Formaldehyde waste found on Oregon ranch


Saturday, March 22, 2008 | 7 comment(s)

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Oregon environmental regulators issued North Bend resident Dennis Beetham two notices for environmental violations in January. They concerned a ranch he owned in Central Oregon.

 The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality documents reference illegal disposal of hazardous and industrial wastes at the ranch in Powell Butte. The contamination included hundreds of tons of federally listed hazardous waste formaldehyde from chemical plants outside Oregon and more than 1,000 tons of contaminated cinder dug up from the ground, a Jan. 2 DEQ press release said.

DEQ records say investigators found chemical plant components, including process tanks, piping and condensers stored on site. A November 2007 pre-enforcement notice sent to Beetham indicated state officials believe those components and more than 10,000 pounds of waste formaldehyde came from a Virginia, Minn., plant owned by Beetham that was shut down in 2005.
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esya wrote on Sep 6, 2008 2:35 AM:

How can it be a witch hunt if they found that much? It's not like 10,000 pounds is merely a "trace".

If they were to legally ship and bury it, it would have to be under controlled conditions and with a permit. The alternative is a legal requirement that it be deactivated--it's a chemical after all. To dump formaldehyde in the ground contaminates water, and causes human cancer.

Why is this OK, to knowingly poison water or neighboring private land and kill people, through corporate or business criminal acts? It's no less calloused than using formaldehyde to poison a person--we all know what it does.

Sarah wrote on Apr 19, 2008 5:09 AM:

Are any doctors following this story?

Curious wrote on Mar 22, 2008 10:15 PM:

Check out the Cinderlakes Ranch website. No mention of Dennis Beetham or DB Western having any association or contribution. Curious.

onnonomous wrote on Mar 21, 2008 5:15 PM:

how much did this guy spend to have this stuff shipped from MN, to OR? Is it going to join the junk from Hanford?

Joe sixpack wrote on Mar 21, 2008 12:53 PM:

Two storys on the same day how long dose the World sit on it before thay release it, The World is good at push a agenda.

dennis what is wrong with you wrote on Mar 21, 2008 12:08 PM:

I don't understand what this Dennis guy is doing. If he has a plant in MN that's been shut down, and now his Oregon problems; what in the heck is going on? Is he shady? Or is this a witch hunt?

Gene wrote on Mar 21, 2008 11:53 AM:

After they get all done spending millions on digging up this waste, what do you think they will do with it? Yeah, they will bury it somewhere.


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