Congress at the written $tatra?
DC 20510
February 15, 2017

The Honorable Catherine McCabe
Acting Administrator

US. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20460

The Honorable Bob Kaplan

Acting Administrator

Environmental Protection Agency Region 5
Ralph Metcalfe Federal Building

77 West Jackson Boulevard

Chicago, IL 60604-3590

Dear Acting Administrator McCabe and Acting Administrator Kaplan:

We write to urge you to investigate recent reports issued in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
regarding the handling of chemical and hazardous waste by Greif, Inc, including at Mid-America
Steel Drum Company, Inc. sites in Milwaukee, St. Francis and Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Both the
allegations laid out by a whistleblower who worked in these facilities and the reporting done by
the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describe serious and willful violations of federal environmental
protections that may have put workers and the community at great risk. This situation merits
your immediate attention and we are calling on you to investigate apparent violation of federal
laws and to determine if there are federal resources available to help workers and the
surrounding communities who may have been impacted by hazardous chemicals.

Accounts suggest serious violations of environmental laws designed to protect human health and
the environment. Reports indicate the company burned hazardous chemicals and released toxic
emissions into the air, in violation of Clean Air Act requirements and threatening the health of
workers and residents in the area near the facility. Other reports describe hazardous chemicals
mixed without regard to chemical reactions, and hazardous chemicals poured down drains
directly into the local sewer system, in violation of the Clean Water Act. Such hazardous
pollution poses a threat to the water quality of Lake Michigan, which is a source of drinking
water source for millions of people.

In addition, reports suggest that the facilities routinely avoided requirements for hazardous waste
transportation, handling, and processing. These requirements under the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act were put in place to protect workers, local communities and the environment
from exposure to the most toxic substances used in commerce. Many of these chemicals have
extremely serious health impacts and these reports raise great concerns for the health of workers
at the facilities and residents in the surrounding communities. The reports also raise serious

concerns about whether these unlabeled hazardous chemicals were inappropriately deposited in
land?lls, where they may be further endangering public health.

Under federal law, workers and residents have the right to know when toxic substances are
released into the environment. These protections are designed to help communities avoid
exposure to hazardous chemicals that impact human health. Reporting suggests an ongoing threat
of explosions and ?res, and describes a company practice of venting hazardous fumes into the
surrounding neighborhood without providing noti?cations to the public, putting the community
at grave risk and violating the protections available to the public under the Emergency Flaming
and Community Right-to-Know Act.

Each of these concerns represents a serious impact to workers, the surrounding community, and
the environment. Put together, they are extremely troubling and must be responded to
immediately. We urge you to engage with the local community to ensure residents understand
their rights under federal law and have access to health information to address questions these
reports will undoubtedly raise.

In addition, we urge you to look into the alleged patterns of willful violations of federal law. The
cleanup and management of hazardous waste is a dif?cult task and it is highly regulated because
of the toxicity of the chemicals and potential for grave harm. In addition to the impact to public
health, skirting these essential protections is unfair to companies that work to do the right thing
for the environment, their workers, and their customers.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter. We look forward to your
response.

SincerelyBaldwin Gwen Moore
Uni ed States Senator Member of Congress