Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, on Friday affirmed the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s commitment to ensure environmental justice for all Connecticut residents.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy aims to ensure that all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, receive fair treatment and meaningful involvement with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
In coordination with local, state, federal and tribal partners, as well as members of the community, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is identifying areas of environmental justice concern in Connecticut.
The Office will use all available federal civil and criminal enforcement tools, including environmental protection laws, civil rights laws, the False Claims Act, and worker safety and consumer protection statutes, to advance environmental justice by seeking timely and effective remedies for injury to natural resources, and to correct systemic environmental violations and contaminations in underserved communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened, including low-income communities and communities of color.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to delivering justice to the residents of Connecticut who are disproportionately burdened by the health and economic impacts of environmental hazards,” said U.S. Attorney Avery. “Every resident of the State of Connecticut benefits from rigorous enforcement of federal environmental laws that safeguard a healthy environment.”
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery has appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne F. Thidemann as the District of Connecticut’s Environmental Justice Coordinator, and encourages Connecticut residents to report environmental justice concerns to Assistant U.S. Attorney Thidemann at [email protected]. Environmental, health and safety concerns can also be reported to the following agencies:
- For concerns about air quality, climate change, chemicals and toxics, or health, land, waste, and cleanup, report the violation to the Environmental Protection Agency at https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations
- For concerns about workplace conditions such as chemicals or noxious fumes, contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at 800-321-6742 or https://www.osha.gov/ords/osha7/eComplaintForm.html
- For concerns about the destruction of wetlands, contact your local district branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Office at 978-318-8338 or [email protected] (USACE, New England District)
- For concerns about discriminatory environmental and health impacts caused by recipients of federal funds, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut’s Civil Rights Unit at [email protected]
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws in Connecticut and representing the federal government in civil litigation. The District is composed of approximately 68 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and approximately 57 staff members at offices in New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport.