Thatcher Company, Inc. Investigation

• Salt Lake City, Utah facility
  • A sulfur dioxide release on June 19, 2019. This release was caused by an unsecured railcar incident and resulted in an off-site release that impacted the nearby community, including passing motorists. The investigation also includes the reporting of the release to authorities as may be required by law.
  • Whether hazardous waste was unlawfully stored or disposed of on various dates, to include in or about January 2021 to March 2021.
  • Whether Thatcher violated any requirement of a pretreatment program in violation of its permit or that impacted the Salt Lake City publicly owned treatment works, to include on or about October 18, 2022, and January 18, 2024.
  • A hydrogen chloride release on April 14, 2023, that may have impacted individuals, including city employees from the Salt Lake City Streets Division working in the vicinity.
  • An explosion and hydrogen release on July 25, 2023, causing injuries to employees and property damage.
     
• Williamson, New York facility
  • Whether hazardous waste was unlawfully stored or disposed on various dates, to include on or about June 4, 2024.
     
• Buckeye, Arizona facility
  • A nitric acid and nitrogen dioxide release on June 21, 2024. 
  • Whether hazardous waste was unlawfully stored or disposed on various dates, to include in or about January to March 2024, and on or about March 28, 2025.
     
• Sparks, Nevada facility
  • Whether Thatcher failed to implement safe work practices to provide for operational hazards, on or about May 10, 2022.
     
• Palmetto, Florida facility
  • Whether stormwater was illegally discharged in violation of a permit, on or about August 31, 2023.
  • Whether hazardous waste, including “berm water” and “unknown chemical” was unlawfully stored or disposed of on various dates, to include on or about September 22, 2023.
  • A nitric acid and nitrogen dioxide release on November 10, 2023.
  • A nitric acid and nitrogen dioxide release on January 17, 2024.
     
• Deland, Florida facility
  • Whether hazardous waste was unlawfully stored or disposed of on various dates, to include on or about May 18, 2021, and April 9, 2024.
     

The Crime Victim Rights Act (CVRA) 
A victim is “a person that has suffered direct physical, emotional, or pecuniary harm as a result of the commission of a crime.” 34 U.S.C. § 20141(e)(2). Crime victims are afforded certain enumerated statutory rights, including the “reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case,” as well the “right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea bargain.” 18 U.S.C. §§ 3771(a)(5) and (a)(9). Importantly, the CVRA prohibits any limitation on the executive branch’s prosecutorial discretion, stating: “Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to impair the prosecutorial discretion of the Attorney General or any officer under his direction.” 18 U.S.C. § 3771(d)(6).

Contacting the Department of Justice 
You may contact the United States Department of Justice, Environmental Crimes Section at 1-833-676-1816 or via email at crimevictimprogram.enrd@usdoj.gov if you believe you are a victim related to this investigation.

NOTE: Our office cannot act as your attorney or provide you with legal advice, and you can seek the advice of an attorney with respect to the possibility that you might be a victim, the rights described above, or other related legal matters.

If you wish to submit any written materials, including a Victim Impact Statement, please provide such documentation through the case web page at: https://www.justice.gov/enrd/current-case-information-crime-victims.

Possibility of Plea Agreements 
Additionally, please be aware that federal criminal cases can be resolved by a plea agreement between the United States Department of Justice and a defendant. If you want to inform the prosecutor evaluating the evidence in this investigation of your views regarding potential plea agreements, or any other aspect of the case, please contact the Environmental Crimes Section by one of the means described above.

Important Note 
This notice provides general information to ensure a reasonable right to confer with the attorneys for the Government in this matter under the CVRA and is not designed to be a recitation of evidence collected or potential criminal charges. All individuals and corporations, to include Thatcher Company, Inc., retain their presumption of innocence, and no inference whatsoever of guilt attaches from the existence of this investigation or this notice.

Court Authorization 
This Notice has been issued pursuant to the “Order Authorizing Crime Victim Notification” entered on July 10, 2026, by the United States District Court for the District of Utah (Misc. Case No. 2:26-mc-00644-DBB).