EPA knew and did nothing....

[avalancher]

So, why didn't you complain? Whistleblow? Turn em in? Start an investigation?

If one crazy ex-husband can start up a couple years of investigating, you should have been able to gather facts, pictures, soil samples, etc.

Wouldn't that be the "responsible" thing to do?

Remember the burning river?

Your right, I should have blown the whistle. At that time in my life I was far more concerned about my own hide, having a job, and trying to fit in into a new culture that was very foreign to me. I feel pretty guilty about it now, and probably deserve a good tongue lashing for just joining in and ignoring all that went on around me.

I like to think I am a better man now, but I still consider that a very bad judgement call on my part, and instead of thinking about all the harm all the employees were doing to our environment, I instead elected to just save my own hide and job.

Slowp, if it makes you feel any better, I did blow the whistle on my experiences while in the Navy, and spent a long tortuous career in the Navy because of it. A crew member died in that flood, the Navy covered it up as well as the flooding event, and I turned over all my documents to a federal investigation spearheaded by the Governors office of the State of Washington at the time. The USS Coral Sea was where she shouldnt have been at the time of the flood carrying out a mission that to this day I have no idea what it was, and there have been many unanswered questions.
But, I have told that story to only one member here on AS, because namely none of you would believe it, including yourself Slowp.

 

[CrappieKeith]

Good post PAMike!
You too Av...

 

[slowp]

Libby, Montana now has single payer health care.

Expanded Medicare coverage for Libby, Montana's victims of asbestos illnesses

I worked with timber fallers from Libby, and they called it Libby Lung. They still lived there.

 

[Mike PA]

Yes, some asbestos floats (the insulation usually floats, the tiles may not). As it becomes more friable, more of it will separate out and all of those fibers will float. Generally, if it stays in a mass and becomes saturated, it may sink. Regardless, I agree it is not the best way to get rid of it. I don't doubt what you say, as I have no reason not to believe you. I also understand the situation you were in 12 years ago and where you are now. I would hope that the vast majority of people here would somehow stand up to this practice, even if it is through an anonymous call. I've hurt myself in the past with my honesty. Not to the point of loosing my job, but close.

If we all did our part in policing ourselves, we would have less need and less call for government intrusion. This is, of course, a bit naive to think we can truely police ourselves.

 

[blacklocst]

Reading that make me want to burn a tire.:msp_sneaky:

Why?

 

[4seasons]

If we all did our part in policing ourselves, we would have less need and less call for government intrusion. This is, of course, a bit naive to think we can truely police ourselves.

While it may be naive to think we can police ourselves, I think it is naive to think that the government can do anything better than we can do it ourselves. I think we can all think of plenty of instances of government waste, corruption, intrusion, or outright incompetence. Almost anything that government does can be done better, more efficiently, and quicker if government wasn't involved.

 

[Mike PA]

While it may be naive to think we can police ourselves, I think it is naive to think that the government can do anything better than we can do it ourselves. I think we can all think of plenty of instances of government waste, corruption, intrusion, or outright incompetence. Almost anything that government does can be done better, more efficiently, and quicker if government wasn't involved.

I agree that we can do better at most things than the government. Law enforcement, however, is not one of those places. If there was a way to replace the federal or state versions of the EPA with a private group, it would be great, but that will never happen.

 

[olyman]

Alright, I retract my last sentence.I never saw a fat envelope in his pocket.But here are the facts.
1.We dumped huge quantities of all sorts of hazardous chemicals on the ground.
2.The company didnt pay a single dime in penalties or fines.
3.the tank used to store chemicals after the investigation was never emptied unless it was done after dark or on a Sunday or holiday in the three years I was there.None of the guys I worked with ever saw it pumped out, and more than once we would "sound" the tank by tapping on it with a hammer.It never got over half full.
4.We burned the chemicals rather than the company being forced into a massive cleanup like everywhere else.Ever heard of that before as your first choice in cleanup?
5.I dont care who you are, it is highly improper for a high ranking investigator to show up for a party year after year on the scene where a company was allowed to slide on a clean up.Just doesnt look right.


I have always said if it quacks like a duck.....Well, it quacked like a friggin pay off. But I aint saying it....

your correct,,others,,not at all.......

 

[olyman]

The EPA has got to be the most crooked of any government agency in our country, and I learned first hand just how far some of those officials will go to pad their own pocket and ignore the real reason they are supposed to do their job.

Twelve years ago when I first married my wife, I worked in a small town truck shop in rural Mississippi. As a matter of routine, anytime we had any chemical we needed to get rid of, we threw it out back of the shop in the sandy soil and forgot about it. We pushed trucks out there and pulled the oil plug, dumped solvents and thinners from the paint booth, and even emptied the contents of a wrecked tanker truck out there. We had no idea what the chemical was, but it dissolved our rubber boot treads like they were butter.Dumped over a thousand gallons of the stuff on the ground under managements orders.

This is exactly why the EPA was formed, because normal citizens are not "responsible for their own well being" or their neighbors for that matter. If you had a corrupt EPA official out of the thousands of EPA employees, that doesn't make the whole agency corrupt. If it wasn't for the EPA, your polluting practice will still be the norm in this country instead of the exception, so maybe the EPA has had a positive effect for our future!

HIS polluting practice,,reread,,what he stated again........

 

[olyman]

Reading that make me want to burn a tire.:msp_sneaky:

only one????????:smile2:

 

[Mike PA]

HIS polluting practice,,reread,,what he stated again........

No need to reread. I like Av, understand where he was at the time, but he was still the one pushing the barrel over. Boss gave the order, he did it. Sure, the boss would have found someone else to tip the barrel, but that would have been on someone else's watch. Hit man gets charged with murder just the same as the guy that paid him to do it.

 

[fredmc]

Why?

Just to be a smartass.
I don't like the EPA and all of the other panty waste gubberment agencies. When big business and the military start adhering to the regs I will too. I'm just a drop in the bucket compared.

 

[Cedar-Acres]

While it may be naive to think we can police ourselves, I think it is naive to think that the government can do anything better than we can do it ourselves. I think we can all think of plenty of instances of government waste, corruption, intrusion, or outright incompetence. Almost anything that government does can be done better, more efficiently, and quicker if government wasn't involved.

I believe this is correct in the context of the Federal Government.

What ever happened to the United States Constitution and its primary concept of Limited (Federal) Government??? The States are the governments that are charged with regulation and law enforcement within their own borders. The US Constitution's concept was that each State governs their citizens as they deem most appropriate for their situation and by how the majority of those citizens vote. Each State is meant to be a little different and people could choose the State they wanted to live in based on how things were run. The States that govern by the will of the people will thrive and prosper. The States that ignore the wishes of its citizens will wither on the vine and will have to change their ways. With the current Federal government vastly over-reaching its Constitutional mandate they have created a nearly monolithic country with nowhere to turn to escape the oppression. This is Tyranny, plain and simple.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[avalancher]

I believe this is correct in the context of the Federal Government.

What ever happened to the United States Constitution and its primary concept of Limited (Federal) Government??? The States are the governments that are charged with regulation and law enforcement within their own borders. The US Constitution's concept was that each State governs their citizens as they deem most appropriate for their situation and by how the majority of those citizens vote. Each State is meant to be a little different and people could choose the State they wanted to live in based on how things were run. The States that govern by the will of the people will thrive and prosper. The States that ignore the wishes of its citizens will wither on the vine and will have to change their ways. With the current Federal government vastly over-reaching its Constitutional mandate they have created a nearly monolithic country with nowhere to turn to escape the oppression. This is Tyranny, plain and simple.

Just my 2 cents.

A very good point, and an excellent example would be the citizens of Arizona. They have had enough of the illegal immigrant traffic through their state, and approved of their Governor enacting a law that would give them a handle on the situation. Then comes Obama and his clan that thought they knew better and filed suit. i dare say if Obama had a ranch with an illegal highway running through it and he was losing his property and source of income to vandals and thieves he would have a very different view of the situation.
Guess we better back off this subject before it gets moved to the political forum eh?

 

[CrappieKeith]

I believe this is correct in the context of the Federal Government.

What ever happened to the United States Constitution and its primary concept of Limited (Federal) Government??? The States are the governments that are charged with regulation and law enforcement within their own borders. The US Constitution's concept was that each State governs their citizens as they deem most appropriate for their situation and by how the majority of those citizens vote. Each State is meant to be a little different and people could choose the State they wanted to live in based on how things were run. The States that govern by the will of the people will thrive and prosper. The States that ignore the wishes of its citizens will wither on the vine and will have to change their ways. With the current Federal government vastly over-reaching its Constitutional mandate they have created a nearly monolithic country with nowhere to turn to escape the oppression. This is Tyranny, plain and simple.

Just my 2 cents.

My ole friend George says it about as plain as you can... watch
‪George Carlin -"Who Really Controls America"‬‏ - YouTube

 

[TMFARM 2009]

i just see this post as an experiment in population control for the government...
some s.o.b. got rich while you die from the experiment.. all in the name of progress..
people should know by now that this stuff happens daily and as long as someone gets a kickback its all legal.. till they get caught then the guy on the bottom of the pole gets hung out to dry..
can you remember enron? just an example.. now we have general motors... delphi.... how many of you know people that lost all their retirement and benefits due to this crap...epa is no different from any other gov. agency..its all your tax dollars used to rip you off...:angrysoapbox: