EPA sanctions defunct Tan garment factory

By Gemma Q. CasasVariety News Staff ... mv 110807

THE U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is imposing a fine of up to $27,500 per day of violation on what was one of Saipan’s major garment factories for improper storage and handling of paint thinner and solvents at its site.The violation was first discovered in March 2004, and the defunct factory’s parent company, Tan Holdings Corp., could end up paying millions of dollar in fines.But Steven P. Pixley, chief legal counsel for Tan Holdings and general counsel for Concorde Garment Manufacturing Corp., said the violations occurred three and a half years ago.He said there are doubts about whether what the EPA inspectors found at the factory site was actually an environmental hazard.“Concorde is concerned about environmental issues,” he said in a statement. “Concorde has fully cooperated with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding this investigation.”“Based upon scientific testing information provided to Concorde by a private environmental consulting firm, there are questions about whether the materials observed by the EPA inspector were hazardous,” he added.According to the EPA, inspectors found 15 to 20 large plastic trash bags filled with open and leaking containers of solvent outside the Concorde facility.The EPA said this violates federal regulations requiring facilities to properly manage and dispose of hazardous wastes.“All facilities that handle used solvents must properly contain, manage and dispose of their wastes. Failure to do so jeopardizes the safety of the community, workers and the environment,” a statement from Nancy Lindsay, acting waste division director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region, reads.“In this case, the company decided to ignore the rules,” she added.The solvent bags should have been marked and the factory employees should have been trained to properly dispose of them, she said.The EPA said hazardous chemicals are not only a potential threat to the environment but to the people who work around them as well.“The hazardous waste must be properly disposed of and transported with an EPA hazardous waste shipping manifest,” said Lindsay.Concorde produced clothing from 1983 until its closure in Dec. 2006.

2 robberies in Kannat Tabla

By Cherrie Anne E. VillahermosaVariety News Staff mv-110707

TWO robberies occurred on Saturday night, one in Kannat Tabla and one in Koblerville.DPS spokeswoman Lei Ogumoro said the suspects who robbed the Clara Market in Kannat Tabla wore a Santa Claus hat and red mask. The incident was reported to the police at 8:54 p.m.She said the suspects were not armed.A preliminary investigation disclosed that while the female cashier was stocking items in the store, the two suspects entered the store, grabbed the cash register and immediately fled south on foot.The cashier ran outside to a nearby neighbor to call for police assistance.The suspect with the Santa Claus hat was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and short pants while the suspect in the red mask was wearing a blue shirt and black short pants.Both suspects were slim, DPS said.The second robbery incident was reported to the police at 11 p.m.Police officers were dispatched to Hannam Market to investigate, and based on a preliminary investigation, the victim, a 32-year-old woman, was driving south along Kelaguin Street when two men standing on the road stopped her.One of the suspects was a heavy set individual wearing a black shirt and black short pants, He asked the victim why she was “speeding” and asked for her drivers’ license.The victim produced her license and handed it to the suspect.After the suspect returned the license to the victim, the other suspect, a slim man wearing a white shirt and brown short pants, grabbed the bag from the victim.The two suspects immediately fled on foot, turning east along Tinaktak Avenue.The bag contained cash and an immigration entry permit card.Ogumoro said the two incidents are still under investigation.Anyone with information about these incidents can call Crime Stoppers at 234-7272.No caller ID is used and a reward of up to $1,000 is given for any information leading to an arrest.