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by Associated Press ATLANTA, Georgia, 17 April 2000 -- Georgia officials refused Friday to grant Haiti permission to dump a boatload of 100 tons of incinerated waste that was shipped overseas from Pennsylvania more than 12 years ago. Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said he rejected the noxious ash because the U.S. government couldn't guarantee the waste was free of viruses that could infect livestock. In the late 1980s, the freighter Khian Sea went from port to port looking for a dumping ground for the burned trash. About 4,000 tons were unloaded in Gonaives, Haiti, in December 1987, and the military government was paid for the dumping. But Haitian environmentalists argued the waste was toxic, and the government prepared in 1998 to ship it back to the U.S. The initial plan was to dispose of it in South Carolina, but the state backed off because of concerns from residents and politicians. Irvin said U.S. agriculture officials contacted him Friday about a request to dump the ash in Folkston, a southeast Georgia city 38 miles from the coast, near the Florida line. Irvin said he couldn't be satisfied that the waste had no contaminants from Haiti. "They still have some of the viruses that affect livestock, especially hog cholera ... that we spent millions of dollars to eradicate here in Georgia," Irvin said. "It might have left here innocent, but it might have come back here contaminated." FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Basel Action Network is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a `fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond `fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. More News |