To establish a national clearinghouse for information on incidents of environmental terrorism and to establish a program to reduce environmental terrorism.

July 25, 2003

Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

To establish a national clearinghouse for information on incidents of environmental terrorism and to establish a program to reduce environmental terrorism.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Environmental Terrorism Reduction Act'.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL TERRORISM CLEARINGHOUSE.

(a) IN GENERAL- The Attorney General shall establish and maintain a national clearinghouse for information on incidents of crime and terrorism--

(1) committed against or directed at any commercial activity because of the perceived impact or effect of such commercial activity on the environment; or

(2) committed against or directed at any person because of such person's perceived connection with or support of any activity described in paragraph (1).

(b) CLEARINGHOUSE- The clearinghouse established under subsection (a) shall--

(1) accept, collect, and maintain information on incidents described in subsection (a) that is submitted to the clearinghouse by Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, by law enforcement agencies of foreign countries, and by victims of such incidents;

(2) collate and index such information for purposes of cross-referencing; and

(3) upon request from a Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency, or from a law enforcement agency of a foreign country, provide such information to assist in the investigation of an incident described in subsection (a).

SEC. 3. ENVIRONMENTAL TERRORISM REDUCTION PROGRAM.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- There is established in the Department of Justice a program to be known as the Environmental Terrorism Reduction Program.

(b) DESIGNATION- The Attorney General, upon consultation with the heads of Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and the Governor of each applicable State, may designate any specified area of the United States as a high intensity environmental terrorism area. After making such a designation and in order to provide Federal assistance to the area so designated, the Attorney General may--

(1) obligate such sums as appropriated for the Environmental Terrorism Reduction Program;

(2) direct the temporary reassignment of Federal personnel to such area, subject to the approval of the head of the department or agency that employs such personnel; and

(3) coordinate activities under this subsection (specifically administrative, recordkeeping, and funds management activities) with State and local officials.

(c) FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION- In considering whether to designate an area under this section as a high intensity environmental terrorism area, the Attorney General shall consider, in addition to such other criteria as the Attorney General considers to be appropriate, the extent to which--

(1) the area is a center of crimes committed in the name of the environment;

(2) State and local law enforcement agencies have committed resources to respond to the environmental terrorism problem in the area, thereby indicating a determination to respond aggressively to the problem;

(3) environmental terrorism activities in the area are having a harmful impact in other areas of the country; and

(4) a significant increase in allocation of Federal resources is necessary to respond adequately to environmental terrorism activities in the area.

END