Environment DEC
From the November 2009 issue
International Effort Cracks Down on Transportation of Hazardous Waste
Working with INTERPOL and Canadian authorities, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently participated in an international initiative targeting the illegal transportation of hazardous waste. The two-day operation focused on major transportation routes in the Buffalo-Niagara region, with NYS environmental conservation officers and investigators checking transporters entering the U.S. at the Peace Bridge and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. Canadian agencies checked transporters on the other side of the border. The operation targeted vehicles potentially carrying waste of all forms, including industrial and chemical waste.
DEC's role was to check for environmental violations.
Agencies checked a total of 350 trucks, identified 140 violations and launched eight investigations. DEC's role centered on checking for environmental violations, determining whether vehicles were properly characterized as carrying hazardous or non-hazardous waste, searching for signs of leaking wastes and testing vehicle emissions. DEC officers stopped 108 trucks and identified 21 violations and misdemeanors. Most of the enforcement actions involved leaking vehicles and emissions violations.
INTERPOL, the world's largest international police organization, coordinated the enforcement detail. It included the cooperation of DEC, New York State Police, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Transportation Department, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Environment Canada, the Ontario ministries of environment and transportation and the Canada Border Services Agency.
