AG submits guidelines for prosecution of environmental offenders
Guidelines emphasize necessty of transferring legal responsibility for upholding environmental regulations to local authorities.
By Tzafrir RinatAttorney General Menachem Mazuz on Thursday submitted to State Prosecutor Eran Shendar, and to the Environment Ministry, policy guidelines for the prosecution of environmental offenders by local authorities.
The guidelines emphasize the necessty of transferring the legal responsibility for upholding environmental regulations to local authorities.
The guidelines do not alter the current laws for the protection of the environment.
In the guidelines, Mazuz notes that when a given local authority fails to uphold environmental laws, and there is a direct correlation between that authority's neglect and the resulting environmental damage, said local authority could be subject to prosecution by the government.
Mazuz also writes that in extreme cases it is possible to prosecute senior officials within the authority, including the head of the authority.
Mazuz's legal stance is based on a High Court of Justice ruling from 2006 that broadened the responsibility of local authorities for environmental damage in their areas of jurisdiction.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
As long as the Environmental Ministry does a better job then the USA's EPA has done. They must remember not to follow the EPA witch hunts that broke so many honorable people and corporatins in the late 70's and 80s and 90s in the USA. The EPA in those years choose to prosecute people for things that occured before it was even a law or illegal to do. This action caused so many family businesses to be destroyed. This action caused so many to die of broken hearts and saddness over how many years they had worked to build something for their familys and see it all lost in legal bills and BS and what did they do was maybe common practice in their industry and then they were charged for doing it in those years before laws ever existed and guidelines ever existed. I only hope Israel in prosecution of indivulas and industry be more fair, honest and not over zealous as the USA EPA was. What the EPA did was criminal and their reason for how they acted was they have the badge.