Environmental Protection and the AGO
The Governmental Affairs Section aggressively protects Missouri’s natural resources. Attorneys take legal action to stop pollution of the state’s air, water and soil through injunctions, fines, penalties and in the most serious cases, incarceration.
Attorneys represent the Department of Natural Resources and its constituent boards and commissions that regulate the use of the state’s air, land and waters. The section is responsible for over 400 active enforcement cases, including administrative appeals before the DNR’s commissions.
Enforcement litigation is filed primarily in state courts to seek preliminary and permanent injunctions to ensure compliance with Missouri’s environmental laws.
The section obtains civil penalties for the state and recovers costs and damages for the DNR. Since 2008, the division has obtained over $6 million in civil penalty judgments.