SALEM (AP) — A former federal prosecutor turned law professor said Thursday he is running for Oregon attorney general and promised to crack down on methamphetamine dealers and corporate polluters.

John Kroger, a Lewis & Clark Law School professor, also said he would work to protect civil rights he says have been endangered by conservative judges and federal officials, noting that he has been “an outspoken critic of the Bush administration warrantless wiretapping program.”

Kroger opened his campaign at the Portland General Electric headquarters downtown, saying the building was the site of Enron Corp. illegal activity before the Texas energy giant — and former owner of PG&E — declared what was then the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history.

“We are going to make sure that consumers, and not scam artists, come first in Oregon,” Kroger said.

Before joining the Lewis & Clark faculty, Kroger was a federal prosecutor who won hundreds of cases involving organized crime, public corruption, white collar crime and drug trafficking.

Kroger, 40, also was a prosecutor in the Enron case, winning indictments against two top executives who became witnesses against former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay and CEO Jeffrey Skilling, both convicted of fraud.

Kroger said his career in public service began with his enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps at 17, serving for three years before he went to Yale, followed by campaign work for former President Clinton and then Harvard Law School.

He said the top five challenges facing the next attorney general are methamphetamine manufacturing and use, that is “the single largest cause of child abuse in the state,” corporate pollution, consumer protection, child support enforcement, and protecting civil rights.

Kroger said he would consider filing criminal charges against companies that fail to heed environmental laws, and would hold corporate executives accountable.

He also said he would take a personal role in the courtroom on major cases, rather than sending a deputy.

Kroger is the second Democrat to announce his candidacy for the top lawyer’s post in Oregon after Attorney General Hardy Myers said last month he would not seek re-election.

The day after Myers announced his decision, state Rep. Greg Macpherson said he will run in 2008.

Macpherson, the son and grandson of Oregon lawmakers, has said he would use the office to defend land use laws that protect farms and forests from development.

Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard, who joined fellow Commissioner Erik Sten to introduce Kroger, took a swipe at Macpherson by saying that he voted against a bill aimed at ensuring that Enron paid state taxes owed by PGE.

No Republicans have joined the race so far, but the GOP is expected to field a candidate.