Two Southwest Idaho Men Plead Guilty To Violating The Clean Air Act

BOISE – Douglas Greiner, 52, of Boise, and Bradley David Eberhart, 51, of Garden Valley, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in federal court to violating work practice standards of the Clean Air Act, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Griener and Eberhart were charged in a one count information, filed separately on January 25, 2012.

According to court documents, Greiner was employed as the project superintendent and Eberhart as the on-site supervisor for Riverside Water and Sewer District’s Phase III project. During re-construction of the Water System Improvement Project, old cement asbestos pipe was encountered and improperly handled. Greiner admitted to violating the Clean Air Act’s work practice standards and waste disposal standards by knowingly causing another employee to pick up pieces of cement asbestos pipe from a dump site without ensuring proper retrieval and disposal of the asbestos pipe. Eberhart, who pleaded guilty to the same charge, admitted that by his own actions or the actions of employees he supervised, he knowingly failed to adequately wet cement asbestos pipe during cutting or disjoining operations; failed to place the asbestos material in proper containers with clear labeling; and failed to dispose of the asbestos material in a licensed facility.

The defendants each face up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

Greiner and Eberhart are scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.