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PENNSYLVANIA COMPANY PRESIDENT PLEAD GUILTY

Release Date: 03/11/2002
Contact Information:


FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2002
PENNSYLVANIA COMPANY PRESIDENT PLEAD GUILTY

Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818 / hester.luke@epa.gov


Maganas Painting Co., of Eighty-Four, Pa., pleaded guilty to violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and its president, John Maganas, pleaded guilty to violating the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Recovery Act (CERCLA) on Jan. 22. The pleas arose from an incident in 1996 when employees of Maganas Painting dumped 55 tons of abrasive material mixed with lead paint chips that had been sandblasted from a railroad bridge. The waste was placed on the ground at a warehouse in the town of Eighty-Four which was not a RCRA-permitted hazardous waste facility. In his plea, Maganas admitted that he learned of the dumping in 1998 but did not report it to authorities, as required under CERCLA. As part of its plea agreement, the company will implement a government-approved environmental management system. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh.

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