'Campbell’s admission that it committed these violations will speed this case toward a trial.'

The report states that Campbell’s admitted to violating the Clean Water Act at least 5,400 times between April 2018 and December 2024, with the incidents occurring at the canning factory located in Napoleon, Ohio.

“Campbell’s admission that it committed these violations will speed this case toward a trial that will decide what steps the company must take to curb its pollution and how large a civil penalty should be imposed. That’s great news for the people who live along the Maumee River and Lake Erie, who want prompt action on reducing sources of the toxic algae in their local waters,” said John Rumpler, Clean Water Program Director for Environment Ohio. “We appreciate Campbell’s willingness to work cooperatively with us and the federal government to solve its compliance problems, rather than spending time and effort contesting clear-cut violations of the Clean Water Act.”

  • survirtual@lemmy.world
    1011·
    9 days ago

    Let’s clarify some things:

    • This is criminal, not civil. The board of directors and executive leadership should be held criminally liable.
    • polluting waters directly leads to suffering and death on a mass scale. It would not an exaggeration to compare it to a weapon of mass destruction.
    • the board of directors and executive leadership are, therefore, mass murderers and should be prosecuted as such.
    • the business should be dissolved and sold off. Major shareholders should be on the hook to repair all the damage done by the company.

    Until we all start internalizing this way of thinking, nothing will ever change. Fines will not fix anything. The corporate shield is a lie. When your company kills people at this scale, your liability shielding is irrelevant.