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ALASKA MAN AND COMPANY RECEIVE HEAVY SENTENCES FOR ASBESTOS RELATED OFFENSES
Release Date: 01/25/2001
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2001
ALASKA MAN AND COMPANY RECEIVE HEAVY
SENTENCES FOR ASBESTOS RELATED OFFENSES
SENTENCES FOR ASBESTOS RELATED OFFENSES
On January 12, Ricky Rushing and his company, Technic Services Inc. (TSI), were sentenced for illegally removing and disposing of asbestos at the Alaska Pulp Mill in Sitka. Rushing was sentenced to 57 months incarceration, ordered to pay a fine of $520,000, and serve three years probation. He was previously convicted by a jury of violating the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), as well as for obstruction of justice. TSI, which was convicted of violating the CAA and CWA, was sentenced to pay a fine of $600,000 and must serve five years probation. During the illegal asbestos removal at the pulp mill, substantial amounts of asbestos- contaminated slurry was rinsed into floor drains emptying directly into Silver Bay. Rushing also directed his employees to sign documentation disavowing any knowledge of these practices. Furthermore, Rushing induced his employees to remove or otherwise tamper with their personal monitors that indicated asbestos exposure levels. Improper asbestos removal practices can lead to inhalation of asbestos fibers. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause a lung disease known as “asbestosis,” and mesothelioma, a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. This case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, EPA’s Office of Air Quality, and the Alaska Department of Labor, with the assistance of EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska in Anchorage.
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