Polluting companies in the US -
the country which has often
screamed the loudest at the merest
hint of environmental negligence
- can now rest easy. Protecting
them from engendering environmental disruption are several
American states. Strange as it may
sound, one US state after another is
now adopting laws which will
shield companies from public disclosure or punishment, whenever
environmental offenses are discovered in their own backyards.
The connivance of the states
with the industries has, however,
not found favour with environmentalists and also lawyers for victims of pollution. They believe that
the clause will now allow the companies to exploit the laws so as to
avoid adverse publicity and also
disclaim any responsibility for
environmental misdemeanours, if
any. "This is a disaster for environmental enforcement," said David
Ronald, chief of environmental
crimes unit in the Arizona state
attorney general's office.
The advocates of this legislation point out that far from allow-
Ing companies to go scot-free, these
laws are aimed to encourage companies to monitor their activities
without fear that what they discover will be used against them.
Since 1993, 18 states beginning
with Oregon, have adopted such
measures. These states, either allow
companies not to report to the public what they unearth during environmental audits, or else shield
them from civil or criminal prosecution if they volunteer incriminating information. In Colorado, for
instance, companies have been permitted to withhold information
about air pollution.
The Clinton administration,
waking up to the current arrangement between the states and industries, has issued a warning that it
will curtail the right of the states to
enforce such laws like the Clean Air
Act and the Clean Water Act, if the
stow go a long way to provide protection to the companies.
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