WASHINGTON, D.C. | May 5, 2022 — On May 5, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced the launch of its “Environmental Justice Strategy.” National Whistleblower Center (“NWC”) celebrated this announcement and commends the Department for taking action to enforce environmental law violations.
During NWC’s Earth Day Panel experts discussed the importance of climate and wildlife whistleblowers, and how these whistleblowers are critical to effective environmental enforcement actions. The DOJ’s recognition of the impact of environmental crimes and making their prevention a priority is in complete alignment with NWC’s ongoing advocacy for climate whistleblowers.
The DOJ press release quotes Attorney General Garland explaining that “violations of our environmental laws can happen anywhere,” and that “The Office of Environmental Justice will serve as the central hub for our efforts to advance our comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy. We will prioritize the cases that will have the greatest impact on the communities most overburdened by environmental harm.” These powerful statements may encourage even more whistleblowers to come forward with information about environmental violations. NWC encourages these whistleblowers to seek legal help before doing so.
On April 22, NWC submitted a comment in support of the Securities and Exchange Committee (“SEC”) proposal for “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.” NWC’s comment specifically mentioned the importance of the SEC’s related action rules. At the time of submission, the comment theorized that other agencies may take action on climate related violations which coincided with SEC actions. The recent DOJ announcement increases the likelihood that climate related actions in both agencies may arise out of one whistleblower’s disclosures.
NWC encourages all agencies to work together to take climate whistleblower tips seriously while also striving to protect and reward these courageous environmental defenders.
Statements prioritizing environmental enforcement actions are critical to empowering whistleblowers to come forward with confidence. NWC has long championed climate whistleblowers and is engaged in an ongoing Climate Corruption Campaign. Whistleblowers can submit requests for legal support through our Environmental and Climate Crimes Disclosure form. And, the public can learn more about climate whistleblowers and the power of effective climate related regulations by watching our Earth Day Panel, reading our Sunday Read on ESG whistleblowers, and signing our Wildlife Whistleblower Pledge.
For more information, contact NWC at info@whistleblowers.org.
