News Release

For Release: April 28, 2008
Contact: Kris Long (208) 373-3913

Officials Warn of Public Health and Environmental Risks
from Illegal Wire Burning Activity

BOISE, ID – Air pollutants and other hazardous materials being released into the environment from the illegal burning of insulated electrical wire on public land has Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials in Idaho concerned.

“There are serious health risks and environmental concerns from dioxins, copper, lead, zinc and other pollutants commonly associated with illegal wire-burn sites,” according to Acting Idaho BLM Hazardous Materials Program Coordinator Steve Moore.  “We want the public to be aware of the dangers, and we encourage anyone who should come across one of these sites to immediately notify their local BLM office, county sheriff’s office or city police department.”

Idaho BLM Safety and Occupational Health Manager Jan Peterson explained that dioxins, commonly associated with burnt insulation, are easily absorbed and stored in fat tissue.  “Dioxins are known human carcinogens, and even low concentrations can cause serious health problems such as impaired immune system and liver function.   Long-term exposure to lead, a hazardous waste that is released into soil when copper wire insulation is burned, can cause acute or chronic damage to the nervous system, and high doses of copper can cause liver and kidney damage.”

“Heavy metals are dangerous because they tend to bioaccumulate, or increase in concentration in the body over time,” according to Peterson.  “When these heavy metals find their way into streams, lakes, rivers or groundwater, they can be dangerous to human health and the environment.”

In rural and urban areas across the West, federal and state land management agencies and local law enforcement officials are encountering sharp increases in the incidents of illegal wire burning on public, state and private lands.

“People looking to make a fast buck, characteristically methamphetamine or other drug users, are stealing the electrical wire, usually copper, from anywhere they can and burning the insulation from the wire to bring in more at scrap metal recycling facilities,” said Idaho BLM Special Agent in Charge Loren Good.  “Burning on public land also poses a dangerous and unnecessary wildfire hazard.”

Law enforcement officials believe the rising price of base metals, particularly copper, is fueling the sharp spike in theses thefts.  Investigations of past wire burning cases have been linked to the theft of farming equipment and copper wire from business or residential construction sites.  “We caution anyone who works with or possesses copper wire or other metals that could be sold for scrap metal to increase their security measures,” Good said.

Scrap metal thieves should beware because of recent heightened awareness of this crime, according to Good.  “Recyclers in Idaho are working closely with local and state law enforcement officials.  By law, recyclers are required to record the date, vehicle license plate number, driver’s license number and a description of the scrap materials from customers.  As a protective measure, some recyclers are installing video surveillance equipment.”

Law enforcement authorities in Idaho routinely share information with scrap operators whenever material is stolen, including serial numbers and photos of the material when it is available.  Similarly, recyclers contact the authorities when they encounter suspicious material.  “This cooperative sharing of information between law enforcement authorities and scrap operators provides investigators key information and evidence in catching the thieves,” Good said.

Idaho BLM Hazardous Materials Technical Response Team Lead Tim Fuller said, “When we find one of these wire-burn sites, we take a sample of material for a legally valid lab analysis.  If the sampling is below regulated hazardous material levels, even the smallest cleanups with lab fees will cost taxpayers a minimum of around $500.  For sites determined to be hazardous, depending on the amount and type of materials and the environmental concerns, contracted cleanup costs can run into the thousands of dollars.”

Fuller said several dozen sites on public lands in Idaho have been cleaned up in the last couple of years.  “One cleanup of two 55-gallon drums in the middle of a gravel turnout near the Burley Milner Recreation Site cost taxpayers around $6,000.”

At the Kelley Island Campground, about 23 miles northeast of Idaho Falls, authorities estimate that thieves made off with about $50 worth of copper, but it cost the BLM about $3,500 to repair the damages and replace parts to a well house that was vandalized.

In southwestern Idaho, BLM Boise District Environmental Protection Specialist Paul Seronko said another hazardous materials dump site was reported on Kuna Butte in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.

“This is the fourth hazmat site that has been reported in the area over the last three months,” Seronko said.  “Unfortunately, for every hazmat site reported, there are another five not yet found that will cause some degree of soil contamination and pose varying degrees of health risk to individuals recreating on the public lands.”

Individuals are committing the illegal activity most frequently on public land because of their remoteness, but the sites are also showing up on state and private land, according to Fuller.  “The thieves will usually find isolated areas or camping and recreational sites to burn the casing off the wire.  It’s not uncommon to find the leftover burnt hazardous materials in fire pits, further putting the public at risk.”

The BLM works with Special Agents within Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division and other law enforcement officials and environmental agencies serving on the Idaho Environmental Crimes Task Force on these cases.  Because the crimes are typically committed in remote areas, many are difficult to solve and prosecute.
 
Good said the more serious criminal violations on public land are punishable under provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and under Title 18 Offenses Applicable to Public Lands.  Fines can be as high as $250,000 for an individual and $500,000 for an organization or imprisonment up to ten years, or both.
 
“Cases prosecuted under these provisions of FLPMA have included burial of oil field waste, disposal of hazardous waste drums, wire-burning and poisoning of predators,” according to Good.

— BLM —

Photos and Captions: 

News Editor:  Please feel free to use either of the following two BLM photos with the article.  Both the  “Milner” and the “Birds of Prey” photo are associated with locations mentioned in the article:

1. “Milner.jpg”:  Burley Milner Recreation Site, where copper wire was illegally burned in a public picnic and camping area.  The site is frequently visited by the public and is near the Milner Dam along the Snake River.

2. “Birds of Prey.jpg”:  Site where copper wire was illegally burned in a fire pit on Kuna Butte in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, posing a threat to both the public and the environment.