A man in Ogden, Utah, was recently charged with two counts of unlawful discharge of pollutants, stemming from incidents in 2022 and 2023 when he allegedly illegally disposed of toxic substances in the city's waterways, KSL reported.
The accused, David Rawson, owns a construction material recycling business called Recycled Earth. Authorities allege his business was receiving liquid oil- and gas-related wastewater and dumping it into Ogden's drainage systems. The illegal dumping was uncovered after residents reported noxious smells coming from the area. Sadly, much of the polluted material made its way into the nearby Weber River.
Unfortunately, this is only one of many incidents of corporate malfeasance when it comes to skirting environmental regulations.
For example, Marathon Oil was handed a massive fine by the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency for its repeated violations of the Clean Air Act. And a diesel repair shop in Oregon found itself in serious trouble after tampering with vehicles' pollution monitoring systems.
But some states are fighting back against polluters by writing stricter laws. Minnesota recently passed a law that made it easier for the state to go after companies that repeatedly flouted environmental protection laws with harsh penalties, including the revocation of permits.
Of course, the best way for people to protect the environment and keep our ecosystems thriving is by making personally responsible choices and taking local action. But since not everyone does that, it is important for local, national, and international governments to have laws and regulations in place that protect our natural resources. And it is equally important that when irresponsible citizens break those laws, they are enforced and perpetrators are punished.
Concerned citizens were understandably frustrated and upset by the news of Recycled Earth's brazen disregard for environmental protections, per KSL.
"He wanted the extra revenue from accepting liquid oil- and gas-related wastewater but didn't want to deal with the extra expense of disposing of it properly. He thought by dumping it in the river he could maximize his profits," one said. "The actions of this person and business harm the public trust of the businesses and people that are recycling in a responsible way. Very unfortunate," another added.
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