In December 1978, the State of North Carolina—now responsible for the cleanup of roadside soils contaminated with 31,000 gallons of PCBs—purchased farmland in the community of Afton in Warren County. Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. found this inexpensive land in a sparsely populated and politically neglected county to be a swift solution to the problem of what to do with the toxic waste.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the arrangement before residents of Warren County knew what was planned. Residents attended public hearings to protest the dump, question the EPA waivers issued for site approval, and begin pressuring local politicians to push back against the Hunt administration which seemed determined that the construction of the landfill would continue regardless of public sentiment.
Community meeting announcement, January 4, 1979
THE WARREN RECORD, WARRENTON, NC
An advertisement for the first community meeting in Warrenton regarding the landfill ran in the local newspaper. Around 900 residents attended this first public hearing to hear from the regional administrator of the EPA. They expressed concerns over the planned landfill and the State’s request for a license to dispose of PCB material.
Bob Hall Papers
Southern Historical Collection
Letter to the US Environmental Protection Agency, January 9, 1979
NORTH CAROLINA REPRESENTATIVE JOHN T. CHURCH, RALEIGH, NC
North Carolina State Representative John T. Church sent a letter to the US Environmental Protection Agency asking for clarification on the state's request to waive three EPA regulations. These waivers would eliminate an artificial liner, an under liner leachate collection, and the requirement of at least fifty feet between the bottom of the landfill and the groundwater. The lack of space between the landfill and the groundwater was particularly concerning because 90% of Warren County residents relied on wells for drinking water and the area water table measured only ten feet below the surface.
Bob Hall Papers
Southern Historical Collection
Letter to Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., June 4, 1979
US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, WASHINGTON DC
Found in electrical transformers and industrial flame retardant, PCB was the only substance specifically cited in the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976. Specific disposal regulations laid out in the report were fraught with contradictions and allowed discretion in setting permit requirements. The requirement of at least fifty feet above groundwater established by the landfill permit rules of 1978 was found to be impossible to enforce east of the Mississippi River due to the geology of the region. Rather than change the rules, the EPA allowed regional administrators to grant waivers, leaving full discretion to regional officers. This letter from the EPA to Governor Hunt confirmed the waiving of three regulations to allow the landfill in Warren County be placed there.
Bob Hall Papers
Southern Historical Collection
Letter and Ad, January 1, 1982
THE TRANSFORMER MAINTENANCE INSTITUTE, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO
The Warrenton community fought not only the EPA and politicians, but also well-funded industrial organizations like the Transformer Maintenance Institute (TMI). TMI surveyed PCB-related articles from 750 newspapers and accused the media of reporting allegation as fact. Overlooking the documented dangers of this chemical and the PCB-contaminated rice oil in Japan that led to over 500 deaths in 1968, PCB-related businesses were quick to cast doubt on the chemical’s hazards. Industry organizations targeted politicians and the public arguing against PCB regulations. TMI claimed media bias and threatened a cost of $30,000 for each person in the US to remove PCB materials.
L.H. Foundation Papers
Southern Historical Collection