Called “citizen suit provisions,” those parts of the laws allow regular people and advocacy groups to sue companies they believe are violating the law. Now, in a legal filing, the Trump administration is saying citizens should not be allowed to enforce environmental laws. A History of SuccessFor more than 50 years, citizen suits have been an effective part of cleaning up the environment in the U.S. But if the government has already begun an enforcement action or is actively prosecuting the violator, a citizen suit cannot proceed. In my area of research, plastic pollution, citizen suits have been used to hold plastic pellet manufacturers responsible for pollution.