About Us

T.E.L.E.A. is a 501(c)(3) organization developed by a group of environmental investigators from across Texas under the organizational drive of Barbara Foreman and Dale Burnette of the Special Investigations Section, TNRCC. By late 1997, it had become clear that the previous three years' efforts by the TNRCC, COGs, and local training academies were starting to pay off. By that time, nearly 400 officers from around the State had completed the TNRCC/Southern Environmental Enforcement Network's three-day training. Many others had completed one and two-day training events offered by other agencies. Recognizing that the time for a professional association had come, in December 1997, a small group of Texas officers, regulators, and policymakers met at the Austin Police Academy and began the process that has resulted in today's T.E.L.E.A.

• Create a statewide network of technical and criminal environmental enforcement professionals.
• Increase the utilization of traditional law enforcement officers in criminal environmental enforcement efforts.
• Provide a forum for sharing information regarding changes in laws, regulatory policies, and technological developments in environmental law enforcement.
• Increase education and professionalism in environmental law enforcement through training and certification.
• Increase public awareness and support for criminal environmental law enforcement.