The Environmental/Ethical Dilemma

Background of the Environmental/Ethical Dilemma

As the assistant to the Vice President of Production for a mid-size corporation, I am responsible for the day to day operation of the company. While outside of the Vice President's office, I overheard him ask our environmental consultant for advice on how to dump various toxic production wastes into a holding pond on the company's property.

Breaches of Ethics and the Legal Ramifications

From an ethical standpoint, no reasonable businessperson should be of the opinion that the general environment is appropriate for the dumping of toxic production wastes. As part of our commitment to the environment and the society in which we live and work, we must take special care to assess potential environmental issues even when it is not required by law. Additi

• Potential OSHA fines and sanctions and Workers Compensation claims for exposing workers to the dumping of toxic waste into an open holding pond

onally, to operate ethically within the global community, the company must share information about both environmental and economic impacts of its toxic waste discharge with regulators and the public. Any attempt to cover up this discharge of toxic waste may constitute making false statements to a federal agency which is punishable by a penalty of up to five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act clearly states that hazardous/toxic waste generators have an obligation to: (a) determine whether its waste qualifies as hazardous, and (b) ensure proper transport of such waste to a disposal facility that has an EPA permit or license. Criminal action may result if there is a failure to comply with the requirements of the RCRA. Any negative impact to any surrounding wildlife habits may potential bring additional criminal charges, stemming from the harm of any protected land or endangered species.

Action to be Taken and Consequences of those Actions

• Public relations issues (including damage to the corporate reputation) upon the discovery of the toxic waste

• Potential litigation over the destruction of wildlife resulting from exposure to the toxic waste

Some topics in this essay:
Vice President, Workers Compensation, Recovery Act, Legal Ramifications, Potential EPA, Jury Witnesses, Vice President’s, Dilemma Abstract, CWA Congress, Vice President's, toxic waste, vice president, dumping toxic, • potential, clean water act, environmental consultant, water act, clean water, corporate officers, holding pond, ground water, dumping toxic waste, environmental consultant advice, • potential litigation, toxic production wastes,