Toxic Waste Danger Cited in Indictment
The government, pressing criminal charges for the first time under legislation aimed at punishing firms that knowingly subject employees to health hazards, has won the indictment of the owner of four chemical waste disposal firms, it was announced Tuesday.
Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III said a federal grand jury in Orlando, Fla., indicted Arthur J. Greer, 48, of Maitland, Fla.
It is the first major case in which the government has brought criminal charges under the “knowing endangerment section” of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1980.
Greer was identified by the Justice Department as the owner of four companies the indictment said were involved in the transportation, reclamation and disposal of chemical wastes when the alleged offenses occurred from 1980 to 1982.
‘Indifference for Life’
Assistant Atty. Gen. F. Henry Habicht II, who heads the land and natural resources division, said that Greer was charged with criminal mishandling of toxic waste, including three counts of placing employees in danger of serious bodily injury “through conduct showing an extreme indifference for human life.”
A conviction on a violation of this section of the U.S. Code carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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