Research a local, state, federal, or international environmental organization that has the authority to fine or penalize individuals or businesses for hazardous waste infractions. An example is provided here for the state of Oregon. If you have a really hard time finding an organization, message the instructor for help.
EXAMPLE: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality – Calculation of Civil Penalties and Regulations
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Office of Compliance and Enforcement issues civil penalties and Department Orders on behalf of the DEQ director, who has been delegated to do so by the Environmental Quality Commission. When DEQ assesses a civil penalty, it calculates the amount of the penalty using criteria set forth in Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 340, Division 12. Base penalties range from $100 per day for each Class III violation with a minor magnitude, to $8,000 per day for each violation with a major magnitude. Base penalties may be increased or decreased depending on specific factors according to Division 12.
Give a brief summary or overview of the decision tree used to determine penalties or fines. The penalty tree is often very long and the website link would be fine to share. Using the decision tree you researched, pick one (or more) of the following four situations and determine what the penalty might be. Be creative in finding the answers if there is missing information.
You are an hourly employee making minimum wage at a major retailer. You have had employee training on the proper disposal of hazardous waste. A customer spills a jug of hydrochloric acid in the nursery. You clean it up per procedure, but it is late, you want to go home, and this job does not pay enough, anyway. So you take the hazardous waste spill clean-up material out back, look around to see if anybody is watching, then throw it all in the dumpster. As you turn around, the government environmental inspector is taking your picture and then taking a sample of the hazwaste in the dumpster. What is the potential penalty for you and for your company?
You have been running this dry cleaner business for almost 50 years now. Times have changed. All these computers and laws and crime…..just not like the old days. Maybe you should have retired years ago, but the great grandkids can use the money you still earn and share with them. The organic solvent used in cleaning is old and needs to be replaced. So you take it out back and dump it on the ground just like you have done, forever. Only this time, some guy is taking a picture; then, he is grabbing a soil sample. Several days later, an official looking letter arrives in the mail. What is the potential penalty for you?
You never finished that APUS environmental science degree because times got tough, but decided to go ahead and open up a small business to dispose of waste. “No job too small” was the motto on your business card. “No questions asked” was the hidden motto on the back side of the business card. After being fined several times by those guys at the county dump for trying to dump hazardous waste in the municipal waste area, you are starting to get annoyed and tired of this job. One more big disposal and you will have enough money to go back to school and move to a better location. So you fill your big rig with about 10,000 gallons (37,854 L) of some strange looking and smelly liquid that a shady guy gave you around midnight. An easy disposal….just open the valve on your truck and drive around town for a while until all the waste is gone. It is 4 AM now and the truck is half empty. Flashing lights appear in your rear view mirror. Busted! What is the potential penalty for you?
Without using company names or personal names, create a realistic scenario that you might have seen in corporate, military, or private life. Give a brief background like in the above three scenarios, then share this scenario with the class for them to determine the penalty. Come back to your main post later in the week and explain your thoughts on the potential penalty. You must complete this last part for full credit!
EXAMPLE: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality – Calculation of Civil Penalties and Regulations
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Office of Compliance and Enforcement issues civil penalties and Department Orders on behalf of the DEQ director, who has been delegated to do so by the Environmental Quality Commission. When DEQ assesses a civil penalty, it calculates the amount of the penalty using criteria set forth in Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 340, Division 12. Base penalties range from $100 per day for each Class III violation with a minor magnitude, to $8,000 per day for each violation with a major magnitude. Base penalties may be increased or decreased depending on specific factors according to Division 12.
Give a brief summary or overview of the decision tree used to determine penalties or fines. The penalty tree is often very long and the website link would be fine to share. Using the decision tree you researched, pick one (or more) of the following four situations and determine what the penalty might be. Be creative in finding the answers if there is missing information.
You are an hourly employee making minimum wage at a major retailer. You have had employee training on the proper disposal of hazardous waste. A customer spills a jug of hydrochloric acid in the nursery. You clean it up per procedure, but it is late, you want to go home, and this job does not pay enough, anyway. So you take the hazardous waste spill clean-up material out back, look around to see if anybody is watching, then throw it all in the dumpster. As you turn around, the government environmental inspector is taking your picture and then taking a sample of the hazwaste in the dumpster. What is the potential penalty for you and for your company?
You have been running this dry cleaner business for almost 50 years now. Times have changed. All these computers and laws and crime…..just not like the old days. Maybe you should have retired years ago, but the great grandkids can use the money you still earn and share with them. The organic solvent used in cleaning is old and needs to be replaced. So you take it out back and dump it on the ground just like you have done, forever. Only this time, some guy is taking a picture; then, he is grabbing a soil sample. Several days later, an official looking letter arrives in the mail. What is the potential penalty for you?
You never finished that APUS environmental science degree because times got tough, but decided to go ahead and open up a small business to dispose of waste. “No job too small” was the motto on your business card. “No questions asked” was the hidden motto on the back side of the business card. After being fined several times by those guys at the county dump for trying to dump hazardous waste in the municipal waste area, you are starting to get annoyed and tired of this job. One more big disposal and you will have enough money to go back to school and move to a better location. So you fill your big rig with about 10,000 gallons (37,854 L) of some strange looking and smelly liquid that a shady guy gave you around midnight. An easy disposal….just open the valve on your truck and drive around town for a while until all the waste is gone. It is 4 AM now and the truck is half empty. Flashing lights appear in your rear view mirror. Busted! What is the potential penalty for you?
Without using company names or personal names, create a realistic scenario that you might have seen in corporate, military, or private life. Give a brief background like in the above three scenarios, then share this scenario with the class for them to determine the penalty. Come back to your main post later in the week and explain your thoughts on the potential penalty. You must complete this last part for full credit!
