Natural Outlook, February 2012 Page: 1
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An environmental crime can oten ne summer up ,I
one of three words... "Lying, stealing, or cheatin
asnd #hio, n i+" .,ll. m "ane- ten mn.lue hahin /d iPD-020/12-02 FEBRUARY 2012
TCEQ ENVIRONMENTAL
CRIMES INVESTIGATORS
PURSUE WORST
WILLFUL POLLUTERS4Agency member of Texas Environmental
S Enforcement Task Force- mperial Drive winds through a
residential area in eastern Travis
County, before it becomes a heavily
wooded, desolate road that eventu-
ally dead-ends at the Colorado River. The
southernmost stretch of the road is one
few people would ever stop at-the perfect
l location for an illegal dumping ground.
On the morning of June 3, 2005,
Reginald Dane Parker was attending
to a haul of stolen copper wire there.
He had used the site before, and was in
the process of burning the insulation
off to expose the copper, when he was
confronted by four armed law enforce-
ment officials. As it turns out, they had
been monitoring the crime by way of two
hidden surveillance cameras attached to
nearby trees. (To watch the hidden-camera
video, go to www.tceg.texas.gov/goto/
outlook-1202.)
Coming after months of investiga-
tion, this arrest resulted in a successful
conviction on charges of illegal disposal
of hazardous waste, through the efforts
of the Texas Environmental Enforcement
Task Force, which is the state's own
environmental crimes police department.A State Coalition
Created in 1991, the Texas Environmental
Enforcement Task Force is composed of
designated staffers from several agencies,
including the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality, Texas Parks and
Wildlife, the U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, the Travis County District
Attorney's Office, the Texas Attorney
General's Office, the General Land Office,
the Texas Railroad Commission, the Gov-
ernor's Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office,
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The offenses it investigates cover a
wide range, including illegal dumping,
illegal transportation and disposal of haz-
ardous waste, illegal discharge of waste
and pollutants into the waters of the state,
violations of rules for public drinking
water, and fraud involving TCEQ programs.
The TCEQ Squad
An environmental crime can often be
summed up in one of three words, accord-
ing to Dan McReynolds, the manager of
the TCEQ Environmental Crimes Unit.
"Lying, stealing, or cheating-and there is
usually a monetary motive behind it.O N E N V I R O N M E N T A L
, .
:
T E X A S
,r
C O M M I S S I O N
Q U A L I T Y
. ", .
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Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Natural Outlook, February 2012, periodical, February 2012; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth326691/m1/1/?rotate=90: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.