Violations of environmental laws are typically punishable by two to four years in prison per count. Violating environmental laws or knowing of corporate violations of environmental laws and intentionally withholding this information, might constitute environmental crimes. They represent a significant number of officers and directors with full knowledge of the nature and extent of contamination created by their laboratory and have for many years, supervised Brookhaven Lab's treatment, storage, and disposal of radioactive materials. Michael Goldman Esq . Professor Jonathan Turley, Director, Environmental Law Advocacy Center, The George Washington University Law School - credit also to the Tides Center.
Most environmental statutes provide two forms of enforcement mechanism.
First, Congress authorizes an entity usually the Environmental Protection Agency, to enforce compliance with environmental statutes. Second, Congress authorizes citizens in some circumstances to enforce provisions of these acts in the absence of governmental action. This EIS is subject to public comment and hearings. The result is that a federal project can be stopped, modified, or delayed by citizens before threatened environmental damage occurs. Other statutes may impose additional restrictions.