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• • • Sef!tenre Fir:st, IQv-dict.1./fenrard BANKRUPTED BY EPA Think the FBI ls tough'? These guys make tht Il2S [ook kind Mttl gentlc. pR[R SAMUEL L hC.T MONTfi the Snvimn 3,100 pwecutimu, M1:1) millivn u. pau- menhl 7Yon.•u'wu AtLenay riltias, and Add months of inearnm- 11SPA) put out a thtck "Np/C to tion tor the prollumrn. GrrmpoadMq" and tweed a prase 'Thw 1491 nnmha.c E•~f proeseutionai mnfwen•" nn ehat it celled ita '4ee- ure more chan ull pre+Law y.ara u>m- md hrrniun( atfau.ment accaupliah- butdd;' said the CPA. nul: dd18 this menu Nr rl.ur watar tn 1991." It waa mean ,7ustice in hei nq dutw4 a-hanner year for enforcement' with Take thd r.nv of Lmlc 'Y'huth" ' tau•, 13d. nP Charlnsran, Wcst Virpnia. - Mr. Ln. w.n. sw:ntenad in u.1i. nte- ' tnet l;ourt to 5160A00 in fines and two ,rean in jail fnr bnwchee of t.h. faderal Claun Watcr Act. Mr, l.+a: uiphtrrtat< CIIDVUMer with the envuonmental ecalp-hnnt brtp.in with h'tf purcharA nf tha nrrfar. rilfhls tn 241 aoroi: ncur thc tm+n of Eummerln: in Fayette Quunty, wcat VSrytnia. ifs bought thu land in ltpril 1980 fnr;160,000 from the New River f,el !,'.rmpany, whieh had dacid.d m elose an old conf-e-asltura yLwL wr U.. , sita. Mr. Uw, a htBtWy rNlt, wanted m rr:ntnra the old comPany atore. and tlhnnaht he miqbt 5e hle m devdnp nnme of tho taud fnr mnhiic lwmea tu ttn industrtal perh. He ka<w nothinc of anv water pollu• tinn prrddema whcn iv. bought the property, but eoon aftar f'nund eh.1t ruutu sprtn®s tnere af.charp woter Iltut is acidic and contuins suspended irnn and mnnl Ph+ eNElry hwe tastOd ut about the Icvd ofCune-Cole; it ie uot wrhenithy to drink. The sna- peneea Iron uud mantaneae sre nm Mrt Semw:! .,rn.. C.~ .a..'4/cwrm<licaruf. m-,t .<ya XYVLS tMu Wyvn, enutmnnwmPL 4Wee pUnt a ekep/i- cal ponpsaux. ,1a NATIfJNAL REtlaw I MARI:rI IC, t%yl udmdthy fir i.umene uititaY, dtuuO tlury hpk aw!ttl-they y,•IVe [he water u dirty reddish color-and rnuld be hurtine s,tneNn N6 no-ndtrenm, in Fa9etta.ill. (pop. 3,0001, pcapld statted complaining about tdr, Lavs watu (lowinc into their ry•terunir. Th.ir herhtnbr .nd luilete .nen elelnnd +Nt u f e red aedimeut ahat muld have ram, from Iha epnnlpr on Mr. Leru's property. The town ltss since 9aed tha pmhlem hy di7ulina the ru.,.mir water aLth wdI .eater, but Iw:ei eu+ironmunwl- Istr ref.ently r!nlwM the ]ttatlt on Mr. Law when trouna &h wcrc found dMd in ch. rr»tr d•.,,.-aetreem of hic pinperty. Mn t+w han w.it,u;na ~Iw say that the Ifah-from a state hntch- ery-wen uhaadv dead from noali- gent handlina when thu atato dumped thcm in thc au]c Esprrb Say... A T IIIS TRIA(. in the UE. Dte- arllt t-NYCt !a Ittakley, West vlrglnm, Mr. Lau• did not dony that the water comina n(f hi. Vmpnx.y ,.ee polluted udur the tcrmn of the feder,tl Ci.wu waler Ara. Hls deMae wa. that his property wea mtt the souree M the pollution. He had the nTtniene of two leadind oxpurtc ia +abr pnlluticn Wul Ihe avid nnd metal R]npmiunUOn orl!