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<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Home
Depot agreed last week to fines of $10 million to settle a lawsuit over its
mishandling of hazardous waste in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>
stores.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
California Justice Department and other state agencies sued after a 55-gallon
drum full of mixed chemicals exploded at the chain's Marina Del Rey store in
May 2004, forcing the evacuation of customers and employees.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>A
multi-agency investigation across several counties found that Home Depot, the
world's largest home improvement chain, regularly gathered collected waste from
stores in large barrels for later disposal, sometimes transporting them in
unlicensed trucks and without proper record-keeping.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
settlement also requires that Home Depot help support environmental training
programs and other initiatives in the state (AP/<a
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2007/08/17/financial/f210922D65.DTL&type=printable"><i><span
style='font-style:italic'>San Francisco Chronicle</span></i> online</a>, Aug.
18).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>State
Attorney General Jerry Brown (D) said he intends the case to act as a
deterrent, and that he is looking at several other companies -- including
"some big, large names" -- for similar problems.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>"Because
of a cost-cutting campaign under the last CEO, safety measures have definitely
declined," Brown said of Home Depot.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Home
Depot says that it has been improving its handling of hazardous waste. With
errant containers of random chemicals sitting around, prosecutors say, explosions
are almost inevitable.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>"It
was a volatile mixture that reacted and exploded," said Patty Bilgin,
supervising attorney for the environmental justice and protection section of
the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:City>
city attorney's office. "These big-box outlets have become mini-chemical
warehouses" (Hector Becerra, <a
href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-homedepot18aug18,1,5197025.story?ctrack=1&cset=true"><i><span
style='font-style:italic'>Los Angeles Times</span></i></a>, Aug. 18). <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>-- LBD</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Garamond><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Garamond'>Glen Perrigan<br>
<span style='layout-grid-mode:line'>Florida Department of Environmental
Protection<br>
Hazardous Waste Management Section<br>
<st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">2600 Blair Stone Road</st1:address></st1:Street>
MS-4555<br>
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Tallahassee</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Florida</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">32399-2400</st1:PostalCode></st1:place><br>
850-245-8749 Fax: 850-412-0528<br>
E-mail: <a href="mailto:glen.perrigan@dep.state.fl.us">glen.perrigan@dep.state.fl.us</a><br>
Website: <a href="http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste"><span style='layout-grid-mode:
both'>www.dep.state.fl.us/waste</span></a><a name="_Hlt526232320"></a></span></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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