Wasn't his day

[Bravo]

Re: Wasn't his day

and a couple more... sorry to be a thread hijacker... :facepalm:

 

[fireman57]

Re: Wasn't his day

I agreed that he did what he had to do and was not just being a turd. The man was just doing his job and there were guidelines that he had to follow and the repercussions for not following them are severe. A buddy of mine runs an enviromental cleanup company here and he says that when they have a spill all they have to do is dig up the contaminated dirt and spread it out for a few days/week so it dries and they can put it right back in there. Seems odd to me but he knows the laws in that business. Usually what happens is he digs the dirt out from one spill and replaces it with dirt that has dried from a previous one. To me that is like replacing one flat tire for one that is not quite as flat.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Wasn't his day

my $0.02: if someone accidentally spills, and immediately takes all steps to clean it up, no need for a fine. Actual costs for assistance (say from a county hazmat team) should be paid. Insurance often covers this.
If someone spills intentionally or by gross negligence, or tries to hide it or does nothing, he should get costs and fines.
If someone dumps intentionally, especially for hire or as part of a business operation, fines + jail time.

that being said, the EPA types often over-react to what is appropriate to contain, clean and mitigate a minor event, so that is a good reason not to get them all spun up about it, if it can be managed by the people involved. Unfortunately, many government workers (a park ranger or ramp manager, for example) doesn't have the discretion not to call it in. Maybe for good reason overall, but the results can get lopsided.

In the original post, the fact that the guy was running illegal gas, speaks volumes. Book 'em, Dano.

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: Wasn't his day

A vehicle that has rusted straps and ratchet straps holding the tank is is simply negligent. No other way of spinning it..
Small example. Picked up a car with a salvaged title. After fixing it, I had to have the State Patrol inspect it. A bungie cord is not an acceptable hold down for a battery. I had to get a new one.
I would assume original fuel straps rusted and ratchet straps would be acceptable.

The OP did what I would have done. Sure it may have been different if the owner found someone and said my tank broke and it's leaking. Then perhaps the situation would have been different.

 

[TahoeQ4Pilot]

Re: Wasn't his day

Sounds like he had a bad day that was not totally his fault. Seems like the fuel tank straps breaking was something that was out of his control. It could just as easily been a brake line or a hose that no one would have control over. Who checks these things before they take their vehicle out? Do you check every line, strap, hose, or connection before you get in your vehicle? No. When it breaks it breaks and then you do your best to fix it. Seems like they were doing their best to get the vehicle out of there. I know that they were running illegal fuel but that is the worst that they did. Check any farmers truck and you will see it in there too. I'm not saying that it is right but they were nailed running it because of an unforseen wear issue. This is just my opinion, and you did do the proper legal thing, but it seems that they could have used some help rather than 13,000 dollars in fines. You didn't say how much fuel was spilled or how much reached the water but if it wasn't much I think that this is a little excessive. I know that I will get beat up for posting this but things happen everyday that aren't in someone's control but they are punished severely for them. The only thing that they did wrong was running farm diesel instead of paying the exhorbitant tax and running road diesel. If it had been legal fuel would you have done the same thing or would you have helped them get the truck off the ramp and put some oil drying agent on the fuel and helped them clean it up?

Are you PROUD of that ?? instead of helping the guy out !!!.

At my marina we can clean up any spill that might happen without calling Johnny Law.

Seems to be a problem in this day and age......what ever happened to compassion to our fellow man?????

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. -Baretta theme song

Don't blame the lawman for enforcing the law, blame the law-makers for creating the law. If the rules say don not do something, then dont do it.

 

[northernmerc]

Re: Wasn't his day

I'm not sure if the entire fine was for the pollution or if some of it was for using untaxed fuel. Im my opinion, people who evade taxes and get caught don't deserve any sympathy. Tax evasion is a form of theft and hurts all the honest tax payers by raising their tax bill. It's no different than having a thief break into your home or car and steal your stuff.

 

[Rusty Shaft]

Re: Wasn't his day

Thank you! for that.
You never helped me, but Thank you! just the same...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Wasn't his day

I think this debate has run its course.