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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Virginia's first environmental court is making a dent in a mountain county's litter problem

"Virginia’s first court dedicated to environmental cases has flourished in Wise County since its October 2006 beginning," reports the Coalfield Progress. "The people of the county are finally starting to see that trash-related offenses are being taken seriously, county litter control and recycling coordinator Greg Cross said."

Cross told reporter Bonnie Bates that more people are testifying against those charged with littering because they are tired of trash littering the county. "So far, eight people have been convicted for illegal dumping, six have been convicted for trash accumulation, one was convicted for littering and one was convicted for having an illegal junkyard," she writes. "Judgments in these cases ranged from $5,000 to $200."

Cross said he tries to settle many of the trash accumulation offenses outside court, and if offenders don't comply, they are charged in environmental court, which the district judge holds once a month and has a 100 percent conviction rate. "Punishment for the offenses includes a judgement, being ordered to clean the mess and ordered to not commit the same crime again," Bates writes. (Read more)

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