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BAKERSFIELD BUSINESSMAN INDICTED ON HAZARDOUS WASTE CHARGES

Release Date: 05/06/99
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1999

BAKERSFIELD BUSINESSMAN INDICTED ON
HAZARDOUS WASTE CHARGES

Jeffrey L. Keller of Bakersfield, Calif., was indicted on April 29 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Fresno on charges that allege that he illegally disposed of hazardous wastes in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and also allege that he illegally failed to immediately notify federal authorities of the release of hazardous substances in violation of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. Keller was the owner and operator of a now-defunct business called One-Source, which bought and sold chemicals to the oil industry in Bakersfield. Keller allegedly abandoned deteriorated drums on and near the premises. Various samples taken from the site tested positive for corrosivity, ignitability, and toxicity. If convicted on both counts, Keller faces a maximum of up to eight years in prison and/or up to $500,000 in fines. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Bakersfield Fire Department, the South Central Valley Regional Environmental Enforcement Task Force, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

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