Central Oregon Businessman Charged With Illegally Dumping Waste
Portland, OR August 6, 2009 4:28 p.m.
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DiscussA businessman who owns a 500-acre ranch near Prineville, has been charged with illegally dumping hazardous waste there -- into a volcanic cinder cone.
Dwight Holton, with the U.S. Department of Justice, says Dennis Beetham dumped several tons of formaldehyde and nitric acid from his business: D.B. Western.
Dwight Holton: “The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality began examining the waste site at issue as a possible problem in the fall of 2007 and it ultimately was referred for criminal investigation by the federal government.”
D.B.Western has designed and built 29 factories around the world. They produce formaldehyde and other chemicals for companies including DuPont, GeorgiaPacific and Monsanto.
The Environmental Protection Agency has now designated Beetham’s ranch a superfund site.
Beetham pleaded not-guilty in federal court Thursday. He faces four federal counts of pollution, each of which carries a maximum of five years in jail.
© 2009 OPB
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