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INDIANA MAN CHARGED WITH DUMPING GASOLINE INTO SEWER

Release Date: 03/23/2000
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2000

INDIANA MAN CHARGED WITH DUMPING GASOLINE INTO SEWER

Daniel W. Axe of Dugger, Ind., was indicted March 15 on charges that he violated the Clean Water Act by pumping gasoline into a city sewer. Axe purchased the Swan Service Station in 1999, but the underground storage tanks had not been emptied when the station was closed by previous owners. In September 1999, Axe notified the state of Indiana that he intended to permanently close the tanks; however, he allegedly pumped the gasoline into a sewer drain when he closed the tanks. This alleged illegal disposal created an explosion hazard and released toxic gases, vapors and fumes. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana in Dugger.

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