Illegal disposal costs company 300,000
The company entered its plea in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.
HARRISBURG -- Texas-based Trinity Industries Railcar Corporation, which operated a facility in Mercer County, has been ordered to pay a 200,000 fine, plus the cost of cleanup and investigation, after pleading no contest to charges of illegally disposing of solid waste and related offenses, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett.
Corbett said environmental crimes charges were filed April 4 regarding allegations of illegal disposal of contaminated soil and other waste at a railroad car manufacturing and repair facility located in Greenville. Trinity Industries operated the facility from 1985 until December 2000, when it was closed.
The case was referred to the Attorney General's Environmental Crimes Section by the Mercer County District Attorney's Office after individuals came forward with information about possible illegal waste disposal activities at the Trinity facility. Corbett said evidence and testimony were presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended that criminal charges be filed against Trinity.
What happened
Corbett said that during a hearing Thursday in Mercer County Court of Common Pleas, Trinity admitted unlawfully dumping solid waste and operating a solid waste disposal facility without a permit.
Corbett said that based on recommendations from the Attorney General's Environmental Crimes Section, Trinity Industries, based in Dallas, Texas, was ordered to pay a 200,000 fine to the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Abatement Fund and to clean up environmental contamination at the Mercer County site.
Additionally, Corbett said that the court ordered Trinity to pay 54,502 to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as reimbursement for the cost of investigation and make a 50,000 contribution to nonprofit organizations in Mercer County.