Cottages on stilts were replaced with modular homes and even a few brick houses. "Nobody told me there was anything bad in it," Bliss told a St. Louis newspaper in December. Jerry-Russell Bliss v. Hazardous Waste :: 1985 - Justia Law Entrepreneurs like Truman Nickel, however, are busy hauling away beat-up mobile homes for resale in Alabama and Louisiana with the EPA's blessing. Eventually, it was. Were going to have to weigh out a lot of factors. Why put your tail between your legs and run now after you been living with it so long? (He declined to comment for this story.) The way we understand it, Monsanto told EPA investigators that they did not hire Bliss end of story, says Taylor. Much to the chagrin of longtime residents, a trailer park opened, followed by a second one. There are no signs to warn these park users that they are trekking through a hazardous waste site. Leistner rejects the notion that its all simply genetic. They were looking for who did it. Many have relocated with federal emergency help, but hard-headed "river rats," as they call themselves, are rebuilding modest homes in the "Show Me" state. If I had Monsanto as a potential defendant, and had the evidence on them, I certainly would bring them in as a party. Were hesitant to give this information to an agency that we feel is corrupt. After Bliss sprayed her stables in 1971, Piatts horses died and her daughter became seriously ill. To gather evidence for her pending civil suit against Bliss, the stable owner followed the waste oil hauler and his drivers along their daily routes. She took photos, dispatching them along with names of chemical companies and sites he visited to EPA and state officials in 1972. McDonnell Park, which is part of the St. Louis County Parks system, is the most recent dioxin site discovered in the metropolitan area. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. He wanted to stay there, so she just divorced him. That was too much for Hammer to bear. A Post-Dispatch story dated April 4, 1983, describes the 500 cubic yards of soil stored at the Callahan site as being contaminated., A later EPA inspection showed that the land had subsequently subsided and would require stabilization. Its good to put a lot of thought into a process such as this, but when are we going to see some outcome? This time Teasdale made the plea with the TV news cameras rolling. The courts appraisals came back even lower than the EPAs offers, and the other benefits were no longer available. By 1982, the Missouri attorney generals office had entered negotiations with two other firms, American Can and GK Technologies. In Taylors view, the EPA was more interested in making Syntex legally responsible for the cleanup than exploring the full scope of the contamination. "Why, if it's so dangerous, did the government wait 10 years to warn us?" Hammer, for example, wants "proof" that dioxin is dangerous or a fair-market price from the government for his property to move. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Evelyn J. Bliss and is located at 149 Strecker Road, Ballwin, MO 63011. Nobody knew it then, of course, but that oil contained massive levels of dioxin, far more than the oil sprayed at Times Beach. The citys nearly 2,500 residents were divided about what to do next, whether to stay or to ask for a buyout of their property through the EPAs Superfund. I will bet you two weeks pay there is no dioxin on your streets, she recalls Bliss telling her. Dec 17, 1985) The court holds that the state Hazardous Waste I believe that the whole area there is littered with contamination pockets, she says. Ultimately, there is probably more than one correct answer to that question. The words come easily, honed over decades of repetition. '', Mr. Lambarth said that in a 1974 deposition he falsely denied ever hauling chemicals ''because I wanted to keep my job.'' They were in there in 1981, pulling out barrels and treating them differently from the rest of the waste. Donna Lopers family moved to Times Beach when she was 6 months old. On the other side of the road, at 210 Strecker Rd., developer Larry Wurm of James Properties Inc. is proposing to build Wildwood Ridge, an 11-home development on 7.6 acres of land now owned by Jean Callahan. They even had a couple of pool tables, and one time, Minnesota Fats stopped by for a game. The company's filing status is listed as Voluntarily Dissolved and its File Number is 00205495. The bulk of the park is down below, across the river. No further actions were taken at these locations. One document that TBAG copied is a verbatim transcript of an interview conducted by an EPA official in 1980 at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. (Burford would resign a month later, amid allegations of mismanagement of the Superfund program.). The dispute pitted neighbors, even relatives, against one another, eroding the citys greatest asset, its family atmosphere. If the city allows W.J. Although Mr. Lambarth was subpoenaed as a witness for the state, his testimony tended to support Mr. Bliss's contention that at the time he picked up the dioxin wastes, he did not know they were hazardous. This site that was discovered over in Ellisville was completely new information, he adds. To outsiders, Times Beach residents might as well have bubonic plague. She