Legal Action
Holding Polluters Accountable
Environmental laws are only as strong as their enforcement, and when polluters violate clean water protections without consequences, CHB takes legal action to hold them accountable. Through strategic litigation, we fight for stronger protections, demand compliance from industrial polluters, and ensure that the waters of Commencement Bay and South Puget Sound remain clean and healthy for future generations.
Why We Litigate
Pollution threatens water quality, marine life, and community health—yet too often, polluters operate with little oversight, and regulatory agencies lack the resources or political will to enforce the law. That’s where we come in.
CHB uses litigation as a powerful tool to:
- Stop illegal pollution at its source
- Force industries to comply with clean water laws
- Ensure environmental laws are properly enforced
- Secure legally binding agreements that strengthen long-term protections
Taking legal action is never our first choice, but when industrial polluters ignore regulations, repeat violations, or refuse to clean up their contamination, we use the courts to demand accountability.
What is a Citizen Suit?
A citizen suit is a legal tool that allows the public to enforce environmental laws when government agencies fail to act. Under key federal statutes, citizens and nonprofit organizations on behalf of the community, like CHB, have the right to sue polluters who violate environmental laws and demand that courts step in to enforce regulations and impose penalties.
Citizen suits are essential because:
- They empower local communities to protect their environment.
- They ensure environmental laws have real consequences for violators.
- They force government agencies to uphold their responsibilities.
By using citizen suits, we are able to hold polluters accountable and secure legally binding commitments that improve water quality, strengthen regulatory oversight, and create lasting protections for Puget Sound.
Key Environmental Laws We Enforce
CHB uses several federal and state environmental laws to take legal action, when necessary. Learn more about each and how it applies to our efforts.
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The Clean Water Act is the nation’s strongest law for protecting water quality. It prohibits industrial pollution without proper permits and requires facilities to monitor and report their pollution levels. When industries exceed pollution limits or fail to comply with permit conditions, CHB uses the Clean Water Act’s citizen suit provision to force compliance and stop illegal discharges.
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The Clean Air Act sets air quality standards to limit pollution from industrial facilities, vehicles, and other sources. CHB works to ensure that industries in Tacoma’s industrial zone comply with air quality regulations that protect public health and reduce toxic emissions in overburdened communities.
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The Endangered Species Act protects marine life, salmon populations, and critical habitat from harmful industrial activities. CHB enforces this law to ensure that Puget Sound’s endangered salmon and orca populations are not put at greater risk by pollution or habitat destruction.
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Known as the Superfund law, CERCLA requires companies responsible for toxic contamination to clean up hazardous waste sites. CHB fights to ensure that polluters—not taxpayers—pay for the cleanup of dangerous sites in Commencement Bay and beyond.
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RCRA regulates hazardous waste storage, treatment, and disposal to prevent contamination of water, air, and soil. CHB uses this law to address industrial waste mismanagement and stop pollution before it enters local waterways.
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These laws require government agencies to evaluate environmental impacts before approving projects. CHB pushes for stronger environmental review standards to prevent industrial expansion from harming our communities and waterways.
How We're Making a Difference
Through strategic litigation, CHB has successfully stopped industrial pollution, strengthened environmental protections, and held polluters accountable for the harm they’ve caused. Our legal actions have forced corporations to clean up toxic waste sites, compelled industrial facilities to upgrade their stormwater treatment systems, and secured legally binding agreements that protect Puget Sound’s waters. Our team fights to ensure that violations of environmental laws are not ignored and that industries comply with the regulations designed to safeguard water quality, marine life, and community health.
Beyond individual legal cases, our work has a long-term impact on policy and environmental enforcement. By challenging weak permits, advocating for stronger regulatory oversight, and leveraging citizen suits under the Clean Water Act and other key statutes, CHB plays a critical role in strengthening legal protections for our region’s waterways. These efforts are especially important in historically underserved communities, where industrial pollution disproportionately affects low-income and BIPOC neighborhoods. Our litigation not only stops pollution at its source but also ensures that every community has the right to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment.
See Our Recent Legal Wins
Husky Terminal
Tyee Marina
Electron Dam
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