Community | April 06, 2009 | 12 comments

E.P.A.'s Most Wanted List

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/us/06wanted.html?hpw

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Albania Deleon started a business eight years ago to instruct and certify workers in the safe removal of asbestos. It was a growth industry, and pretty soon her company, Environmental Compliance Training in Methuen, Mass., was the largest in the state.

Some might say Ms. Deleon, who was born in the Dominican Republic and is a naturalized citizen, was living the American dream.

But not the Environmental Protection Agency, which on Thursday added her to its list of “E.P.A. Fugitives,” people who have been charged with violating environmental laws or regulations.

In Ms. Deleon’s case, the environmental agency says that hundreds of the people she certified never received any asbestos training. She was convicted in November of 28 counts of fraud, and became eligible for the wanted list when she failed to appear for a sentencing hearing on March 23.

The E.P.A.’s list, complete with mug shots of the fugitives, was established in December to try to draw attention to serious environmental crimes.

“We take them seriously, and there are serious consequences,” said Doug Parker, deputy director of the agency’s criminal investigation division...

The E.P.A. has 180 agents “fully authorized with arrest powers, carrying firearms” around the country, but that it usually worked with state, local and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as the Coast Guard, the Homeland Security Department and Interpol.

End of Excerpt

Source: The New York Times Online
  1. groups:
    Community,   Green
  2. tags:
    News,  Green,  Current Radio News,  EPA,  1 more
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12 comments // E.P.A.'s Most Wanted List

  • NoGodsNoMasters
  • stopnoise
    • 0
      stopnoise  

    • I did not see SEMA and the San Francisco Transportation Authority SFMTA-Muni there being charged by acoustic assault. Hey EPA, could you update that list? Still a long way to go folks.

    • 3 years ago
  • rickm8
  • good_stuff
    • 0
      good_stuff  

    • "Also on the list is Mauro Valenzuela, who the environmental agency says illegally had oxygen canisters loaded into the cargo hold of a ValuJet airliner that crashed into the Everglades in 1996, killing 110 people. The canisters are believed to have fed a fire that brought down the plane."

      -How does this fall under the jurisdiction of the EPA? Are they going to require the guy to clean up the plane debris when they find him?

    • 3 years ago
  • current89
  • Venom7
  • pjacobs51
    • 0
      pjacobs51  

    • Crimes against the environment should be taken as seriously as any other crime, and should be enforced as such.

      CSI - Environment would be a great idea.

    • 3 years ago
  • Agorful
    • 0
      Agorful  
    • pjacobs51:

      I think that would be a big hit show.

      And I agree these crimes should be taken very seriously. But I feel we have plenty of police, sheriffs, marshals, FBI...yada yada yada, to rush in with guns drawn and arrest bad guys. That's all I'm saying.

      Book em, Leslee.

    • 3 years ago
  • csmonut
  • Agorful
    • 0
      Agorful  

    • There is no and never has been a need for agents of the EPA to carry guns. As far as full arrest authorization, besides making a citizen's arrest, there's no need for them to have any real "authority" to do so.
      We have MORE than enough folks with this power.

      But no one ever asked my input on the subject prior to passing out all these Jr. Sheriff badges.

    • 3 years ago
  • queenofit
  • cybexg
    • 0
      cybexg  

    • In before the wave of RWW's claiming that this is another example of one-world government, or that obama is taking our guns, or what ever the latest charge of the day is.

    • 3 years ago
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