Developer fined for asbestos violations

Dan Desler, a Eugene developer and businessman, was arrested on Monday on many counts of felony air pollution. The Oregon State Police and the Linn County District Attorney’s Office informed that the 65-year-old man has been lodged in the Linn County Jail in Albany on $100,000 bail.

Desler and the Western States Land Reliance Trust, his nonprofit organization, have been charged with seven felony counts of first-degree illegal air pollution, three misdemeanor counts of second-degree illegal air pollution, a felony count of providing bogus information to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and a felony count of irresponsible endangerment, according to said Linn County deputy district attorney Heidi Sternhagen.

Desler was charged after the discovery of asbestos (the only known cause of mesothelioma) during the demolition of buildings between May 2007 and February 2008 at a former lumber mill site in Sweet Home and now owned by the trust established by Desler in 2002 to build a 432-lot subdivision. The initial owner of the site was Willamette Industries.

Leah Koss, an environmental law specialist with the DEQ’s Portland Office of Compliance & Enforcement, said that Desler was indicted by a Linn County grand jury on April 22.

«


»