Multiple civil and criminal statutes at the federal, state, and local levels address harm to the environment. Under the dual-sovereignty doctrine, federal, state, and local governments may prosecute a defendant for the same misconduct without violating double jeopardy.

This lesson focuses on federal pollution offenses, which are the most commonly prosecuted environmental crimes.

I.   Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) – 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.

The Federal Water...