(lnated in old coat minea higher up the watershed. and thnt the palluted a-.te, ran t,nder c,raund to emerae in the epAi.rp uu it!a property. The aovornment maitrtained instead thxt tha pnllntinn enmc fnum a nos- o.-erarawn d<pueit on his propeay of urd rNUSU motterial (enrtmmnnly culied -gub") left by the old coul-washina plant Onu of Lada upcrt •~itncssus, Dr. Oewae Hall, puinu out that the two cnat vams above Lavs prnperty are "nuurciously andir.' and otndndee that. •aeid minq Wulur ic eeepinR dn,.-,t tltu t..o l.ullu.a Leueaur ule gub pita to emerpa penesth tfu< me of the gob pila.' He says ha has reen many such nvld sprinas /n ehe ermu thut ucet without the prtmm"u uf puL y'tlen. The Marlje un which Mr. Law wna tried was failure "ta eh.micallr treet thc nnid wsr.r AivharSes from the eoal retune ple.." Ca+ernment inspee- urr. hed dnmundod that he treac the water wlt!1 eCda as(1 to neurdllLa it and Dreripitate the un>;ehtiy imn ea!rd, a prnceas that would cnAt A5,fi(nl a weuk to rurt and wotild havm m rm indNfnitely. Mr. La.w•e ouly preacot luwtua rcuru the yuryetty i> ;]1J prx montn tor leaslnq the old company ntorc- tu tha U.S. Postal S.rvice. Thn au.ommenf. charaee heoe pra.onted him 1row urv.ul( ehood .-ith Ili,. uLhcr plons (or development of tne sttc. The proucution did not arl:ue that rhe dischurycs from the eprinnt concti tutsd an; health hazard. Thv: just didnt meet EPA clean-wutcr stana- arda. Md in what aoneers to be a enmpln.le pervnxinn of rh. prin•iplec of rumman Im., tho Ltf.. Atmnrnr-y prvnecul.(uy thu casu eraued thut it tr rmmatarial under the laean Water Act whether the pmperty nwnor it the cawe uf L)m pollution. Itc argucd that uuddt the xt .Ite defendunt c.onld hx roand guilty aimply nn tba baete that pelluted wstar wu emereinB from his propcrty, naardleee uf its eouree. dud'r Rli+.abcth Ilullorr.u u.plkd t)va tetrmrdtnary proposttton. 5he tn- BKUcted the IurY: "The oRense cnndMlt nt'fh. knnwinq dbrhnr6n of a ponre. ont from u p.ilnt aoutca int. a-.t,ar of the United Snve. For xne purpose or the Cleaa WotOr Acl, all the Y.v"rrrt mr•,nt muat pmvn ie ehat tha dnfnnd. anto )utc.• the general ohoroamr ond nswre uf the rru4rialn Wy .ere Mr. L.e<w now has a civil action :oin: a¢ain<t tlw ruininy enmpan e rhat u.u llre p,uperty where la Lhiulu ll. pnllotrorl onelnatoa. in any case. there Nnnld !1/f.m IO be dlt argumenf, in na4 ur.) lee that if one has only b:.vgM ihr-xufer.e elue 4t a ptece nf land and has no rights ur the minerals unaer- around• then one has no rtrapunsibllity (er Whsl hvUblet up fram IvJnw nut the U.E. ao.eroment, and na, a dle[rirt ludg, esy me source of pnl- lution u immatertal. Dy thuir n;awn- ina, yr,n mill M..armneiMe for trwat- ins uny mutamiautal -uror rhnt nn.ry oSyour iand, regardless of who ir r,o- ,tpnnsihle. fhr it. If a truck comes off ihn nmd :md dumpn a Ined or ehe.nri- eolo on ycur land, you will bu wilty of n ndnrp under U.. Clemr Watct AcL if you don't treat uny pullutton thul, rune off. And what about water wmins u(f your property frnm acid rain7 Mr. r.nw hne errinualy eried m 5i•s )HX tYnd uway eiAO: envrnrnYYldrllal Muw+' turnud it fmm a smu11 ueearL inm n di.ecrmna li.hility, Inn. of rnurcn shcre ore no taken. a