Facts About Wal-Mart And The Environment

“It's probably cheaper to just violate the law, wait till somebody

catches you, pay your fine and then move on.”

– Al Norman, on Wal-Mart Environmental Violations [Minnesota Public Radio, Marketplace Morning Report, 5/13/04]

Wal-Mart Disrespects Our Communities with Egregious Violations

· Clean Water Act: Wal-Mart Fined $3.1 Million In 2004 For Environmental Violations In Nine States. The U.S. Justice Department in 2004 levied $3.1 million in fines to Wal-Mart. The fines stemmed from environmental violations – namely excessive storm water runoff at construction sites – at 24 of its sites in nine states. In the settlement, federal officials accused Wal-Mart of failing to get required permits, not instituting a runoff control plan, and failing to install controls to prevent discharges. The nine states are California, Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. [Associated Press, 5/12/04; New York Times, 4/13/05]

· Clean Air Act: Wal-Mart Settled Case Involving Air Pollution in Eleven States In January 2004 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. agreed to pay $400,000 to settle claims that its Sam's Club stores violated Clean Air Act regulations in 11 states. The case was filed by U.S. Attorney Todd Graves in Kansas City federal court and charged Wal-Mart with 20 violations. The Department of Justice announced the settlement covered violations in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. [The Business Journal, 1/30/04; Department of Justice Press Release, 1/22/04]

· Wal-Mart Fined $765,000 for Petroleum Storage Violations. Wal-Mart was levied $765,000 in fines for violating Florida’s petroleum storage tank law at its automobile service centers. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said that Wal-Mart failed to register its fuel tanks with the state and failed to install devices that prevent overflows, among other problems. As well, Wal-Mart also did not perform monthly monitoring, lacked current technologies to prevent overflows, blocked state inspectors from reviewing maintenance records, and failed to submit proper insurance documentation. [Associated Press, 11/18/04]

Wal-Mart Stores Create Sprawl and Threaten Historic Communities

· National Trust for Historic Preservation Specifically Cited Wal-Mart Expansion in Listing Vermont among Most Endangered Places. “The State of Vermont appeared on our 1993 list because it faced an onslaught of big-box retail development. Today the threat is worse than ever, with Wal-Mart planning to saturate the state with 7 new super-stores that are likely to spur additional development, sprawl, disinvestment in downtowns, the loss of locally-owned businesses, and the erosion of the state’s unique sense of place.” [National Trust for Historic Preservation Press Release, 5/24/04, http://www.nationaltrust.org/news/docs/20040524_11most_vermont.html]

· Wal-Mart Built Store on Traditional Mayan Grounds. “A Wal-Mart store rising near the 2,000-year-old pyramids of the Teotihuacán Empire has ignited the wrath of Mexican conservationists and nationalists, who say the U.S. retailer is destroying their culture at the foot of one of Mexico's greatest treasures… Last week, 63 prestigious artists and intellectuals, in a letter published in Mexican newspapers, asked President Vicente Fox to stop the structure. They see it as a battle pitting Mexico's heritage against encroaching U.S. influence. Wal-Mart is already Mexico's largest retailer, with 664 stores in 66 cities, with sales of $12 billion.” [Knight Ridder, 10/25/04]