Ban all Big Box Retail in Little GT...

Remember when the City Council and City Manager were trying to bring a BIG BOX Hardware store to GT? Remember how eagerly the majority of them belittled the citizens who brought up issues including environmental and social impacts of Big Box Hardware Stores? Here is an example of what can happen. Here is an example of why GT is not Ready for Big Box Any Store. We do not have the City Resources to make sure the day to day operations of such a large facility are properly regulated nor do we have the City Capacity to off set the negatives of Big Box Stores..

When and IF Jacobsen shows up with a "Revised Plan" and holds a "Community Meeting" as promised. Be Cautious VERY Cautious.


Home Depot To Pay $10 Million In Hazardous Waste Lawsuit

POSTED: 3:40 pm PDT August 17, 2007
UPDATED: 3:41 pm PDT August 17, 2007


LOS ANGELES -- The Home Depot agreed Friday to pay nearly $10 million in penalties and investigative costs to settle a lawsuit involving hazardous waste storage and transportation, Los Angeles County prosecutors announced.

The settlement is one of the largest of its kind in the nation for violations of hazardous waste laws by a large retail store chain, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The $9.9 million that the company agreed to pay includes $837,000 in civil penalties and costs for the District Attorney's Office and $250,000 for the county Fire Department, according to prosecutors.


The Home Depot also will help pay for environmental training programs that benefit the state, said Deputy District Attorney Dan Wright.

The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by the state Attorney General's Office, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and the district attorney's offices of Los Angeles, Riverside, Monterey, San Joaquin and Santa Clara counties.

The filing came after the contents of a large drum exploded at a Home Depot store in Marina Del Rey in May 2004, causing a fire and the evacuation of employees and customers, Wright said.

Later, a truck transporting hazardous materials was stopped by the California Highway Patrol in Ripon, in San Joaquin County, according to Wright.

An investigation by multiple agencies that ensued after the explosion and the subsequent stopping of the truck determined Home Depot had "routinely collected hazardous waste that had been created, released, spilled or accumulated at its stores across California," according to a district attorney's office statement.

The Home Depot has agreed as part of the settlement to contract with qualified waste haulers, according to Wright.

Copyright 2007 by KNBC.com and KNBC (NBC4 Los Angeles). All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.