(The following article by Joan Osterwalder was posted on the Press-Enterprise website on September 6.)
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Union Pacific Railroad has agreed to pay about $318,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of illegally dumping hazardous waste at the Edom Hill landfill in Cathedral City, authorities said Friday.
Union Pacific admitted no wrongdoing in settling the case, which includes a $245,000 penalty and permanently prohibits the company from illegally disposing of hazardous waste in California, said Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Weissman.
A judge must still approve the settlement, she said.
On April 23, 2004, a supervising load checker for the county Waste Management Department discovered hazardous waste at the landfill. The waste included thermite — used to weld together pieces of railroad track — methyl alcohol and several hundred road flares along with Union Pacific paperwork, according to the Riverside County district attorney’s office.
The highly toxic waste could have exploded or caught fire, Weissman said. “This type of incident shows you how important it is to check what comes into the landfills,” she said.
Under the settlement, Union Pacific also is required for the next five years to train designated employees in California in the identification and proper disposal of hazardous waste and keep records of such training for seven years, according to court documents.
The Omaha, Neb.-based company will pay about $73,000 for investigation costs and contributions to Waste Management and the county Hazardous Materials Division, Weissman said.
Union Pacific spokeswoman Kathryn Blackwell said “we have been … cooperating fully.”