Coast Guard Member Indicted on Pollution Charges

The coast isn't very clear for one of our nation's military leaders. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice formerly indicted a leader of the U.S. Coast Guard with charges related to pollution. Chief Warrant Officer David G. Williams, assigned to the Coast Guard Cutter RUSH, was charged with interfering with investigations connected to an illegal dumping of bilge waste into the Honolulu harbor. Williams is accused by the grand jury of interfering with an investigation of his authorization for the dump.

Williams, the Maine Propulsion Assistant, allegedly authorized the dump of bilge wastes on March 8, 2006. Bilge waste is the byproduct of ship water that is stored on a boat. It often contains oil, residue and other harmful pollutants. Normally bilge wastes are put through an Oil Water Separator system (OWS) in order to separate the pollutants from the water before the water is dumped overboard; Williams is accused of purposefully bypassing the use of that system.

The investigation was started after an anonymous complaint was filed to the State of Hawaii Department of Health on March 13, 2006. The complaint stated that approximately 2,000 gallons of bilge waste was pumped into the Honolulu Harbor without going through the OWS.

On May 1, 2006, The Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found out from personnel aboard the ship that the incident did indeed happen. Members of the Main Propulsion Division on the cutter admitted to participating in the illegal dumping. Also, documents from the cutter RUSH obtained by those agencies also pointed towards the incident, documents such as the ship's logs, tank level sounding sheets, and a pneumatic pump.

Williams denies that he gave anyone permission for the illegal dumping and maintains he was not aware that bilge wastes had bypassed the OWS system. It is these denials in statements given to the EPA and CGIS that prompted the indictment since they contradict statements of the personnel involved as well as the ship's documentations. If convicted of these charges, Chief Warrant Officer Williams could face up to 5 years in prison for each count (obstruction of justice and making a false statement).

Acting Assistant Attorney General Tenpas had this to say about the charges: "This indictment stands as notice that the Department of Justice will enforce the nation's environmental laws in an even-handed and thorough manner."

The US Coast Guard Cutter RUSH is a high-endurance cutter ship stationed in Honolulu. High-endurance cutters are the largest class of US Coast Guard vessels other than Polar Ice Breakers.

SOURCE:

Department of Justice

URL:
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/August/07_enrd_593.html