Opinion ID: 508479
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: I handle it.

Text: 28 Q. Well, did you tell him that there was no room in the vertical [storage] tanks [on the Forsyth Road site]? 29 A. I sure did. I sure did. 30 Q. You did? 31 A. I sure did. 32 Q. Did you tell him there were no drums? 33 A. Exactly. 34 Fountain testified that immediately after his conversation with Greer, he pumped the truck's contents directly onto the ground. 35 We conclude that this evidence, viewed in a light most favorable to the Government, was sufficient to support the jury's conclusion that the Government carried its burden of proof with respect to the first element of the crime charged in count sixteen. It is true that the evidence did not show that Greer directly told Fountain to dump the load that was brought onto the site on August 12, 1982. However, given Fountain's testimony that Greer had approved of previous dumpings as a way to meet storage squeezes, the jury could infer from the context of the specific discussion described by Fountain that when Greer instructed him to handle the truckload of waste on August 12, 1982, he effectively ordered him to dump it. Using that inference, the jury could find that the Government had proven that Greer knowingly disposed of or caused others to dispose of a chemical waste ... on or about August 12, 1982. 8 Cf. Hayes Int'l, 786 F.2d at 1506. 36 In connection with the second element--that the material dumped on August 12, 1982 was a chemical waste primarily containing 1,1,1-trichloroethane--the Government introduced into evidence the bill of lading for the load allegedly dumped. On the bill of lading was a typewritten notation, 800 gallons 1,1,1 trichloroethane for disposal; next to this typewritten notation was a handwritten notation, 1000 gallons. Fountain testified that he smelled the material before dumping it, and that it smelled like 1,1,1 trichloroethane. Additionally, an expert witness for the Government testified that traces of 1,1,1 trichloroethane had been found by government inspectors in August 1983 at the site of the alleged dumping. 37 In light of this evidence, a rational trier of fact could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that the material dumped was 1,1,1 trichloroethane. It is true that conflicting evidence was presented on the point--the manifest 9 for the load of material in question read waste solvent, n.o.s. [not otherwise specified]. Additionally, a government inspection of the site was conducted on the day immediately following the alleged dumping, and the inspector--who took no soil samples at that time--noted no unusually strong odor; 10 one witness for the defense testified that had 1000 gallons of 1,1,1 trichloroethane in fact been dumped on August 12, 1982, the odor would have lingered for several days. Although this evidence might support a conclusion contrary to the one the jury reached, our task is not to choose among competing constructions of the evidence. See Martinez, 763 F.2d at 1302. A jury is free to choose among reasonable constructions of the evidence. Id. Here, the evidence is sufficient to support the jury's conclusion that the material dumped on August 12, 1982 was 1,1,1 trichloroethane. 38 Finally, we turn to the third element of the crime charged in count sixteen--that Greer knew that the chemical waste had the potential to be harmful to others or to the environment. As noted above, the Government introduced a bill of lading which identified the load as 1,1,1 trichloroethane. Greer himself testified that he knew that the law prohibited the dumping of such material. The jury could infer from this evidence that Greer knew that dumping the load would pose harm to others or the environment. 39 We conclude that there is sufficient evidence to support the jury's determination that Greer was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the crime charged in count sixteen. Having reached that conclusion, we readily reach the same conclusion as to the crime charged in count seventeen. That count charged Greer with having failed to report the dumping in violation of 42 U.S.C. Sec. 9603(b)(3) (1982). 11 Specifically, the indictment charged that [o]n or about August 12, 1982, in the Middle District of Florida, a quantity in excess of one pound of hazardous substance, that is, a mixture of approximately 1,000 gallons of hazardous waste primarily containing 1,1,1 trichloroethane, ... was released into the environment without a federal permit from the Forsyth Road site and that Arthur J. Greer, being the person in charge of the Forsyth Road site, ... and having knowledge of the aforementioned release of a hazardous substance into the environment without a permit, failed to notify the appropriate agency of the United States Government ... [i]n violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 9603(b)(3). The trial court instructed the jury that the Government had to prove the following elements with respect to count seventeen: 12 40 (1) that Greer was, in fact, in charge of the facility at which the release occurred; 41 (2) that one pound or more of 1,1,1-trichloroethane was released from the facility; 13 42 (3) that Greer knew of such release; and 43 (4) that Greer, after learning of the release[,] ... failed to immediately notify the National Response Center of the United States Coast Guard. 44 As to the first element, the defense stipulated that Greer owned and operated the Forsyth Road site at the time of the alleged dumping; in addition, several witnesses who were former employees at the Forsyth Road site testified that Greer was actively involved in the daily operation of the business. The second and third elements were established by the same evidence that established the first three elements of the crime charged in count sixteen. Finally, as to the fourth element, the Government introduced, without objection, an affidavit by the Coast Guard stating that Greer had made no report of a dumping to the National Response Center. We hold that the evidence is sufficient to support the jury's finding of guilt with respect to each element of the crime charged in count seventeen.