Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 12/13/06

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Donna Edwards B (707) 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, Assistant District Attorney Christine Cook Deputy District Attorney: Jeffrey W. Holtzman

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

Sonoma County Deputy D.A. Participates in
Training for Viet Nam Environmental Official

District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced today that one of his deputies was part of a team of local, state and federal officials that recently provided specialized training on environmental enforcement to a group of visiting government dignitaries from Viet Nam.

The Viet Nam Enforcement Programs Study Tour, hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from November 13-17, 2006, was a week long training with two-day sessions held at EPA=s San Francisco regional office and at the national office in Washington, D.C. The participants included the vice-ministers and staff from Viet Nam=s Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of National Public Safety.

Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey W. Holtzman, a 17 year veteran with the office’s Environmental and Consumer Law Division, discussed methods used to address rural environmental problems such as water pollution caused by dairy operations, the installation of summer dams on salmon sensitive waterways and sediment runoff from vineyards and other agricultural operations. The need to balance enforcement with public education and how enforcement drives compliance were a couple of the themes emphasized by Holtzman to the study group.

Viet Nam was recently approved by the United Nations to become the 150th member of the World Trade Organization. As its economy expands it is also working to strengthen protection of its environment. Viet Nam will be establishing its own Environmental Protection Agency within the year and the goal of the training was to share education and enforcement strategies proven effective in the United States that may be used in Viet Nam. The visiting delegation was provided with an overview of U.S. and California environmental laws, procedures for administrative, civil and criminal enforcement, and case studies on rural and urban pollution prosecutions.

Mr. Holtzman is a National Academy Instructor for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and regularly provides training on environmental prosecutions to local and state environmental officials through the California District Attorneys Association, the Western States Project, and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia.