By Shane Goodman shane@dmcityview.com

Crying over spilled oil

I rented a movie several years ago and was going to return it a day early when a friend of mine asked if he could watch it. He, of course, promised that he would return it to the store in time. A couple of weeks later when I went to that same store to rent another movie, I was informed that the last movie had seven days of late fees. Some friend, huh?

Well, that’s what happens when rules are broken and culprits leave without paying. Someone gets stuck with the bill. But this week’s cover story deals with a subject much more serious than late movie fines. Our environment is at risk, and so are we. Investigative reporter Sean J. Miller takes a look at nearly $72,000 in unpaid bills for hazardous materials incidents dating back to 2003. In these cases, the Polk County taxpayers have been left to pick up the tab.

You will be surprised by the names of some of the companies that have not paid. You will be more surprised to learn why they have chosen not to pay.

Polk County has a hazardous materials team that deals with cleaning up these types of incidents. If these services were outsourced, the cleanup costs would be even higher. You may have seen these folks, dressed in “moon suits” and protective boots that need thrown away after each matter is dealt with – at a cost of $764 per incident. It isn’t cheap, but in these days of terrorist activities, I am glad they are here to protect our environment and us, whether it be from oil spills or laundry detergent. I just don’t want to be the one stuck paying the bill.

Thanks for reading.

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