The J.H. Baxter wood treatment companies and their president have pleaded guilty to federal charges related to hazardous waste and air pollution violations. The companies, J.H. Baxter & Co. Inc. and J.H. Baxter & Co., A California Limited Partnership, admitted to illegally treating hazardous waste and violating Clean Air Act regulations.
Georgia Baxter-Krause, the president of the companies, also pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which governs hazardous waste management in the United States.
Court documents reveal that J.H. Baxter used hazardous chemicals for wood treatment at its Eugene facility, resulting in hazardous wastewater. Although they operated a legal wastewater treatment unit, employees often transferred excess wastewater to a wood treatment retort for evaporation without proper permits.
The practice was not disclosed to state and local regulators as required by RCRA standards. Additionally, emissions from the facility violated Clean Air Act standards due to open vents on the retorts.
When questioned by Oregon inspectors about this practice, Baxter-Krause provided false information regarding dates and equipment used. The investigation found detailed logs maintained by J.H. Baxter confirming 136 instances of boiling off hazardous wastewater between January and October 2019.
On November 22, 2024, formal charges were filed against J.H. Baxter for illegal waste treatment and air pollution violations, while Baxter-Krause faced charges for false statements under RCRA.
As part of plea agreements, both the companies and Baxter-Krause will pay $1.5 million in criminal fines. Baxter-Krause could face up to two years in prison with three years of supervised release after sentencing on April 22, 2025.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the EPA Criminal Investigation Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. McLaren along with Trial Attorneys Rachel Roberts and Stephen J. Foster from the Environment and Natural Resources Division's Environmental Crimes Section.
This investigation was part of an Environmental Crimes Task Force initiative aimed at identifying significant environmental crimes in Oregon through collaboration among various regulatory agencies.