penalty - The Environment Report

Transcript

A government report reveals that some
polluters do the crime, but don’t pay the fine.
Lester Graham reports:

The Environmental Protection Agency issues a lot of press releases that announce
big fines against companies that have been caught polluting. But, a Government
Accountability Office report finds the EPA doesn’t actually collect a lot of those fines.
It still reports them as penalties against polluters.

Matt Madia is with the government watchdog group OMB Watch.

“First of all, EPA is not doing a good job collecting the fines that they do assess. And
across the board under the Bush administration there just simply hasn’t been a big
emphasis on enforcement. The second thing is that the public is really kept in the
dark about what EPA is doing.”

That’s because an EPA official says the public should not be told whether
the agency actually collects the fines, even though the agency is quick to announce
when it levies fines.

For The Environment Report, this is Lester Graham.

Over the years, people have stolen all kinds of items from shipwrecks in the Great Lakes including nameplates, portholes, and even toilets. One state is now offering people a chance to return these stolen things – no questions asked. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:

To return an item or report a theft from a shipwreck call the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at 800-292-7800.

Transcript

Over the years, people have stolen all kinds of items from shipwrecks in the
Great Lakes including nameplates, portholes, and even toilets. One state is
now offering people a chance to return these stolen things – no questions
asked. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:

Michigan, like many states in the region, has laws against removing artifacts
from a shipwreck. Penalties in the state can include up to two years in
prison or fines up to 5000 dollars. But for the next couple months, the
state just wants to get some of the stolen stuff back. Lieutenant Timothy
Burks is with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources law enforcement
division.

“The divers refer to these wrecks as underwater museums.”

He says souvenir hunters, and people looking to make money selling shipwreck
artifacts are damaging the value of these sites

“If 10 or 20 people take one small porthole soon there’s nothing left.”

Anyone who returns items to the state of Michigan between now and July 31st
won’t be prosecuted. In the case of shipwreck artifacts taken from bottomlands
in other states or provinces, Burk says they’ll try to return them to
the place they came from.

For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.

Tag: penalty

Epa Fines Go Unpaid

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Amnesty for Shipwreck Looters

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