doesnt speak to me., Eventually, the properties of those who didnt take the buyout went into condemnation. The discovery followed an announcement earlier last year of another suburban dioxin site in Ellisville on Lemar Drive. Worst of all, Piatts two young daughters, who played in the arena as if it were a sandbox, fell ill. Doctors and veterinarians were stumped, but Piatt suspected the spraying was to blame. This is the most ludicrous thing Ive seen since I was given an arrest warrant for burning a log, says Taylor, referring to one of his past acts of civil disobedience. Congress created the nation's first major program to clean up hazardous waste dumps only two years ago. As she walks along the path, OLeary points out breaks in the trees. Crammed into a single bungalow, he and his siblings slept on pallets. In 1925, folks who paid $67.50 for a six-month subscription to the old St. Louis Times received a tract in Times Beach. To say that dioxin has never caused anythingI saw it wipe out a whole community, she says. In September 1980, Gov. Emmett Copeland moved to Times Beach as a teenager in the early 1970s. It's been 30 years since dioxin contamination was discovered in Times Beach, in one of the largest environmental disasters in our nation's history. Jerry Lewis, the legendary actor and comedian, has died, his talent agency said Sunday. In 1994, the Post-Dispatch reported a dispute involving homebuyers in Turnberry Place subdivision, which abuts the Bliss farm. As these families were being made their offers, they were taking the money and running, Leistner says. He was 80. The first half of the name refers to Russell M. Bliss, the waste hauler responsible for dumping the pollutants. Exposure can cause cancer, immunodeficiency, endocrine disorders, and reproductive and developmental issues, says Dr. Arnold Schecter, a professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and one of the worlds foremost experts on dioxin. Bliss has said he was not told the oil contained dioxin. By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. For instance, because some of the toxins at Times Beach were similar to those in Agent Orange, he says, the government might have had an interest in minimizing the Times Beach investigation, to limit its own culpability in Vietnam. A venerable columnist, McClellan hedges his bets by saying Who knows? about dioxins dangers, rather than drawing any final conclusion. Last Saturday morning, Steve Taylor heard a tapping at his apartment door, a gentle rapping that he hopes to hear no more. Aside from a motorcycle and a possibly vintage gas pump, the museum contains items that are fairly similar to those in the gift shop, except that these tchotchkes are ostensibly not for sale. ST. LOUIS -- Waste-oil hauler Russell Bliss, who allegedly sprayed dioxin-contaminated oil around the state in the 1970s, was sentenced Friday to one year in prison on unrelated charges of income tax fraud. Her second husband died years ago, so she lives alone, unless you count her cat, Sarah Palin. Trailers were tossed about like bumper boats. She is survived by her devoted Evening Standard/Getty Images. Schecter uses the analogy of smoking cigarettes. She is survived by her devoted husband of 36 years, Jerry Bliss; her loving daughter, Hannah Bliss; her siblings, Paula Wohldmann, Steve Hyink, Carrie Hyink, and Mary Rust; her father-in-law, Russell Bliss; and her brother-in-law, Cash Bliss. Indeed, it borders on negligence. But the company itself would still pay Russell (Bliss). But it was not until Piatt's horses began dying and her daughter became ill that CDC toxicologists believed something was dreadfully wrong. He was 80. "Hindsight would be wonderful," Lafser said. Monsanto is a big, big company. We didnt like that, because people were building new homes. Some communities, worried that former Times Beach residents would bring dioxin with them, put up signs telling them to stay away. The haul included drums laden with cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Its clean as a whistle, he repeats. As the offers improved slightly, many of the holdouts grudgingly gave in. Times Beach officials called the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but it said it might be a year before it would be able to test. ", Larry Collier pledges to hoist an American flag in his yard as a symbol of defiance. Leistner holds her own grudges. Given these revelations and the luxury of six additional years of hindsight, the lack of prudence exhibited by the EPA and DNR at Terre Du Lac is indeed inexplicable. Early 1970s: Waste oil hauler Russell Bliss is hired to remove dioxin from the tanks. The news, on the other hand, broke on the 22nd of December, with no mention of any accident. Jerry Lewis is, in spite of it all, still alive. If she had a couple of drinks at Bucks Place, she could walk home. They put up drywall in her house. It was described as a 500-year flood. Scapegoats seem to abound here. Judge him as you will. Back in 1982, she called Bliss and asked him, point-blank, whether he had sprayed Times Beach with dioxin. The chemical companies, he has always maintained, never told him exactly what he was hauling. Bliss sprayed dioxin-contaminated oil on unpaved roads, parking lots, truck terminals and horse arenas as a dust suppressant. Even so, he has consistently denied having any knowledge that the materials were toxic. After months of testing, the EPA last month disclosed Imperial dioxin levels as high as 350 parts per billion and recommended that six families be relocated so cleanup can begin. Ive got letters from EPA and DNR also stating that everything is cool on the property. But Wurm says he doesnt want to discuss the project in detail, fearing his plans will be misrepresented. Wurm is referring to Tom Uhlenbrock, who first reported the Wildwood development plans in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on June 11. Slowly, the town grew. he asked. But he was forced to do jail time anyway, on tax-evasion charges, since he didnt report his waste-hauling income to the IRS. April 28 (UPI) -- A lost dog in Northern Ireland was found 26 days later after walking more than 40 miles to the home of his former owners. Within a couple of days, cats, dogs, and birds in the vicinity began to drop dead. WebJERRY-RUSSELL BLISS, INC., Petitioner-Appellant, v. HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, et al., Respondents. For about a week and a half, that was the biggest topic.. It's a free country. But the fire was rekindled, and the remaining soil was burned. In other words, Feild is denying that the EPA itself has even a scintilla of evidence that could help pinpoint any potentially untreated hazardous waste sites in eastern Missouri. The environmental activist, who is too young to remember the Selective Service System, and too poor to be concerned about the Internal Revenue Service, had, nevertheless, received a frightening message from a federal agency. We do not have the expertise that the U.S. EPA and Missouri Department of Natural Resources have. The EPA and CDC have each published massive documents detailing the many health hazards associated with it. Where are they now? Catching up with Mike Bliss Hazardous materials have been identified in 17 waste disposal locations on the site. There are a lot of people I know who were exposed to the same stuff and moreand didnt., Today, the land that was once Times Beach has been turned into Route 66 State Park. People doubted that the water would even make it to Riverside Drive. Taylor thought that sounded like a bad idea, so he co-founded the Times Beach Action Group to oppose the incinerator. WebIn Jerry-Russell Bliss, Inc. v. Hazardous Waste Management Comm., 702 S.W.2d 77 (Mo. You want to make sure you do it right, and, in the process of doing it, safeguard the public. He believes that his grandfathers health suffered as a result of the spraying. It has caused a great deal of concern for people. But if youre in the market for something called a Menopause Meter, youre in the right place. In both instances, the allegations were not based so much on environmental concerns as they were on the bottom line. She still blames me. He isnt here to argue that the Times Beach incinerator spewed poison from its smokestack. Past Addresses: Eureka MO, Saint James MO We have no way of knowing that there will not be additional sites in the future. (And if that was the agencys aim, it succeeded; Syntex covered the cost of the cleanup and paid the government $10 million for its trouble.) A majority of residents realized that there were no available methods then for cleaning up dioxin, and they didnt see the point of rebuilding homes that had been destroyed by the flood anyway (especially since Times Beach had voted itself out of the National Flood Insurance Program a few years before). The highest measure of contamination found at McDonnell Park is 275 parts per billion (ppb). April 28 (UPI) -- The PGA Tour's Mexico Open was briefly interrupted when a swarm of bees sent a group of golfers ducking in the grass. The liquor store doubled as a tackle shop, selling rods and bait. The buyers said they signed sales contracts without being told by their real-estate agents that their new homes were adjacent to a hazardous-waste site. You can move it, but you can't get rid of it. It was only by chance that officials discovered dioxin here two weeks ago after interviewing residents who recalled that a trucker had sprayed oil on their dirt roads to keep down dust a decade ago. After Bliss sprayed the Shenandoah Stables in Moscow Mills in 1971, owner Judy Piatt watched barn sparrows die "by the bushel.". He arrives wearing the uniform of politics: a blue suit, white shirt, tie, cuff links. A 74-year-old grandmother, Leistner looks 10 years younger and remains as feisty as ever, with no plans to retire. One year on Halloween, while the men were playing cards, the ladies sneaked away and toilet-papered the chief of polices house. One day, on a dare, the boys sneaked into a church and pilfered its bell. And some, he mixed together with oil in storage tanks in both Missouri and Illinois, before selling it as a dust suppressant. He was 92. Taylor says he is unsure whether he will cooperate with the EPAs request. February 13, 2022 1 Min Read. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. We would invite the press out, and we would spray-paint the prices on the homes. She has a photograph of a house with $15,800 scrawled across the siding. By its order dated August 7, 1987, this Court found the NEPACCO defendants, IPC, Russell Bliss and Jerry-Russell Bliss, Inc. jointly and severally liable I didnt set the price, but its my fault. After the flood, 40 residents at one trailer park vowed to go home again. She pleaded for action. Some, he spread across his own farm. BY C.D. And since the buyout checks were so meager, the residents couldnt afford much, anyway. One says, Is it hot in here, or is it just me?. After dealing with the revelatory shock, the stress, the mysterious health issues, and the anger from all sides, yes, Marilyn Leistner would like you to remember Times Beach. The DNR investigation of Terre Du Lac in the spring of 1983, however, does not appear to have been as thorough as the EPA now claims. For one, Houk made his oft-quoted statement in the early 90s at a convention sponsored by Syntex, the company responsible for the dioxin that Bliss dumped in Times Beach. Dioxin clings to dirt and dust particles and officials fear that residents may inhale it or swallow it if they return home. More than 150 beverages delivered to woman's home without explanation. More than a decade later, erosion spread dioxin-laced fill dirt to a nearby subdivision and contaminated a creek. The greatest surface concentrations, 169 ppb, are present in a wooded ravine, which is currently being fenced off. The agency then backfilled the hole with the same soil that had been stored at the site. Jerry Lewis Is Still Alive Now officials worry that they may never find the 87 places reportedly used for dumping of dioxin-contaminated waste oil. In the short term, the federal agency has settled for containment and fencing off the contaminated areas. The top level found beneath the surface in Ellisville was 1,173 ppb, according to the EPA. "Until that time there was only tangential involvement by the EPA working through Missouri state government.". This was hazardous waste It wasnt milk and yogurt.. The second half of the sites name is something of a misnomer, because the locations of the Bliss farm and the other hazardous-waste sites are all outside the Ellisville municipal limits. Jerry Russell Bliss, Age 66. aka Jerry Bliiss. Steve Taylor (at left) never lived in Times Beach, but he did spend time at one of the horse farms where Bliss sprayed. The agency tested the incinerator to ensure that it was destroying dioxin. Hes been sued repeatedly. The legendary and controversial TV host was 79 years old. Even so, between picnics with neighbors, river recreation, town dances, and quite a few saloons, life in the Beach, as old-timers called it, was downright pastoral. WebJerry-Russell Bliss, Inc. v. Hazardous Waste Management Comm'n. A dozen rabbits' ears were swabbed with a 300 ppb dioxin solution taken from contaminated soil residue. We feel confident that our investigations were thorough, that we have followed up on every lead that weve been made aware of. Sometimes its just best to leave well enough alone.. Bliss worked as a Program Manager at Microsoft as well before being promoted to the Sales Operation Lead position at Nayamode. The next meeting on the issue is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, at Wildwood City Hall, 16962 Manchester Rd. oklahoma public land deer hunting Accept X Surveyors have also staked out a section of the park near Jordans residence with bright orange flags. russell bliss | stlreporter Leistner has four children, three girls and a boy. Some streets here measured 100 parts per billion--100 times higher than the level the CDC considers dangerous. Will it be cheaper to buy out the town or clean it up?". Jerry Russell Bliss She serves as a Eureka alderwoman, continuing a career in public service that had been cut short when her stint as mayor of Times Beach ended with the towns abolishment. Jerry Bliss, 26, said he should not be penalized for the actions of his father. P.O. Some even refused to shake his hand. The same man was under investigation for spraying dioxin-laced oil on roads across the state in the early 1970s. Those same officials are now siding with the developers, claiming that the once highly contaminated land is no longer a threat to human health, that it is now safe enough for backyard swingsets and tomato patches. TBAG had opposed the project, saying it was unsafe to human health and the environment. Often, Bliss is portrayed as possibly a victim of circumstance, says Steve Taylor, co-founder of the Times Beach Action Group. The carpet had to be torn out. Marilyn Leistner lives in a sturdy brick house on the top of a hill. Times Beach, which involved burning over 265,000 tons of dioxin contaminated waste from more than two dozen sites in eastern Missouri. Bliss son still lives on a Strecker Road property once owned by his father, from which the EPA only a few years ago finally removed more than 900 truckloads of dioxin-contaminated dirt in addition to an estimated 1,500-2,000 barrels of toxic chemicals. State officials have cited Mr. Bliss's role in the dioxin case and other pollution episodes over the last decade as reasons for denying his license. However, we dont have any information that would suggest there would be. That paved the way for final approval of the buyout. It would set up a mobile incinerator, a massive metal jungle gym with a giant furnace and a single tall smokestack.
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