Chapter 1 - Citizen Action - A Key Part Of Environmental Protection
Citizen action has played a pivotal role in protecting the public health and environment of California. Private enforcement of environmental laws is an integral part of the regulatory framework that has developed over the past thirty years. Citizen-action, or private-enforcement, statutes are those laws that authorize private parties to bring lawsuits as a means of enforcing environmental and public health protections. Citizen action and private enforcement are terms used interchangeably throughout this Report to describe measures taken by private citizens and community groups to enforce environmental and public-health laws. These statutes share the goal of complementing legal action taken by governmental entities like an attorney general or district attorney, to ensure a safer, healthier, and cleaner society.
|
