Criminal Negligence Prosecutions Under the Federal Clean Water Act: A Statistical Analysis and an Evaluation of the Impact of Hanousek and Hong
What can we learn about the use of the criminal negligence provisions of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) by reviewing prior environmental crimes cases brought by the federal government? In an effort to answer that question, the authors have completed the first ever statistical analysis of all federal criminal negligence prosecutions brought since the CWA Amendments of 1987 created separate felony and negligence provisions. The results of that analysis are described below. It reveals clear patterns to past charging decisions of federal prosecutors, and suggests likely future trends.