Memorandums From the President on Wildlife Law Enforcement

Memorandum for the Secretary of Agriculture

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, illegal trade in fish and wildlife was identified as a significant environmental problem. Recent criminal and civil investigations have indicated that this trade runs to tens of millions of dollars a year and can introduce serious disease. It is important that we strengthen the individual and collective abilities of agencies to deal with this problem.

We must establish a coordinated federal wildlife enforcement program. To improve the effectiveness of this program, I am submitting legislation that strengthens wildlife enforcement laws. I am also directing agencies to take certain individual actions and to form two task forces to coordinate their activities.

I therefore direct that your Department:

• Assign a representative to a wildlife law enforcement committee chaired by the Department of the Interior which will include representatives from the Departments of Treasury, Justice, Agriculture and Commerce. The committee will review agency enforcement experiences, priorities and problems, expedite review of agency trade regulations, help coordinate federal trade enforcement policies generally and keep agency heads informed.

• Establish and chair a plant enforcement task force which will include representatives from your Department and the Departments of Justice, Interior and Treasury. The task force will investigate the illegal trade in plants and will bring appropriate prosecutions.

• Assign representatives as appropriate to interagency teams, chaired by the Department of the Interior, which will audit wildlife import documents to discover fraudulent documentation.

• Place greater emphasis on coordinating your review of quarantine-related import documents with other documents relating to wildlife imports to protect the quarantine program from the filing of fraudulent documents and to improve enforcement.

• Use special agents to investigate the illegal trade in plants.

Please give these assignments your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER

Memorandum for the Secretary of Commerce

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, illegal trade in fish and wildlife was identified as a significant environmental problem. Recent criminal and civil investigations have indicated that this trade runs to tens of millions of dollars a year and can introduce serious diseases. It is important that we strengthen the individual and collective abilities of agencies to deal with this problem.

We must establish a coordinated federal wildlife enforcement program. To improve the effectiveness of this program, I am submitting legislation that strengthens wildlife enforcement laws. I am also directing agencies to take certain individual actions and to form two task forces to coordinate their activities.

I therefore direct that your Department:

• Assign a representative to a wildlife law enforcement committee chaired by the Department of the Interior which will include representatives from the Departments of Treasury, Justice, Agriculture and Commerce. The committee will review agency enforcement experiences, priorities and problems, expedite review of agency trade regulations, help coordinate federal trade enforcement policies generally and keep agency heads informed.

• Assign representatives as appropriate to interagency teams, chaired by the Department of the Interior, which will audit wildlife import documents to discover fraudulent documentation.

• Give higher priority to investigating illegal trade in fish and wildlife.

Please give these assignments your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER

Memorandum for the Secretary of the Interior

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, illegal trade in fish and wildlife was identified as a significant environmental problem. Recent criminal and civil investigations have indicated that this trade runs to tens of millions of dollars a year and can introduce serious diseases. It is important that we strengthen the individual and collective abilities of agencies to deal with this problem.

We must establish a coordinated federal wildlife enforcement program. To improve the effectiveness of this program, I am submitting legislation that strengthens wildlife enforcement laws. I am also directing agencies to take certain individual actions and to form two task forces to coordinate their activities.

I therefore direct that your Department:

• Establish and chair a wildlife law enforcement committee which will include representatives from your Department and the Departments of Treasury, Justice, Agriculture and Commerce. The committee will review agency enforcement experiences, priorities and problems, expedite review of agency trade regulations, help coordinate federal trade enforcement policies generally and keep agency heads informed.

• Assign a representative to a plant enforcement task force, chaired by the Department of Agriculture, which will include representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Justice, Interior and Treasury. The task force will investigate the illegal trade in plants and will bring appropriate prosecutions.

• Chair and assign representatives as appropriate to interagency teams which will audit wildlife import documents to discover fraudulent documentation.

Please give these assignments your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER

Memorandum for the Attorney General

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, illegal trade in fish and wildlife was identified as a significant environmental problem. Recent criminal and civil investigations have indicated that this trade runs to tens of millions of dollars a year and can introduce serious diseases. It is important that we strengthen the individual and collective abilities of agencies to deal with this problem.

We must establish a coordinated federal wildlife enforcement program. To improve the effectiveness of this program, I am submitting legislation that strengthens wildlife enforcement laws. I am also directing agencies to take certain individual actions and to form two task forces to coordinate their activities.

I therefore direct that your Department:

• Assign a representative to a wildlife law enforcement committee chaired by the Department of the Interior which will include representatives from the Departments of Treasury, Justice, Agriculture and Commerce. The committee will review agency enforcement experiences, priorities and problems, expedite review of agency trade regulations, help coordinate federal trade enforcement policies generally and keep agency heads informed.

• Assign a representative to a plant enforcement task force, chaired by the Department of Agriculture, which will include representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Justice, Interior and Treasury. The task force will investigate the illegal trade in plants and will bring appropriate prosecutions.

• Assign representatives as appropriate to interagency teams, chaired by the Department of the Interior, which will audit wildlife import documents to discover fraudulent documentation.

• Seek stiff penalties for persons who engage in illegal wildlife or plant trade including jail sentences for the principal violators.

• Establish a Wildlife Section in the Land and Natural Resources Division which will be staffed principally by attorneys who will be trained to be wildlife law enforcement specialists with responsibilities similar to those of the Justice Department's white-collar crime "economic crime enforcement specialists".

Please give these assignments your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER

Memorandum for the Secretary of the Treasury

In my Environmental Message of August 2, 1979, illegal trade in fish and wildlife was identified as a significant environmental problem. Recent criminal and civil investigations have indicated that this trade runs to tens of millions of dollars a year and can introduce serious diseases. It is important that we strengthen the individual and collective abilities of agencies to deal with this problem.

We must establish a coordinated federal wildlife enforcement program. To improve the effectiveness of this program, I am submitting legislation that strengthens wildlife enforcement laws. I am also directing agencies to take certain individual actions and to form two task forces to coordinate their activities.

I therefore direct that your Department:

• Assign a representative to a wildlife law enforcement committee chaired by the Department of the Interior which will include representatives from the Departments of Treasury, Justice, Agriculture and Commerce. The committee will review agency enforcement experiences, priorities and problems, expedite review of agency trade regulations, help coordinate federal trade enforcement policies generally and keep agency heads informed.

• Assign a representative to a plant enforcement task force, chaired by the Department of Agriculture, which will include representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Justice, Interior and Treasury. The task force will investigate the illegal trade in plants and will bring appropriate prosecutions.

• Assign representatives as appropriate to interagency teams, chaired by the Department of the Interior, which will audit wildlife import documents to discover fraudulent documentation.

• Recognize that violations involving commercial quantities of wildlife, plants or their derivatives are so significant as to be considered white-collar crime and consequently the Department of Treasury will assign a high priority to pursuing investigations of this nature.

Please give these assignments your immediate attention.

JIMMY CARTER