Justice Dept. Top Environmental Lawyer Quits Amid Controversy

The chief environmental crime lawyer at the Justice Department resigned Friday, citing low morale and, in his view, unfounded criticism of his department.

Neil Cartusciello, chief of the Environmental Crimes Section, notified Atty. Gen. Janet Reno of his decision in a letter Friday. The resignation takes effect in 60 days.

For nearly three years, Cartusciello headed an agency that came under congressional criticism for allegedly failing to pursue some environmental prosecutions during the George Bush Administration.

A Justice Department review ordered by Reno concluded that “the suggestions of incompetence, improper motivation and wrongdoing are baseless.” It also referred to Cartusciello as a “capable manager.”

But the report did find that discord within the environmental crimes section had “risen to a level at which it is interfering with the ECS accomplishing its mission.”

“I agree,” Cartusciello said of this conclusion in his letter to Reno. “I have long maintained that the section needs a period of calm in order to attend to the morale of its staff, and to carry out its mission free from distractions and turmoil.”

Cartusciello complained that some critics of the division “want to keep the controversy alive.”

Reno, in a letter accepting the resignation, thanked Cartusciello for “outstanding service and commitment for more than a decade in protecting the American people and their environment.”

Cartusciello said he is exploring opportunities outside government.