Today, in celebration of Earth Day on April 22, the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) released the Division’s Accomplishments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.
“I am very pleased to announce the release of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Accomplishments Report for FY 2022,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the ENRD. “I could not be prouder of how the ENRD team has been carrying out our mission in service of the American people, including as a key player in the administration’s efforts to secure environmental justice and respond to the climate crisis.”
As highlighted in the report, the division in 2022 continued to prioritize efforts to combat climate change. And, building on the division’s work, the Justice Department established the Office of Environmental Justice within the division and issued a comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy.
More broadly, the division worked closely with partners throughout the federal government to enforce a range of federal laws that protect public health, wildlife and other natural resources, worker safety and animal welfare. The division also defended client federal agencies in court when their regulations, decisions and other actions were challenged. The division also worked to preserve the rights and resources of federally recognized Indian tribes and filed condemnation actions to acquire land for federal agency programs.
In FY 2022, the division worked on roughly 4,500 matters. The division obtained over $820 million in civil and criminal fines, penalties, and costs recovered, while also securing federal injunctive relief valued at $3.1 billion. And, through defensive and condemnation litigation, the division saved the United States more than $2.1 billion.
The accomplishments described in the report add to division’s legacy. The division’s work is as important as ever given the environmental and other challenges that face the nation today and that will continue to arise in the years to come.