Professor sues EPA about asbestos on Marco Island property
Mario Sanchez is a professor at Miami-Dade College in Florida who lives on Marco Island. He is now suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because the agency failed to release information about asbestos that was found on city property back in 2005 as required by the Freedom of Information Act. Asbestos fragments had been found on a construction staging site that become Veterans’ Community Park. Crushed asbestos pipe had been discovered on park property in October 2005, something that had sparked controversy at the time. Quality Enterprises, the contractor on that project, was required to pay for proper asbestos removal and disposal.
The lawsuit also alleges that, in addition to the asbestos, other hazardous materials were improperly handled between January 2005 and December 2007, including untreated sulfuric acid, hydrogen sulfide and sediment that the city had pumped into the waterways.
Lisa Douglass, city spokeswoman and former ombudsman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), stated that there is nothing to substantiate.
Sanchez had filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking all EPA documents concerning Marco Island from January 2005 until July 31, 2008. He claimed that his request was denied because the people being investigated by the EPA might be embarrassed if the information became public. Sanchez is an investigative journalist who maintains an environmental activism blog.
For the full story, go to Marco Eagle.
![[Information package]](http://www.mesotheliomanews.com/wp-content/themes/biromeso/images/infopack.jpg)
