Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for Dumping Hazardous Waste

March 1, 2000
A Pennsylvania man reponsible for the illegal disposal of more than 160,000 gallons of hazardous waste was sentenced to 40 to 80 months in jail for his crime.

A Beaver County, Penn., man responsible for the illegal disposal of more than 160,000 gallons of hazardous waste was sentenced to 40 to 80 months in jail for his crime.

"This is one of the longest sentences for an environmental crime ever handed down in Pennsylvania," said Mike Fisher, Pennsylvania attorney general. "I believe that this tough sentence was appropriate, given the amount of pollution in this case."

Beaver County President Judge Robert C. Reed on Monday sentenced Gilbert N. Darnley of Greene Township, to 40 to 80 months in prison.

On Jan. 3, Darnley pleaded guilty to five counts of environmental crimes.

According to Fisher, Darnley operated a waste oil recycling business, Petroleum Recovery Service, in Greene Township.

From 1988 to 1996, Darnley contracted with various businesses to remove hazardous waste, which was often contained in 55-gallon drums.

Instead of properly taking the waste to legitimate recycling or disposal facilities, as Darnley told his clients he would, he took the waste to one of his sites.

At the site, Darnley dumped the drums on the ground and also poured the waste into deteriorating drums and used storage tanks.

Officials with the state Department of EPA found more than 1,000 drums, many of them rusted and leaking at the site.

Fisher said officials also discovered 20 above-ground or partially buried storage tanks, some of which were leaking.

The soil was saturated with waste and potentially explosive combinations of hazardous waste.

In addition to jail time, Darnley will pay $1.9 million in restitution to the state of Pennsylvania for the clean-up of the hazardous waste site.

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Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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