Responsibility for Case Development and Prosecution

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DOJ Justice Manual › Title 5: ENRD › 5-11.000 - Environmental Crimes › Justice Manual § 5-11.104

This text was captured on Aug 14, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

Text

United States Attorneys' Offices have responsibility for the investigation and prosecution of environmental crimes within their own districts and the Environmental Crimes Section has responsibility for the investigation and prosecution of environmental crimes on a nationwide basis. Cooperation and consultation between United States Attorneys' Offices and ECS can make the most effective use of the Department's resources. Close coordination is particularly vital in cases that involve national initiatives, present novel issues of law (including the first case under a statute, provision, or regulation), involve simultaneous investigations in multiple districts, involve international or foreign policy implications, or are of an urgent or sensitive nature. Often the United States Attorneys' Offices and ECS work jointly on cases. When a United States Attorney's Office and ECS work jointly on a case, the responsibility for that case shall be shared by those two offices, in which case the two offices shall work and act together through consultation and agreement. Neither office shall enter into a case being handled solely by the other except by mutual consent.

[cited in

JM 5-11.110

]

[updated April 2018]

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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Responsibility for Case Development and Prosecution · Justice Manual § 5-11.104 | Frix