space Press Releases, News Stories

BAN and Coalition Press Release

The surprise decision followed an action taken two days earlier by the activists which succeeded in stopping the first consignment of the waste from sailing to Tacoma July 22. The first consignment consisted of 10 of the over 350 total sea-going containers now holding the waste in Taiwan. After being alerted by the Seattle based environmental organizations, Tacoma Longshoreman's Business Agent Scott Mason, made the necessary phone calls to have the waste off-loaded from the ship "Astoria Bridge" just before it was to embark.

Late last year the toxic waste had been illegally exported to Cambodia by FPG. The toxic waste dumping in Cambodia caused an international furore and was implicated in the deaths of a dockworker and a villager as well as 5 other Cambodian residents killed in a subsequent riot and panic in the port of Sihanoukville.

The environmental and labor representatives were thrilled to hear of the decision and vowed to ensure that no other community or port will be the unwilling or unwitting accomplices in international waste trafficking by irresponsible companies such as FPG. It has already been reported in the Taipei Times that in addition to still considering export to the U.S. Ecology firm in Nevada and Waste Control Specialists in Texas, FPG is now looking at sites in Europe.

"Nice to see the right thing happen for a change," said Scott Mason of the Longshoremen's Union in Tacoma. "In our view, toxic waste should not be considered a commodity, but rather as a menace, best to be prevented and dealt with at source. We will now alert other dockworkers in ports that Formosa Plastics may try to victimize next."

According to the environmental groups, the international community has asserted in a treaty known as the Basel Convention that trade in toxic waste is to be minimized to the extent possible. They are alarmed that the United States, which is hoping to ratify and implement the Basel treaty in this session of Congress has yet to propose any criteria or legal mechanisms to limit or prohibit toxic waste imports in any way.

"This is a precedent setting case which highlights the fact that our own Environmental Protection Agency is incapable of legally protecting our environment when toxic waste imports are concerned," said Laurie Valeriano of the Washington Toxics Coalition. "Before the toxic floodgates from Asia open, its time we revisit our national policy. Rather than importing toxic waste we should be exporting appropriate waste prevention technologies."

"Unrestricted free trade can be extremely harmful to the environment," said Jim Puckett of BAN. "And for toxic waste exported by rich companies to avoid doing the right thing at home, its a no-brainer," said Jim Puckett of the BAN. "A free trade in toxic waste hurts our environment and it hurts that of countries such as Taiwan by forestalling the day when they must move to reduce pollution sources at home."

*as reported in Seattle Times, July 24, 1999

For more information contact:

Mr. Scott Mason, Longshoremen, office: 253-383-2468, mobile: 253-318-5960

Mr. Jim Puckett, Basel Action Network (BAN), 206-720-6426

For more information, including copies of recent correspondence with EPA Regional Administrator Chuck Clarke and Federal Administrator Carol Browner visit BAN website at: www.ban.org (Library Section).