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DELAWARE, NEBRASKA COMPANIES FINED OVER $1 MILLION

Release Date: 03/26/2001
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FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2001

DELAWARE, NEBRASKA COMPANIES FINED OVER $1 MILLION

Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818/[email protected]


UtiliCorp United, Inc., of Delaware and PeopleService, Inc., of Nebraska each pleaded guilty on March 15 to five counts of violating the Clean Water Act by failing to ensure that employees filed accurate wastewater discharge monitoring reports. UtiliCorp was fined $1 million and PeopleService $100,000. In addition, PeopleService must develop and implement an environmental compliance plan. In 1995 and 1996, UtiliCorp was a contract manager for 22 wastewater treatment facilities in Nebraska. PeopleService was a subsidiary of UtiliCorp which ran the facilities. In 1997 PeopleService became an independent company and continued to manage the facilities. Most of the fines will go towards environmental projects in Nebraska, $150,000 by the State of Nebraska Environmental Trust and $750,000 by Back to the River, Inc. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Omaha and the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice.

R-45 ###