Jul 15 2020
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today issued the following statement after President Trump announced sweeping and unjustified revisions to longstanding environmental review processes under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA — a move that undermines public health and the environment and conflicts with federal law. President Nixon signed NEPA into law in 1970 after it passed Congress with bipartisan support.
Jun 30 2020
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today released a report to the Washington State Legislature recommending policies that require law enforcement to report information about incidents involving deadly force. The report also recommends that the state create a centralized, publicly accessible website with information about these incidents.
Jun 24 2020
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Monsanto will pay $95 million to resolve Ferguson’s lawsuit over the company’s manufacturing, marketing and distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This is Washington’s largest independent state environmental recovery against a single entity.
May 27 2020
Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit today challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to roll back federal emissions standards for cars and light-duty trucks.
May 7 2020
Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed a federal lawsuit against two gold mining companies for violating the Clean Water Act and discharging illegal levels of pollutants into creeks flowing into the Kettle River in Okanogan County. The companies could face millions of dollars in penalties for Clean Water Act violations.
Apr 21 2020
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Attorney General Bob Ferguson today launched a new environmental justice initiative. As part of the initiative, Ferguson announced that he will partner with Gonzaga University to hold an environmental justice symposium next year. Ferguson’s goal is strengthen environmental policies and enforcement with meaningful involvement from the people affected most by environmental issues like climate change and pollution.
Mar 9 2020
SEATTLE — A federal judge has granted Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s request to block the Trump Administration’s latest effort to allow 3D-printed gun files to be released on the internet. These files would allow plug-and-play access to 3D-print unregistered, untraceable firearms that can also be very difficult to detect, even with a metal detector. Untraceable firearms are sometimes called “ghost guns.”
Feb 7 2020
A Pend Oreille County Superior Court judge found probable cause to civilly commit a sex offender today after the Washington Attorney General’s Office filed a petition to prevent his release to the community.
Jan 29 2020
Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced a court order requiring the U.S. Navy to stop scraping the hulls of decommissioned ships in a way that releases metals and other contaminants into Sinclair Inlet near Bremerton. The Navy must also begin a multi-million dollar project to reverse the environmental damage caused by scraping decades of marine buildup off the hull of a ship.
Dec 20 2019
Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed a lawsuit to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to repeal a 2015 rule that clearly defines what waters qualify for federal Clean Water Act protection and replace that rule with a rule established in 1986. The EPA’s repeal will significantly reduce the number of water bodies around the United States that are protected under the Clean Water Act.