Industrial+Waste-The+Tragedy+at+Love+Canal

•under compliance vs. over compliance •$12 billion spent a year •William T. Love •Love Canal 1910 •Hooker Chemical 1920s •1953 “bad buy” •“ticking time bomb explodes” •Lois Gibbs •First money allocated not due to natural disaster There are many programs to encourage companies to comply with environmental law. It is often not cost effective for these companies to comply with these laws; therefore, under-compliance is a large issue. However, just as many companies over-comply to these regulations. The head of a company may over -comply with environmental law to feel an increased sense of responsibility to the environment, resulting in additional expenses.

Currently, there are voluntary programs of over-compliance. Companies that participate in these programs are often in a competitive market. Because it is required to reveal environmental performance, over-compliance can give a company a definite competitive edge. However, for companies with less competition, this is an ineffective strategy, so there are also incentive based programs that are very popular.

Though there is government regulation on how a company can dispose of hazardous materials, it is not always followed. The first large scale issue with the dumping of industrial waste was at Love Canal, near Niagara Falls. The dumping occurred before regulations were set, but the evacuation was the first time the EPA was dealing with this issue.

Love Canal was going to be a perfect community. William T. Love was building a canal to connect the upper and lower Niagara Rivers. He was going to harness the power of Niagara Falls and make millions, and would then set up a model community. However, in 1920, he ran out of funds. The land was bought by Hooker Chemicals and used as a dumping site. In 1953, Hooker Chemicals sold the land to the city for one dollar. The huge trench of chemical waste was covered and homes and two schools were built. After a season of heavy rainfall, leaching began. In the late 1970s, President Carter allocated money to evacuate the families living in Love Canal. This was the first ever relief fund for an area that had not been struck by a natural disaster. All the families were eventually evacuated and given new homes, while a program was set in place to restore Love Canal.

The EPA suggests that there are “ticking time bombs” like Love Canal all over the country, but most are not so close to communities. The EPA is putting programs in place to find and clean up these “ticking time bombs.” In our nation today, $12 billion dollars are spent a year on up to 70,000 chemical substances.

Relate Links: [|Lois Gibbs Interview] [|EPA History] [|BU Love Canal Site] [|Overhead View of Love Canal]

Bibliography: Wu, JunJie. "Environmental compliance: The good, the bad, and the super green.“ Beck, Eckardt C. "The Love Canal Tragedy." Web. http://static.howstuffworks.com (photo)