Thursday, February 19, 2009

Where can we get this deal?

I got a press release today from the Attorney General's office. It's about a New Hampshire man pleading guilty to charges of failing to report hazardous materials that were buried on the pig farm he owned in Hudson, MA.

What particularly caught my eye was something at the bottom of the release:

This case was investigated by the Massachusetts Environmental Crimes Strike Force (ECSF), an interagency unit that includes prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office, Environmental Police Officers assigned to the Attorney General’s Office, and investigators and engineers from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The ECSF is overseen by Attorney General Coakley, MassDEP Commissioner Laurie Burt and Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian A. Bowles. The ECSF investigates and prosecutes crimes that harm the state’s water, air, and that pose a significant threat to human health.

Members of the public who have information regarding a potential environmental crime are encouraged to contact the MassDEP Environmental Strike Force Hotline at 1-888-VIOLATE (846-5283) or the Attorney General’s Office at 617-727-2200.

There's a whole strike force?

Here's some more:

The investigation began when authorities found over 90 drums of chemical waste buried on Zina’s property in Hudson. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) first became aware of the buried drums in March 2006 when it was investigating a development plan on a portion of the farm. During the course of this investigation, investigators from MassDEP conducted a site inspection and unearthed a total of 96 drums buried on the farm. Tests on soil samples taken in 2007 indicated that two hazardous chemicals, toluene and methylene chloride, had leaked into the soil and toluene was found in a nearby stream. Both chemicals, dangerous to human health and the environment, were found in large quantities inside of the drums. MassDEP spent $60,000 to clean up the farm after this discovery.
Gee, DEP cleaned it up for this guy? He was sentenced to 3 years probation and was fined $25,000.

No comments: