EPA fines Union Pacific for storm water pollution

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EPA fines Union Pacific for storm water pollution

Chump change for U.P.

The EPA was not established for this.

The EPA was established exactly for this. The Clean Water Act requires most all industrial users to obtain a discharge permit that establishes limits on metals and other pollutants in their storm water discharges, and the CWA charges the EPA with enforcement. UP violated their permit and enforcement action was take. End of tale

Gee…I feel so much better. Another jobs hiring company somehow missed muddy water running off their property and were fined nearly $60,000. And just how was UP supposed to determine this “zinc”, “lead” and “other solids” were exceeding their permit?
They probably paid because to fight this nonsense would cost them more than the idiotic fines (remember - JD lawyers are free, paid for by the taxpayers, UP pays theirs.)
Look people, it’s obvious, if UP had bought a bigger permit, they would have been able to let more muddy water escape from their facility. A facility which employees people, pays taxes, and now probably buys more expensive “permits.”
By the way, if you own property and that property has a mud puddle for more that 2 weeks a year - it’s “protected water” and YOU ARE SUBJECT to fines and worse if it’s muddy to often, or a snail dies in it.
Wake up folks, this is out of control, and this story is repeated 1,000 times a month somewhere!
Britt - chump change is NOT the point.