful
violations of federal health and safety law," said United States Attorney Ritz. “We hope that
concerned individuals, organizations, andcommunity groups in this district will work with us to
address and fix environmental injuries to public health or the environment, or injuries to natural
resources. Together, we will work to reduce public health and environmental harms caused by
violations of our federal laws and regulations-especially to underserved communities that often
suffer from a disproportionate share of adverse health effects."
The United States Attorney’s Office has included an environmental justice program
update on its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/environmental-justice. This
update includes recommendations for how to contact various federal agencies regarding a variety of
environmental concerns, as well as phone numbers and links to submit online complaints to a diverse
group of federal agencies.
In addition to the federal agencies identified on the Office’s website, United States Attorney Ritz
encourages residents to contact the United States Attorney’s Office at 901- 544-4231 or by email
USATNW.Environment@usdoj.gov when also contacting local, state, or federal agency hotlines or
websites to report environmental, health and safety concerns. Consistent with the Department’s
comprehensive strategy, the United States Attorney also designated an Environmental Justice
Coordinator for the district to coordinate its environmental justice efforts. When contacting the
Office, please ask to speak with the Environmental Justice Coordinator.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
