Environmental Crime Victim Resources
About the Environmental Crime Victim Program:
EPA’s Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training (OCEFT) is tasked with investigating the most egregious violations of environmental statutes and other federal laws that EPA helps enforce. Many of these cases involve fires, explosions, and/or the release of toxic chemicals which are known to cause harm to exposed individuals. Anyone who has suffered harm as a result of a crime is considered a crime victim.
To address the unique victim issues in environmental crimes, EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) created the Environmental Crime Victims Assistance Program. This program is designed to identify environmental crime victims and notify them of their rights and services available in various stages of the investigation and prosecution processes. EPA also established a National Victim Witness Coordinator position to directly support victims of environmental crimes. The coordinator works to:
identify victims and notify them of their status,
help victims access resources, and
provide direct assistance to individual victims.
Each April, EPA commemorates National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the annual nationwide observance coordinated by the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, which is designed to promote victims’ rights; educate the public about victims’ rights, protections, and services; and honor crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. This year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is April 19-25, 2026, and the theme is “Listen. Act. Advocate. Protect victims, serve communities.” DOJ's Environmental Crime Victim Assistance website also provides detailed information on environmental crimes and services. You can learn more there about victim rights, environmental crimes, available resources and the criminal justice process there. The DOJ site also provides specific case information and victim outreach information for some cases.
Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an opportunity for all of us to reflect upon EPA’s commitment to vindicating environmental crime victims’ rights. Since creating the Environmental Crime Victims Program, EPA has supported thousands of victims, trained hundreds of employees, created multiple internal and public videos, conducted outreach highlighting the unique issues environmental crime victims face, and created the National Victim Witness Coordinator (NVWC) position to ensure EPA is meeting its statutory obligations under the Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act and Crime Victims’ Rights Act. For more information, you can check out this year’s National Crime Victims' Rights Week website. For more information about EPA’s Crime Victim Program, you can contact NVWC@epa.gov. To report an environmental violation, click here.
State-Specific Resource Information
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Quick Info
Always Call 911 for Emergencies
National Poison Hotline: 1-800-222-1222
American Red Cross
Crime Victim Compensation Boards Listing
OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program