In one of largest environmental complaints ever lodged by the Federal government against a major corporation, the Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the Department of Justice -- acting on behalf of EPA -- has filed four suits against Hooker Chemical Co. All four were used by the Hooker Chemical Company to dispose of its chemical wastes. One of the suits also charged Olin Corporation, another chemical producer, with similar violations at a disposal site adjacent to Hooker's nd Street disposal facility.
In announcing the suit, EPA's Deputy Administrator Barbara Blum said, "Today's suit should serve notice to those who generate or handle hazardous wastes that these kinds of dangers no longer will be tolerated by the American public. The day of discarding hazardous materials indiscriminately and haphazardly is over. The relief being requested by the government from these chemical companies represents one of the most significant and costly environmental remedies ever sought in a judicial action.
It is well warranted in our estimation. None of the dumps is still used but they have left a frightening legacy. This investigation is just one of many going on at dumpsites across the country as EPA and the Justice Department prepare to challenge the dangerous disposal practices which have directly affected millions of Americans by polluting their air, soil and water supplies," said Blum.
The full scope of the threat to human health and the environment is still being uncovered. Love Canal gained national attention in when the New York State Department of Health announced a medical emergency there. President Carter later declared a national emergency for the area. Hundreds of families living near the dumpsite have been forced to leave their homes. The suits filed today charged that the four Niagara Falls disposal sites are an "imminent and substantial endangerment to health and the environment" and violate the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Refuse Act, and the common law of nuisance.
Although none of the landfills is now being used as a disposal site, the suits allege that hazardous chemicals stored there are migrating from the sites, contaminating the environment, and endangering persons exposed to the chemicals.
