An employee of the Agency of Natural Resources says the department dragged its feet in enforcing the law and cracking down on a company for allegedly allowing toxic chemicals to migrate from its plant site to groundwater and neighbors’ wells.
John Brabant, a 20-year veteran of ANR’s Waste Management Division, made the accusations about the agency’s lax regulation of Omya Inc., the world’s largest producer of calcium carbonate.
Speaking at a recent public hearing in Pittsford, Brabant said state law requires the agency to bring an enforcement action stating violations and listing possible penalties for dumping wastes from its marble processing operations into unlined quarries.
Deputy ANR Secretary John Sayles says the agency is making progress in getting Omya to address its waste management problems.